LeBron James may be moving from Cleveland to Los Angeles, but plant-touching businesses are eyeing the possibility of east coast cannabis as a lucrative new marketplace. But while King James announced his move out west on July 1, Massachusetts became legally open for canna-business on July 1. Vermont, too, loosened some restrictions on cannabis on the first of July and now allows individuals to possess one ounce of cannabis and to grow six plants (two mature, four immature) on their property. We spoke quickly about the potential that New York has to offer businesses last month, and Bloomberg has an in-depth look at the many cannabis-related opportunities across states such as Massachusetts and Vermont, in addition to New York and New Jersey.

“We think it’s hugely consequential — Massachusetts becomes an anchor market on the East Coast,” John Kagia, an analyst at New Frontier, explained to Bloomberg. “Seeing the revenue generated will propel very robust discussions in the neighboring states.”

While it may take savvy brewers at Night Shift some time and experimentation to concoct a THC-infused brew a la Lagunitas. The Bay State, with a score of affluent consumers, both young and old, in Boston and other cities offers would-be cannabis entrepreneurs a huge market to carve a niche in and, potentially, to serve as a corporate home base if they were to venture into other states, say New York, along the Eastern seaboard. According to Bloomberg, recreational marijuana’s market has skyrocketed to $5 billion since 2012 and Massachusetts is in great shape to take advantage of that market. With a healthy medical and bio-tech industry based in Boston/Cambridge, the opportunity is there for crafty investors and businesses to market cannabis to medical and recreational consumers across the state.

Still, while the future is bright in Massachusetts, the launch on July 1 wasn’t without its hiccups. In a situation that echoes what California has experienced in 2018, there have already been some modest growing pains, with retailers in Massachusetts struggling to get the necessary licenses from state officials in a timely fashion. West coast, or east coast cannabis, as always, a company with the knowledge and industry insiders to navigate the complexities of compliance and licensing never goes out of style. Have questions? We’re here to help.