In some states, medical marijuana has become a sizable part of the economy -- even when the industry's expansion has largely fallen in the gray area of the law. In California, marijuana is considered among the state's leading cash crops. In Colorado, medical marijuana dispensaries outnumber Starbucks locations 3 to 1.
In other states, such as New Mexico and Oregon, heavier regulations have limited growth.
"It hasn't become a Wal-Mart type of business," said Jeffrey Miron, a Harvard University economist who studies the marijuana trade. "But it's gone beyond a mom-and-pop sort of activity."
California was the first state to legalize pot for medicinal use in 1996, spawning an industry that grew rapidly and remains among the nation's most loosely regulated.
The article goes on to note that states that have medical marijuana laws are recognizing that they have to regulate the industry because it's no longer in the realm of "mom and pop" stores.
It's interesting to watch this legislative process in action.
the link above via Cannabis News
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