Marijuana was, and in many parts of America continues to be, one of the most commonly used illegal substances. Cannabis is popular, and just like how prohibition didn’t stop drinking, laws against it didn’t do anything to curb how many people smoke. The great legalization experiment was meant to pull some of that black market into the light, and to tax the sales of a popular commodity, and to stop arresting people for using something that is no more dangerous than other legal drugs.
RELATED: Legal Marijuana Effects on the Economy Expected to Increase
The results? Well, legal marijuana sales have hit a record $3.4 billion dollars, and that is without universal legalization. If you’re looking for some perspective on that number, Forbes has you covered.
How Much is Pot Worth?
So what does $3.4 billion look like? Well, the easiest way to tell you is to compare it to the numbers sold by other famous products (which are totally legal and can be bought anywhere) to show you just how much money people are spending on cannabis.
For example, pot’s market share is:
– 49 times greater than M&M’s
– 3.3 times bigger than Dasani water’s total sales
– 5 times bigger than Oreos’ sales
Those are just a few of the numbers illustrating how much money is being pulled in just by legalizing marijuana in a few places. Now imagine if it was universally legalized, just like the products Forbes has been comparing it to. Imagine how much money, and how much economic growth, that could represent for the U.S.
If things keep going the way they’re going, you won’t need to have an imagination. Just access to the stock market pages.
Grow the economy. Find the best deals and dispensaries here.
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Legal Marijuana Companies Face Banking Hurdles
