One day when he was about nine years old, our hound decided that he no longer wanted to ride in the car. As soon as we merged onto a highway, he would start panting, then shake and occasionally even howl. This broke our hearts, and it also was a logistical problem since our families live many hours away and kenneling wasn’t an option. For the better part of two years, we tried giving him everything from ginger to doggie Xanax, read up on classical and operant conditioning techniques, and scoured the internet for strategies to make the car a happy place—all to no avail.
By the end of December, I was open to trying anything—acupuncture, pheromone spray, aromatherapy—but had just about given up on finding a remedy. So, I was pleasantly surprised when we finally found something that actually worked: cannabidiol (CBD) oil. I bought it over the counter at my local pet store.
There's still uncertainty around how the FDA will regulate CBD products.
And it’s not crazy to think that one day I’ll find it at my local c-store. Hemp-derived CBD oil, already in a variety of consumable, skin care and vaping products, is likely to become even more widely available following federal legalization of hemp in the 2018 Farm Bill—although there’s still uncertainty around how the FDA will regulate these products.
The million-dollar question is to what degree marijuana—the THC-containing plant of the cannabis family—will be legalized. Marijuana is fully legal in 10 states and Washington, D.C., and several states are considering legalization this year. It’s also fully legal in Canada and Uruguay, and at least partially medically legalized and/or decriminalized in 16 other countries. With a good part of 2019 ahead of us, many retailers are eyeing the cost-benefit sheet of marijuana legalization with uncertainty, wondering what it could mean for their business
For convenience professionals who are closely watching the issue, it’s not a matter of if, but when, it will play out in the retail space. As we saw at the NACS Show, there’s a huge appetite for more legislative, regulatory and financial information on marijuana. In this month’s cover story, you’ll get the latest thinking—both the buzz and the buzz kill—as well as current questions on the retail viability of cannabis. While this might be a very long-term proposition for the convenience sector, industry experts recommend that retailers focus on educating themselves and participating in the discussion now so they are well-positioned for the future.
After all, as I found out while researching cures for my anxious canine, the next opportunity could be right around the corner. It’s best to be informed.
