Hi there, Quartz members!
The four companies you need to know
The legal weed industry is still very much a work in progress, with hundreds of companies vying to succeed in a rapidly expanding marketplace. Our roster highlights the most important players in marjiuana’s largest market, the US. From venture funds, to app-based delivery services, to major dispensaries and more, these are the companies to watch as cannabis continues to evolve.
Is weed growing too fast?
Our field guide writer, Alex Halperin, raises a provocative question in the weed community: While legalization may be desirable, is a big-business, mass-market future the only way forward for cannabis, and should it be? Right now, weed startups are scrappy and intent on presenting a friendly face to a new set of customers. But what happens if they grow into the larger kinds of companies that have existed in tobacco, soda, or other industries. Will a quest for profit above all lead to unintended consequences for cannabis business?
More on cannabis this week
We’ll be rolling out many other articles about weed and its rise over the week, including:
- Charts galore showing the opportunities and obstacles for a cannabis industry
- How cannabis is changing farming technology
- A photo essay of luxury-weed packaging
- Not to mention interviews, a tool kit of resources and lots more…
Let’s keep learning. Send ideas, questions, comments, and Willie Nelson albums to members@qz.com.
Hope you have a rewarding day,
Sam Grobart
Quartz membership editor