The cannabis industry is plagued by two key perceptions in the general public. The first, a commonly-understood sentiment, is the traditional stigma many still have towards cannabis in general, in large part fuelled by nearly a century of prohibition.
The second, common even among many who are otherwise sympathetic to the industry—or at least to the plant itself—is the perception that the cannabis industry is full of faceless millionaire CEOs in fancy suits.
Both of these views add up to a significant amount of headwind when it comes to advocating for regulatory change through the political process. Elected officials and policymakers might take meetings, but their willingness to prioritize the kinds of issues facing the industry—namely a heavy amount of regulation on every aspect of the business from licensing to production to sales and marketing—is directly tied to how important they think those issues are for their voters.
The reality is, those voters are not focused on these concerns. Support for legalization in general is one thing: polling has shown a majority of Canadians have supported that for a long time now. But when it comes to casting a vote based on the kind of regulatory nuance the industry is calling for, or even something as simple as excise reform, voters have a lot more pressing matters on their minds.
Before politicians will listen, the voters have to be educated.
Read the full article at StratCann
