2016 wasn’t the best year for everyone, but it was a good year for cannabis. So much pro-marijuana activity took place this past year. At some points, it was almost hard to keep up with all of it. Although marijuana advocates took a few hits, most notably the DEA’s refusal to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug, for the most part, 2016 was a winning year for potheads. Check out some of the biggest marijuana trends that happened in 2016.
Marijuana Trends 2016
Marijuana legalization sweeps the nation
For the first time in a while, marijuana has been legalized in some form or another in over half of the United States. Plus, eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana. More people today are enjoying the benefits of cannabis legally, and more people are in support of it than ever before.
Considering the common knowledge that cannabis has not been directly responsible for a single death, but alcohol and opioid painkillers are killing millions annually, it looks like the days of Reefer Nation are finally behind us. Legalization will continue taking over the United States. Winning!
Celebrity strain names take over
Celebrity strain names were first pioneered by the biggest 420-friendly celebrities you can think of: Snoop Dogg, Bob Marley, and Willie Nelson. Leafs by Snoop, Marley Natural, and Willie’s Reserve were the first, but not the last celebrity strain names to hit the marijuana market. Celebs including Wiz Khalifa, Sublime with Rome, Tommy Chong, and Hunter S. Thompson’s widow made plans for marijuana products. Keep looking out for these new strain names in 2017, as more celebrities hop on the marijuana train.
Marijuana goes mainstream
From TV to tours, mainstream middle America is more friendly with marijuana than in the past 100 years. Weed sitcoms like “Mary + Jane,” “Buds,” and “Martha & Snoops Potluck Dinner Party” hit major television networks in 2016. Even HBO is getting in on the action with “High Maintenance.” Meanwhile, people all over the country are traveling to pot destinations like Colorado (and pretty soon Nevada) to take marijuana tours and try marijuana products they never would have before.
Cannabis journalism is now a thing
The world’s first marijuana editor, Ricardo Baca, was crowned with this title in 2014. But it wasn’t until 2016 that other major newspaper and media outlets began realizing the importance of pot journalism, especially now that over half the country is marijuana friendly in some form. Organizations including the San Francisco Chronicle, Leafly, High Times, and more are all making big hires for top marijuana experts.
Edibles go gourmet
Edibles have taken quite the turn for extraordinary in the past few years. From the days of edible cookies and brownies that still tasted like weed, marijuana edibles have come a long way. In 2016, edibles were re-introduced to the world with a new design, new packaging, and new taste. Chocolatiers, cannabis experts, scientists, elixir producers, and more have all come together to develop the best and yummiest edibles we’ve seen to date.
Other awesome marijuana trends worth mentioning include exercising high (you can even take a ganja yoga class), a re-focus on user experience (making for some pretty high-class pot shops and marijuana websites), professional athletes showing their support for marijuana, weed weddings became a thing, and the fact that there are now more marijuana topicals, lotions, and skincare products than you know what to do with.
Las Vegas ReLeaf, a medical marijuana dispensary located just 500 feet from the Las Vegas Strip, has been around since fall 2015. We’ve seen a lot change in our short time serving the Las Vegas medical cannabis community, and we are excited for the future of marijuana. Visit our website or stop by our dispensary to learn more about Las Vegas ReLeaf and the marijuana industry’s future in Nevada.
