2019 Tipped To Be Good Year For Cannabis Legalization In US

2019 is tipped to be a good year for the legalization of cannabis. Marijuana may be approved at the federal level here in the U.S. in some form, with products derived from it getting a wider acceptance.

According to a report by Forbes, the events in 2018 surrounding cannabis will help in increasing momentum to get marijuana legalized at the federal level this year. The two major developments last year were getting a legal sanction in Canada for recreational use and establishing a ready market for both sales and research. And in the U.S., the new Farm Bill has already legalized industrial hemp.

One of the promising factors that will further help the legalization campaign this year is that the House of Representatives is currently controlled by the Democrats, some of whom have made promises about this very issue.

As far as cannabis products are concerned, readers can expect a spike in the sales of vapes. About 30 percent of cannabis products sales in California are reportedly vapes, and this product is set to replicate the same numbers across the U.S. when the other states jump on the bandwagon.

New cannabis products that are expected to be introduced in 2019 will be the low dose variety that will be aimed at first time users who want to try the substance. The categories in which these new products will appear include vapes, ready-to-consume edibles and beverages. While beverages will be a big market to tap, it is not expected to make a huge impact on the market until 2020 or 2021 because the manufacturers still have to get the formula right for consumers.

As for the global cues for the cannabis market, there has been some progress towards legalization across Asia and Africa. According to Cannabis Now, the Thailand National Legislative Assembly approved the use of medical marijuana in December last year. South Korea has also taken steps to legalize the medical use of CBD-based pharmaceutical Epidiolex.

In South Africa, the Constitutional Court upheld a lower court order that the section related to cannabis in the 1992 Drugs & Drug Trafficking Act is illegal. This means that private citizens can grow and consume marijuana in private.

Zimbabwe has also legalized cannabis for medical and scientific use. Individuals and companies there can now apply for a licence in order to grow marijuana.

Back in Canada, the country is moving forward with framing the regulations with regards to cannabis products, Mondaq reported. The regulations will seek to limit the THC content in marijuana products like edibles, beverages, extracts, creams and lotions.