With the legal marijuana market on track to more than double
by 2019, growing from an estimated $3.5 billion this year (ArcView), to more
than $10.8 billion, the marijuana industry is easily one of the fastest-growing
sectors in the U.S. today. However, in an industry where cash is king and many
financial service sector operators are leery of jumping in with both feet,
given that the federal government still classifies marijuana as a Schedule I
drug alongside heroin and PCP, there is a decided need for a major transition
away from cash when it comes to transacting business. Not just because
financial services companies are reluctant to help process monies either, but
because of the inherent security risks associated with keeping large sums of
cash on hand for entities like dispensaries and couriers, which typically
cannot financially withstand the bottom line impact of a sufficient security
budget.
To illustrate this problem one need look no further than the
state of Illinois, where the state treasurer’s office was recently left hanging
when, after an official solicitation to find a bank or financial services
company willing to process the large amounts of tax and fee derived cash that
are anticipated, no one responded. Illinois has moved quickly on the marijuana
issue and, eyeing the $70 million in tax revenues collected in Washington, as
well as $40 million collected in Colorado, has ramped up legislative reform,
with a decriminalization bill (HB 218) currently in General Assembly for final
approval. A 27,000 square foot grow op near Anna is already under construction
and could be done by the end of September, with the owner indicating a
workforce of up to 30 employees and initial harvesting by as early as January.
Mind you, this is just one week after the State Department of Financial and Professional
Regulation approved the first medical marijuana registered dispensary down in
Marion. Illinois could easily go from medical marijuana to blanket
decriminalization in a heartbeat, and with similar metrics in the offing
elsewhere nationwide, there is precious little time to get out ahead of the
pack with ancillary services designed to support and foster the space.
Needless to say, the demand from end users, as well as
sector operators like dispensaries, has cumulatively created an enormous groundswell
of support for alternative transaction options that can directly address the
problems associated with cash. This is why FastFunds Financial Corp. (OTC:
FFFC) has gone to great lengths to select a creative agency, Casa Giallo, to
help take the company’s pre-paid loyalty debit card with turnkey customer
rewards technology, the branded Tommy Chong Green Card (TCGC), to the next
level. With revisions and updates to the tommychonggreencard.com set to go live
in a handful of days, Casa Giallo has put together a blockbuster social media
integration program in order to make the official launch a big success. Tommy
Chong is idolized by millions of people in the marijuana sector for his
legendary comedy and increasingly vast business footprint in this thriving industry.
His identity being associated with the company’s loyalty rewards debit card is
a key asset which gives the TCGC an exceptionally strong brand footing and
market presence on name recognition alone.
The company has already been sowing the seeds for the
website debut as well, with Soren Holdings and Marketing, the TCGC brand
manager and marketing specialist, helping to promote the card at the largest
hempfest on earth recently, at the Seattle Washington Hempfest on August 14
through 16, where attendees also had the opportunity to look at FFFC subsidiary
Pure Grow Systems’ highly efficient antimicrobial sanitation products and
systems, using 100 percent biodegradable active ingredients. Having recently
received general label registration approval in Washington and Wisconsin for
its innovative GroClean product, designed to be the ultimate one-stop-shop
solution to rapidly cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting growing and
processing environments, Pure Grow Systems is fast becoming the other major
reason for investors to keep a close eye on FFFC.
With several recent surveys indicating that a majority of
Americans are now in favor of legalizing marijuana, including the 52 percent
approval shown by the General Social Survey poll, and 51 percent approval shown
in last year’s Gallup poll, the sizeable tax revenues that state legislatures
can get their hands on have been sufficient impetus to cause more and more
states to rapidly pass legislative reforms. If this seemingly unstoppable trend
continues, marijuana could become an extremely important industry for the U.S.
economy, on par with the roughly $108 billion (2014) plus alcoholic beverage
retail sector, which also generates around 1.77 million jobs.
Take a closer look at Fastfunds Financial by visiting www.fastfundsfinancial.com
About QualityStocks
QualityStocks
is committed to connecting subscribers with companies that have huge potential
to succeed in the short and long-term future. We offer several ways for
investors to find, evaluate, and learn more about investing in these companies.
Sign up for “The QualityStocks Daily Newsletter” at www.QualityStocks.net
The Quality Stocks Daily Blog http://blog.qualitystocks.net
The Quality Stocks Daily Videos http://videocharts.qualitystocks.net
The Quality Stocks “Ones to Watch” http://gotstocks.qualitystocks.net
Please see disclaimer on the QualityStocks website: http://disclaimer.qualitystocks.net
The Quality Stocks Daily Blog http://blog.qualitystocks.net
The Quality Stocks Daily Videos http://videocharts.qualitystocks.net
The Quality Stocks “Ones to Watch” http://gotstocks.qualitystocks.net
Please see disclaimer on the QualityStocks website: http://disclaimer.qualitystocks.net
No comments:
Post a Comment