NorthBay biz-1 February 2019

In the pop culture of the ’60s, tie-dye attired hippies gathered in San Francisco’s Haight-Asbury district to smoke pot, protest the war in Viet Nam and advocate for civil rights. And though activism continued, attire evolved to faded denims, the preppy J. Crew look and Mad Men suits. Over the next two decades or so, cannabis, though still illegal, became socially acceptable replacing the martini at cocktail parties.

In 1996, California passed Proposition 215—the Compassionate Use Act—legalizing cannabis for medical purposes. For the next 32 years not much happened legally. Then, on January 1, 2018, California legalized cannabis for recreational use with Proposition 64. Demand skyrocketed—though not in the way most expected. Aging Baby Boomers, seeking natural, non-toxic, non-addictive medicinal cannabis relief for a range of ailments, drove the market. Passionate users claimed that cannabis worked better than over-the-counter or prescription medications—and without the side effects. So is all the excitement just more “fake news”—or is it for real? READ MORE