Cannabis Industry Movers & Shakers Reflect On A Year Of Being ‘Essential’ This 4/20

Near the end of March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic was just beginning to rage across the United States, states across the country deemed cannabis an essential business, allowing them to continue operating in whatever capacity was necessary—sales, production, and cultivation included. For an industry that was once entirely in the shadows and is still federally illegal, this acknowledgement and recognition was just as symbolically important as it was to companies’ bottom lines. It also meant that adults who consume cannabis for whatever reason, be it medically or recreationally or some combination thereof, now had unfettered access to a plant that for generations could only be found on the illicit market.

On 4/20, which has turned into a holiday of sorts for people who enjoy cannabis, top movers and shakers across the cannabis industry reflect on a year of being “essential.”

Ryan Hale, Chief Sales Officer of OSS

 “Passage of the SAFE Banking Act is a historic, significant step forward for the cannabis industry, which deserves more legitimacy and access to banking, insurance and other services just like any other mainstream industry. This legislation will open up much-needed access to financial institutions and loans for cannabis industry entrepreneurs,” said Ryan Hale, Chief Sales Officer of Operational Security Solutions (OSS). “Meanwhile, as the sheep dogs for the industry in security, we know that many compliance issues will remain as long as cannabis is still considered a Schedule 1 drug and passage of the SAFE Banking Act will only mean more regulation for the industry.”

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