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Millennials have become a
force to be reckoned with—from a sheer numbers perspective, they’ve surpassed
the Baby Boomers as America’s largest living
generation. And they have strong opinions about what they want
from their culture, including, evidently, the legalization of marijuana.
Reforming marijuana laws
According to the Pew Research
Center, the Millennial demographic (defined as those 18- to 35-years-old in
2016) has driven the shift toward public support of marijuana. In 2006, 34
percent of Millennials supported the legalization of marijuana. By 2016, that
number had leaped to 71 percent. Even 63 percent of GOP-leaning
Millennials say marijuana use should be legalized; Democratic-leaning
Millennials are even more enthusiastic, with77 percent favoring legalization.
But just because Millennials
overwhelmingly support marijuana legalization, the question remains: Will this
generation’s power-in-numbers have a hand in pushing forward state laws and
federal laws legalizing marijuana use?
“Legalization and reform at
the local, state, and federal levels represents a great opportunity for
Millennials to embrace their growing position in society and break from
policies and dogmas of the Baby Boomers that may no longer be compatible with
the Millennial vision of the 21st century,” says Corey Cox, associate attorney
with the nation’s top cannabis law firm, Vicente Sederberg, in Denver.
“As societal attitudes change,
the law follows. Millennials are largely in favor of marijuana legalization. If
the federal laws don’t change before the Millennials are in power, the
Millennials will change the laws when we get in power,” says Brian Pendergraft, attorney with The Pendergraft Firm
LLC in
Greenbelt, Maryland.
Heeding the millennial voice
In the meantime, the Millennials
have a loud collective voice. And they can use it to their advantage to further
an industry that is poised to drive long-term economic growth and social
change. “Millennials owe it to themselves and to future generations to take
ownership of what this change looks like,” says Cox. “The industry has grown
beyond the 1970s stereotypes many people still associate with marijuana. One of
the most basic, yet powerful, things Millennials can do is use their various
platforms to express their views and experiences with marijuana and in the
process shift the conversation from one driven by fear and superstition, to one
driven by facts and positive experiences.”
Though the marijuana industry
is fledgling, it does mirror the millennial experience. “This is an industry
that, like many Millennials, has transitioned from basements to business
enterprise and has created tremendous economic opportunities across a wide
spectrum of skills, education levels, and backgrounds,” says Cox.
Millennial cannabis entrepreneurs
Millennials have witnessed
prosperity and economic decline and are motivated to alter the course of their
future. “This is an industry that has largely embraced the entrepreneurial
spirit central to the Millennial identity,” says Cox. “As a result, this industry
exists in a very creative and experimental space where people can express
themselves and pursue untapped opportunities. This is true for the craftsmen
and artisans literally growing the industry, for the legal and business
professionals constantly seeking creative solutions to the industry’s many
obstacles, and for everyone in between.”
Particularly for
environmentally conscious Millennials, cannabis-growing offers opportunities to
reduce their carbon footprint. “We are focused on addressing the new freedom of
Prop 64 allowing Californians to start growing cannabis at home,” says Gregg
Steiner, president of the Sherman Oaks-based Cabinet Garden, an indoor plant-growing
system that can help solve a great deal of environmental damage that
large-scale marijuana farming can cause. Millennials have launched businesses and latched onto
systems like this—and begun to develop their own innovations—that lower the
cost of cannabis, reduce pesticide use, and limit environmental damage and
energy consumption.
Off the record
While some Millennials are
using the growth of cannabis enterprises to their advantage, taking the
opportunity to put their entrepreneurial bent in motion, other Millennials who
have been affected by harsh marijuana laws are trying to cover their tracks.
Because recreational marijuana
is still illegal in many
states, many Millennials have found themselves on the wrong end of the law when
it comes to weed. “Countless Millennials have been imprisoned or suffered from
marijuana’s prohibition. Legalized marijuana represents hope for social change
and a more positive future for those negatively impacted by the war on drugs,”
says Cox.
“Legalization of marijuana
will increase the employability of Millennials that are scared they will not be
able to get a job because of their record,” says Pendergraft, who works to
expunge non-violent crimes from the records of Millennials.
“Decriminalization will help
keep marijuana in the hands of adults while also not criminalizing responsible
adults for using a harmless plant,” says Anthony Franciosi, founder of the Honest Marijuana
Company, an eco-friendly cannabis growery in Oak Creek, Colorado. “It has also
created tons of job and entrepreneurial opportunities for people who were
members of the counterculture for so long.”
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