Page 54 - AVN February 2018

FEATURE
HAZY
FUTURE FUTURE
By Stewart Tongue
Legal marijuana
biz faces uncertainty
Colorado, have made the decision to legalize
recreational marijuana in some form. More than
In the last few years several states, starting with
a dozen others have legalized medical marijuana
already, and nearly every state has taken steps to
decriminalize or reduce the priority of prosecuting
marijuana use except in cases that involve
significant illegal quantities, involvement with minors or
other serious infractions of the broader legal framework.
All of that has led to a burgeoning cannabis industry in
the United States that is generating billions of dollars
in profits and bringing in significant tax revenue
for the states that allow it … and now it may be
about to change due to a renewed threat of federal
prosecutions.
It’s no secret that there has been a crossover
of talented marketing professionals and
entrepreneurs from porn to cannabis. Many have
taken what they learned online and offline slinging
hardcore sex for the masses from the blue side of
vice to the green side with plenty of success. So
much in fact that this time last year AVN hosted
a standing-room crowd for a panel discussion at
Internext in Las Vegas to specifically discuss
the crossover and to help entrepreneurs learn
more about the many paths to making a
profit by straddling the line between
both verticals.
54 | AVN.com | 2.18