Professional Marijuana Grower May-June 2019 Issue | Page 39

pushing the envelope on how to grow, feed, and har-
vest in ways that commercial agriculture has never seen
before. Our trade shows have gone from flip flops and
woven ponchos to suits and Italian shoes. We will only
see the professionalism rise up to levels where many of
the original founders and legends of this industry will
find themselves in unfamiliar territory.
What Changes do you See Happening
in the Cannabis Industry in the Next 10
Years?
There have been significant moves
made by big industry
and from the US and
Canadian governments
to legalize, allowing
the legal era of Can-
nabis will begin. These
no-
table actions will evolve
the industry in
ways we have seen in the
past. Companies like
Anheuser-Busch, Phillip Morris and many more have
been poised for five-plus years to capitalize on this com-
plete shift in the federal status. We will continue to see
the acquisition of smaller companies be acquired by
large corporate entities. Commercial Grow facilities will
slowly merge with companies like Reynolds or Liggett
and Myer, or other major outdoor tobacco corpora-
tions.
These companies are already positioned to grow a
plant that will be soon be regulated by the FDA, ATF
and other governmental regulatory divisions. This does
not mean we will ultimately lose the small grower,
we will still have the successful “Micro Brews,” and
favorite blends that the connoisseurs will boast about
in magazines, focused on these remaining premier
strains. There is a singularity approaching, it could be
in 5 years, 10 years, no one knows just yet, but history
May/June 2019
has taught us where it is headed, and it might not be
where we all wanted it to go. We all helped start this
billion-pound boulder rolling downhill towards legal-
ization, and many of us may not be ready for where it
will end up, leaving our industry we love so dearly. But
it has been one amazing time to be a part of and if for
some reason the industry changes to completely legal…
it is, in the end, what we all really wanted.
When and Why
did Your Company
Join CVCAN?
We joined a few months
back based on a recommen-
dation from our local distributor. We
knew that the localized groups in the High
Desert and Coachella Valley will be the most prominent
developers in Southern California and we had been
in the area working on projects. CVCAN gave us an
opportunity to be present with developers and facilities
in the planning stages that would be soon changing
the landscape of that area. The chance to be with these
groups and hearing about the developing regions,
building constraints, obstacles, and successes are help-
ing ILUMINAR Lighting improve our structure and our
process to deliver solutions to these facilities and in our
strive to become a better partner overall. PMG
The Coachella Valley Cannabis Alliance Network
(CVCAN) is an organization that provides a respon-
sible and productive voice for the cannabis industry
throughout the Coachella Valley. Our innovative
programs and events, foster networking and im-
portant information in the development, operations,
regulations and outreach. For more information visit
CoachellaValleyCAN.org.
Professional Marijuana Grower • 39