VIEWPOINT Beau Whitney Will prices for rosin presses and other high-tech equipment come down in 2025? Photo by Diane Chappell Marijuana and the Economic Outlook for 2025 Operational efficiency, interest rates and taxes could drive success T he macroeconomic environment has a huge impact on cannabis investment opportunities. While recent years have been rough for the industry, the future looks somewhat less turbulent as macroeconomic pressures on cannabis businesses alleviate. A few years out from COVID-19, the industry is exiting a period of abnormally high sales driven by pandemic purchasing. Demand is more predictable, and consumers are returning to pre-pandemic behaviors. Still, some critical business operations will continue to be influenced by macroeconomics-and how companies respond to these factors will ultimately decide the health of their cannabis businesses. Inputs and Efficiencies Many companies have experienced higher costs for inputs such as labor and 72 November-December 2024 | MJBizMagazine packaging, which has required them to become more efficient. This resulted in innovations such as curbside sales and delivery services, developments that prompted an increase in revenue per employee. In addition, the industry pattern of delinquent payments forced many businesses essentially to operate on forecasts of 10-month cash flow rather than 12-month cash flow, which led cannabis operators