10 Good, Bad And Ugly Things About The The New Gold Rush

This time, the gold is green...

Cannabis is a huge, fast growing market. It's the "Green Rush", the modern day Gold Rush. And just like during the gold rush in the Wild West, there were some Good, Bad and Ugly things, also with the current Green Rush.

While many of the developments are undoubtedly positive, there are some things that should give us pause for consideration.

Below are 10 good, bad and ugly things about the new Green Rush

The Good

35% of Cannabis CEOs are women!

The industry has great advantages for women in leadership roles. In fact 35% of the cannabis industry’s CEOs are women! - CEO of Auntie Dolores

Employment growth

Employment growth! The industry currently employs over 160,000 people and this number is expected to triple by 2020. - Karson Humiston, Founder of Vangst

Cleaning up the supply chain

Cleaning up the supply chain(pesticides/fungicides/mold) through required testing of product, and raising standards in packaging and advertising - Kristen Yoder, CEO of Soil to the Oil

A part of the whole process

Being a part of the whole process is super exciting. I remember rallying for prop 215 downtown, and now I’m looking at my role in the international cannabis trade! - Jessica Cure CEO of Emerald Exchange

Hemp has the potential to replace plastic

Future legalization of hemp. I think that at the rate cannabis policy is progressing now, it must lead to the (re-)legalization of hemp in America. Before 1937, hemp was the most grown crop in America before cotton superseded it. Hemp has the potential to replace plastic and it will not only have a positive economic impact but a huge ecological one. - Attorney Allison Margolin

The Bad

Only about money

Those seeing this opportunity only for money- it is more about making money in this industry and those individuals/corporations are coming each and every day and that is fine, because this industry does need financially means, however we need to make sure we are educating those individuals in the hopes that they can soon open there eyes to what this plant can actually do and why we are all so passionate about it. It’s sad how many calls a week I jump on and someone make a “stoner reference” and how they are coming in to fix this. - Adelia Carrillo CEO of Direct Cannabis Network

Everyone has equal access

What most concerns me is that we make sure we all keep our eyes on the true prize, in terms of cannabis activism. It’s not just about getting rich off marijuana. It’s about making sure everyone has equal access to this bold and transformative new industry. - Jaime Lewis CEO of Coldwater Consulting

The Ugly

Address the devastation of past policies

I am concerned that as we decriminalize and legalize cannabis, the speed of business development is outpacing efforts to address the devastation that has been wrought on individuals, families, and communities by wrongful prohibition-era policies. I wish that state governments would address these inconsistencies prior to issuing their first cannabis business licenses, and certainly prior to taking in cannabis business tax revenue, such as by freeing/pardoning people who are imprisoned or have convictions on their records due to cannabis, if not also providing reparations to them. - Alana Malone, CEO of Green Dot Labs

Mentality against collaboration

The unfortunate mentality many leaders have against collaboration. When I began pitching my idea for our first product to industry leaders and experts one gentleman in a suit told me he thought it was “cute” that I wanted to make money. It’s unfortunate that some of the bad habits and cultural trends we’ve seen in established start up ecosystems like the Silicon Valley have made their way into our industry. - Krista Whitley of Altitude Products

Big Pharma

I’m concerned about: Big Pharma taking this plant and turning it into another harmful synthetic product. - Nina Fern— Founder of The Highly