Is the Massachusetts market in a TV dinner phase?
As laws around cannabis evolve across the country and globe, how and why it is produced is changing too. So are our practices, expectations and applications. Through the 80s, 90s and 2000s the quality of the average bag of grass went up and up. As medical and then recreational programs began to take hold, a shift began…
Legal licensing brought in big money, big facilities, and more infrastructure than ever before. Large corporations began collecting licenses to cash in on the resale. The legal market brought bigger facilities and capitalism began to run its course. In the illegal market, many grows were small due to funding, risk and the need to remain covert. Most of these growers were so passionate about the plant, that they were willing to take those risks. This led to small, high quality grows, supplying small networks of cannabis users.
Big operators have different goals, priorities and challenges. Many of these grows are operated by employees that either do not have the know how, or are not afforded the ability to make the proper decisions. Many shortcuts are being taken in order to drive down the cost of production in commercial cannabis. This is where the decline begins.
I like to call this the TV dinner era of cannabis. Modern society, so excited to have the legal parameters to grow pot at scale jumped in to claim their piece. However, any consumable produced in a factory, has a severely lower level of quality. As was the case for the TV dinner. TV’s increased in popularity and the ability to produce a low cost, pre-cooked meal, brought excitement from the American population. Ready to eat in just twenty minutes and served in the tray it was heated in, this new option created a new wave of products. TV’s had become a symbol of wealth and enjoyment. And TV dinners were just the thing.
However, as time ran its course, people’s excitement for a pre-cooked meal dwindled. And here we are. The excitement of growing pot at scale, has led to an influx of operators, creating product with the sole intention of creating wealth. Large commercial environments without the care and nuance that existed in the cottage industry. Cannabis is a lot like tomatoes in that, the best pot, is fresh, and from your own locality. This is what will keep the craft market honest. There is a level of quality that cannot be matched in a factory setting. Full luster, cannabis takes a fair amount of effort, understanding and care, none of which are happening in a giant facility. Same is true for food: there is nothing like a home cooked meal. Nothing you buy frozen will ever compare. As the market and consumers understanding evolves, so will the demand. And while the TV dinner still exists, its presence is not as heavy and certainly not as desired as it once was.
Written By: James Wormser
Written By: James Wormser
