Wait And See Approach

Washington state and Colorado have both legalized marijuana use, and even though growing, selling, or using marijuana is illegal by federal law, the U.S. Department of Justice has decided to allow the cultivation of marijuana in both those states, at least for now. Both Colorado and Washington are set to allow sales from specially licensed marijuana stores to persons over 21 early next year. In Washington many city governments are approving moratoriums on applying for city permits to sell marijuana in order to have more time to set zoning restrictions. While the federal government’s recent announcement that it would not make it a priority to prosecute marijuana businesses in compliance with state law has inspired cannabis users and entrepreneurs, I don’t think farmers and others should jump on the marijuana growing bandwagon just yet. It’s not unheard of for the federal government to make an “about face” on law making or “law breaking” decisions. One would not want to invest time, money, and effort into raising a crop that would ultimately be seized and destroyed. Right now it would probably be wise to take the “wait and see” approach to marijuana growing and selling.