Marijuana enthusiasts are getting a new website devoted just to the famous plant.
Cannabis Wire, a new project from the media startup Civil, will focus on the growing influence of the multi-billion dollar cannabis industry, and be led by veteran marijuana correspondents Nushin Rashidian and Alyson Martin.
“Legalization is rapidly spreading across the country and the globe. Cannabis Wire will focus not on the arguments about whether cannabis should be legalized, but instead cover the robust debates about how,” reads a description of the project on its website.
“Cannabis Wire will also investigate the social and economic complexities that come with legalization, providing deep-dive analysis on evolving policy matters. It will serve as a watchdog of emerging influences and special interests in a new industry shared by those who desire regulation and those who exploit the grey areas.”
The site is one of a slew of properties Civil is planning to launch in Spring 2018.
Though marijuana has been covered in media going back to High Times’ launch in 1974, the growing trend of statewide legalization and decriminalization of the plant have opened up increasingly lucrative business opportunities for growers, investors — and the media properties who cover them.
Things, however, remain in flux. Marijuana remains a federally classified “Schedule 1” narcotic alongside heroin, LSD and ecstasy. While President Obama had been open to letting states experiment with loosening the rules a bit, Attorney General Jeff Sessions have repeatedly signaled his desire to reverse that trend.