EMERGING MARKETS Cannabis NAVIGATING AMERICA'S TRANSITION TO LEGAL By Joshua Mezher A large market of people and businesses are already -or will soon be - growing cannabis as a hobby or as a profession ... and it is creating a potentially new product category for garden centers. A merica has opened for business when it comes to cannabis, and it is emerging as a new category for garden centers. As legalization spreads across the country, the old stoner stigma of dreadlocked hippies is quickly being replaced. This was fueled by the political machines of bygone years, and helped brand cannabis as a drug that causes various mental ailments and social disorders. This stigmatization was mostly driven by industries that did not want to compete with hemp. However, the new propaganda machine that is feeding America is painting a picture of trendy Baby Boomers who are hip to the times. They can be found rubbing their 54 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | MARCH 2020