With such a negative stigma, hemp has been associated with some of the world’s most dangerous drugs. Openly cultivated, and then, globally banned, the plant has long remained in the dark, turning cultivators and consumers into “criminals”. But as years have passed, the persistent spread of hemp has sparked debate worldwide. The more we learn about the plant, the more that stigma fades. Truly, the hemp movement has taken charge, bringing with it numerous advantages that were unknown earlier.

Though the hemp industry is reaching new heights, growing to a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide, what's less visible (and arguably of equal significance) are the myriad ways it's impacted society. 

If you’re a hemp consumer, recreational or medicinal, then you might be tracking the progress of hemp legalization. If not, we have outlined a few ways hemp is changing the world all over for the better.

New Jobs

The unprecedented growth of hemp has blossomed greatly, and it’s no question that the hemp plant has afforded so many people the opportunity to get a job. New employment opportunities have been created, where both employees and business owners can reap the rewards of profit. With it, has emerged tens of thousands of new jobs with interestingly unique job titles, from budtender — the person behind the counter at a hemp dispensary — to ganjapreneur — someone who finds innovative techniques to monetize and expand the commercialization of the flower. And as hemp legalization continues to grow, one can only imagine just how those numbers will increase as we keep the wave going.

Recreational Uses

Hemp flower used in the medical sector is now setting the stage for the world. Novels could be written about what we now know about medical hemp and its implications in the treatment of a range of health conditions. But, we’re most giddy about how it’s opening doors for recreational use. Not only are the medical findings boosting its reputation, but the recreational benefits make the plant socially appealing and worthy of observation. With its proponents continually moving forward to fight the good fight, many would like to see social justice happen for those — both sentenced and criminalized — who have faced disproportionate charges for possession of the plant. 

Crime Reduction

Hemp, fear-mongering? We don’t think so. Probably the biggest objection that played over and over like a broken record was that crime will spike after legalizing hemp flower. However, as it has been revealed, the exact opposite has been happening. Places with legal hemp have shown dramatic decreases in crime rates, particularly violent crimes. In theory, once you legalize a substance, the entire illegal cartel or black market around it will significantly reduce, and over time those reductions should continue. Regarding legalization, it may be soon to make any definitive statements, however, there are no connections between legal hemp and increases in crime. 

Moreover, there is added safety control if a government legalizes and controls the cultivation and supply of the substance. If you’re buying hemp flower off of the street, then there is no way to gauge the authenticity of your purchase. With current legalization efforts creating a framework for a safety control system, we are able to reduce the risk of inferior hemp use. 

Economic boost

As one of the highest value cash crops on the planet, hemp presents tremendous economic benefits on a local and a national scale. With such a colossal consumer base, the growing industry of the plant is quickly gaining the attention of investors all across the country. Investment in growing the hemp plant has been pulling in the big bucks, hand over fist.

The industry of hemp has likewise made numerous other new ventures that hope to take into account the "green" business. Instead of tons of money being poured into the illegal distribution of hemp, those same profits are rerouting into the pockets of people who desire spending that on technology advancements, employees, and overall business expansion. It’s no question that places, where hemp flower has been legalized, have seen an upsurge in gross revenues, tourism and overall purchasing powers of the populace. The key takeaway here? Opening up hemp legalization will continue to significantly build tax revenue in these nations.

That’s right. In addition to an expanding economy, also comes tax revenue increases and price drop-downs in places with large scale hemp production. It may be hard to believe, but, hemp tax sales in some parts of the country have reached a near-whopping 40%. Newly gained profit from legalizing hemp has been invested in awareness and medical programs as well as general education — talk about money well-spent. As restrictions continue to loosen and the public gains more interest, the hemp industry will only continue to grow -- meaning more job opportunities, more economic revenue, and more hemp, really.

Many New Possibilities

With all of the new genetics out there, the possibilities for the hemp plant engineering are endless. As we have grown more socially acceptable, new strains developed by skilled breeders bear testimonial evidence of hemp’ therapeutic benefits, claimed by patients as a useful remedy for a host of conditions.

The medical properties of the hemp plant are evident, however, with newly invented strains comes new innovations. hemp scientists and cultivators are constantly crossing a variety of hemp strains to develop a real game-changer for both medical and recreational use. It was sheer crossbreeding genius that led to the emergence of a number of products containing high levels of CBD. 

Due to diligent testing and research on hemp consumption, the long list of breakthroughs in the medical sector continues to build every day. For certain, hemp crossbreeding as well as legalization has pushed the envelope for medicine and honestly, might be one of the biggest benefits that we have witnessed as the movement continues to push forward.

Last Say

Although there’s ample pushback, it seems that the hemp plant does have a good future prospect and projection. Though it may seem like an unlikely unifier, we’re happy that its impact has been seemingly positive and we’re happy to be among the many determined to keep spreading the gospel.