According to a recent report on the COVID-19 outlook and impact on medical marijuana, the cannabis market is poised to grow by $22.33 billion with a CAGR of over 24 percent by 2024.  It’s safe to say that within the next decade, the everyday routine of millions of American consumers will integrate some type of cannabis, whether as a functional food and beverage ingredient, a beauty product or as a health or mood aid.

For the time being, however, the cannabis industry remains small, fragmented and somewhat complicated. The legal landscape in the United States surrounding cannabis sales is a patchwork of local laws that are often inconsistent. Furthermore, because flowering marijuana remains a schedule I controlled substance under federal law, interstate commerce is forbidden. The industry is essentially cash-only, scattered and has limited capital investment in automated technologies. For the most part, the industry continues to rely on manual labor for processing and packaging.