The world has come a long way since the release of Reefer Madness and Assassin of Youth anti-marijuana propaganda ads in the early 1900s. Today’s cannabis advertisements, like Canada’s first national weed television commercial, are comforting, positive and very safe for work.

Under a New (Green) Light

A Canadian cannabis cultivator hard at work (Source)

The Cannabis Growers of Canada’s ad is a reassuring symbol of the current state of the legal marijuana industry. It’s no longer an isolated sector that people refuse to acknowledge and only talk about behind closed doors. The commercial covers becoming a part of the private sector, and providing jobs for professionals- a sign that it is entering society with mainstream credibility.

The message that the clip conveys is clear: legal marijuana is for everyone. Going beyond recreational use, the plant now has a place in family-oriented homes, as a viable alternative to prescription medicine. Coined as an unofficial cure-all, children can take non-psychoactive forms of cannabis to treat a long list of common and rare ailments; while adults may partake in it responsibly to support their organic lifestyle, and provide relief for a wide range of medical symptoms from PTSD and menstrual cramps to depression and social anxiety.

Revamping the local community’s views on marijuana is a crucial step in the legalization process. Canadian officials are currently moving forward with assigning a task force of representatives to oversee its legalization efforts from various departments on federal, provincial and municipal levels, which suggests that the government is serious about increasing the availability of the medicinal plant in the near future.

Canada’s Legal Cannabis Sector

According to Mackie Research Capital Corporation (MRCC), a Canada-based investment firm, the country’s cannabis market could be worth over C$1.1 billion by 2020. The group released a comprehensive 35-page report titled “Canadian Medical Marijuana Industry – As High as the Rockies,” which outlines the promising future of the industry. MRCC expects the medical marijuana program to thrive and reach over 500,000 patients within the next four years.

“Our marijuana model assumes that the Canadian market would follow a similar growth trajectory and market penetration trend as has occurred in Colorado and Oregon. We have done a price sensitivity analysis of four different marijuana prices, looking at the total Canadian market size. Even if investors assume that our estimates are too high and assume our numbers are 50% lower than modelled estimates, the market potential is significant,” explained MMRC in the report.

Moreover, a recent survey conducted earlier this year by Nanos Research, commissioned by Globe & Mail, revealed that over 68 percent of Canadian residents support legalization. Interestingly, roughly 44 percent would like to have the option to purchase weed from registered dispensaries, pharmacies (43 percent) and liquor stores (36 percent). The least favored establishment for medicinal marijuana sales is public grocery stores at three percent.