With 2020 behind us and 2021 heading in the same direction, we can safely assume that extraordinary things will continue to happen, in both good and bad directions.
Starting with the bad, the pandemic is already leaving irreversible consequences in our society, forcing entire industries to change their perspective towards the modern era. One such change in mindset is also currently taking place in hemp.
The biggest revolution came when the UN Agency decided to name marijuana a non-dangerous drug and the Oregon cannabis research revealing the incredible impact that hemp has had on the United States in recent years. Thus, renewing the tarnished reputation of cannabis into something much more positive and approachable.
With this in mind, let’s see what is in store for the next decade, considering the vast revolution hemp has gone through during this current pandemic and the result of a de-classification.
In the Hands of the UN
We wouldn’t be talking about hemp right now had it not been for the UN Agency’s groundbreaking decision. After receiving recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Agency carefully debated the medicinal benefits of marijuana, achieving a 27-25 vote to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug.
But this decision did not just appear out of nowhere, as prior to the UN, the US 2018 Farm Bill had already been imposed. A year later, in Thailand, the famous 2019 Thailand Narcotics Act, which legalized hemp for medicinal use, made its stand.
Back then, these laws already created a small wave of countries that began to consider cannabis as a topic that deserves to be debated. However, the UN’s most significant impact was that it opened the perspective of large governments to legalize hemp. This perspective focused primarily on laws and regulations that can protect each party.
New Market Perspective
What used to be a closed circle with limited resources and access will soon be an industry in the midst of expansion. Not just for those who will consume cannabis but also for producers, as they will have more freedom to create and perfect new approaches towards society.
As more countries join the legalization of marijuana, more people and industries will become involved in getting a foothold in the market, thus flourishing new variants, alternatives, and niche sectors around hemp.
But the spotlight is not limited to classic consumption but instead to CBD and THC products. These are increasingly positioning themselves as some of the most popular and desired products around the world. For instance, CBD oils received one of the highest demands in cosmetics and aromatherapy during 2020, with only a few producers managing to supply the overwhelming online demand.
But that’s just one of the components that are softening hemp’s unpopular reputation, giving governments one more leverage point to funnel the money cannabis creates into the country’s economy. And the more money hemp generates as income for governments, the greater the protection and security around the cannabis industry.
New Consumer Perspective
The acceptance of hemp in different countries is not only something that will change specific industries, but it will also completely change the consumers. Let’s take into account the medical use of cannabis. The number of these consumers will grow dramatically in the coming years, and that’s without considering the immense increase that hemp has had during the pandemic.
Admittedly, states with the most severe coronavirus restrictions have witnessed a considerable increase in cannabis users, but this is due, in part, to medicinal needs. Hence, medical practitioners are already implementing the use of the substance to both help with specific diseases, improve appetite as an energy supplement, and, of course, alleviate pain. But this is not only good news for patients, as it also holds enormous potential for medical breakthroughs.
As for regular consumers, the new decade also symbolizes reassurance and safety, endorsed by their governments. Therefore, society will take a new interest in cannabis, attracting people who were previously afraid of using cannabis or who were influenced by the negative concepts previously associated with the use of hemp.
Return to a New Status Quo
Over the past decades, cannabis went through a long history of reputation and marketing, which had a more notable negative than positive influence upon the substance. But to determine the effects and qualities of hemp, it is essential to rely on unbiased studies and analyses not rooted in myths but instead demonstrated facts.
One undeniable fact is that marijuana varies from person to person, creating a distinctive experience. Hence, adverse effects such as loss of interest depend exclusively on the substance’s behavior on the person who consumes it. Nonetheless, this would be one of the most harmful effects of hemp on a human being. Still, remaining light years away from the disastrous effects of drugs that were previously in the same category as cannabis.
Furthermore, the acceptance and increased use of cannabis in our society would also mean a reliable step towards the environment. Hemp serves for alternative uses such as eco-friendly paper packaging.
As a result, the most recent legislation has perhaps changed the perspective of governments and older generations. Still, this new reality shaping up around us is also pushing hemp to become new normality without the critical eye behind it.
In the Eyes of the Consumer
Whenever we think of hemp, cannabis, marijuana, etc., we usually imagine joints. However, another of the most prevalent forms is through oral means. These are going through massive makeovers, which will prevail in the future.
Producers and entire industries are aware that hemp is sensitive in society’s eyes, increasing the number of modern methods that move away from the classic joint.
Of course, smoking will undoubtedly continue with rolling papers. Still, apart from pipes or hookahs, vaporizers are also experiencing their micro-revolution. And to distinguish themselves, vaporizers managed to give hemp a touch of different flavors in addition to being much more subtle and elegant than other smoking methods.
When it comes to oral, the possibilities are endless. Oral is undoubtedly the most accepted and innovative sector in hemp, guided by essential and vegetable oils, specific teas, and all kinds of food such as cookies and brownies.
Such ingenuity from those who respect and value hemp has resulted in one of the most positive effects in recent years. It gives people with medical needs the opportunity to enjoy the plant without the necessity of smoking it.
Conclusion
Although we have only surpassed the first year of the new decade, everyone knows that there are still many revolutions to come. One of the sectors that stands to benefit the most, therefore, is hemp.
The confinement and the lack of certainty that 2020 brought into the new year meant that the focus remained on cannabis as a medicinal alternative. Rarely has human society been reduced to such a limited lifestyle. Not only after-effects appear due to the virus, but also mental impairments that previously had no alternative solutions, such as cannabis.
With governments seeing firsthand the rise in demand for CBD and THC in different markets, they are bound to be forced sooner or later to adapt according to their population’s needs.
Thanks to these stakeholders’ intervention and regular users of hemp, cannabis will soon become part of our daily lives, becoming involved in cosmetics, aromatherapy, or food and in significant advances of our times.
All this information and facts confirm that hemp’s next ten years will be the most important and impacting years for the branch, promising a new life both for the substance and consumers.