Aloha, Cannabis! Hawaii And Arizona Might Go Recreational, Predicts Law Expert

A couple of weeks ago, Benzinga published an article sharing 17 predictions from experts for the cannabis industry this year. However, our curiosity is never completely fulfilled. So, we reached out to Zameer Qureshi, an international law expert with a penchant for cannabis legislation, and asked him to share some forecasts of his own.

Cultural Developments

“Going from general to specific, the first thing I would note is the cultural developments towards marijuana; it has become very mainstream,” the legal consultant commented. “Public opinion has transformed dramatically over the last 10, 20 or so years, and it appears that it will continue to do so. We see cannabis jokes on TV quite regularly now; we see marijuana being used on TV. These are all things that many would not have envisioned in the past. So that is cultural, starting off general.”

The Evolution Of The Industry

“In terms of the industry in the U.S., I predict that the industry has already evolved at a very rapid pace,” he continued. “I anticipate that it will continue to do so.”

“Premiumization of markets is likely to take place as we have already seen,” Qureshi added. “It is going to become a very mature complex legitimized industry, and we are already seeing that in states like Colorado and California, and others which have established measures.”

The Move Toward Legality

Qureshi’s third prediction related to research: “I think that there will eventually be research expansion in the U.S. I think it is integral to the proper development of the markets along with what state legislatures envision.”

“So fourth, I think that more and more states are going to legalize, decriminalize, actively regulate, and I am talking in both medical and recreational respects,” he went on.

Lastly, the expert went into other countries, outside the United States, taking steps toward marijuana legalization: “We have already seen legalization in that regard. We are seeing measures being taken in Canada and some states. I think that there is going to be a much more thoughtful global discussion on it. I read a paper the other day which basically was indicating that the U.K. government may, in the future, consider what I consider is a holistic approach to cannabis regulation.”

The Next Episode

Benzinga moved on to ask which would be the next states to legalize.

“I have some insights. Unfortunately, what I do not have is a crystal ball. So, I cannot give you a very definitive answer, but I can provide you some brief comments on that,” Qureshi responded. “Based on what we have seen in the recent past and in the more longer term past, I anticipate that Democratic states and swing states are likely to be more inclined to take legalization and decriminalization measures. In terms of specific measures, I foresee that Hawaii and Arizona may enact recreational measures.”

When asked about legislative legalization — versus popular vote, the expert answered: “I would not rule that out at all. I think the vote that took place in California, is pivotal to the U.S. markets and to people’s thinking, and to the future legislative reform. California has more than a tenth of the American population, and it is the sixth largest economy in the world. It has a population larger than many European states. We know historically, not just in relation to marijuana, in relation to gay rights, in relation to fashion, in relation to TV, California has always been a trendsetter. So, I think that we may well see states that have traditionally been opposed to cannabis legalization surprising people with the measure they decide to take.”

The Need For A Holistic Approach

“Now, in this process as a lawyer what I would really like to see is, again, coming back to the point of holistic approaches to regulation— We have had a problem, and we have seen this in Europe also, where governments, what they have done is they have legalized sale and possession, but they have not regulated the back end at all, and that is very troubling,” he continued.

“That is something we saw in the Netherlands. It is a pretty bad situation where you have coffee shops and they can sell it, but they have to engage with the black market at the back end. So, I would like to see approaches where governments see things holistically, and enacted in such a way that it is sustainable and achieves the goals of avoiding the black market, avoiding the social costs that we are facing at the moment with so many prisoners in the U.S. on nonviolent drug charges, something that would enable businesses to prosper in regards to some of the issues that we discussed, like banking and taxes.”

“Legislation is indicative of our ideologies and the way we think of things, so to put out piecemeal legislation in my mind is not a good example,” Qureshi concluded. “We want to put out legislation that reflects that we have thought through all of the issues and if we have made our mind up on our stance on marijuana then there is no reason why we should not regulate actively.”