Healing Over Hype: Mujjahid Huq on Why The Cannabis Industry’s Next Growth Curve May Look More Like

Healing Over Hype: Mujjahid Huq on Why The Cannabis Industry’s Next Growth Curve May Look More Like a Clinic Than a Club

As the cannabis market settles into maturity, professionals such as pharmacist and entrepreneur Mujjahid Huq are testing whether credibility, not image, will dene who stays in business

Walk through parts of Manhattan or Brooklyn today and youll see how cannabis retail has entered its lifestyle era Many dispensaries look like they were designed for social media Walls glow with color, product shelves mimic tech showrooms, and staff are trained to talk in the language of wellness and aspiration For a while, that image worked It helped normalize a new industry and made cannabis appear accessible

But the market is shifting Sales in New York have grown, yet competition is rising just as fast Behind the branding, a quieter question is emerging: when the novelty fades, what will keep customers coming back?

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, cannabis use among adults over 55 has doubled in the last ve years Many in this group are turning to cannabis to manage chronic pain, insomnia, or anxiety They are less interested in branding and more concerned with trust, dosage, and guidance For them, the average dispensary can feel disorienting

has spent two he next wave of with professionalism ood”

perate more like and dosage rather

than focus on upselling His view is that a transparent, clinically informed model would reach consumers who are curious about cannabis but wary of the culture around it.

This argument ts into a larger conversation happening across the wellness and consumer health industries Over the past decade, sectors from supplements to mental health apps have faced scrutiny for overpromising and underdelivering. Investors and regulators alike are now demanding proof of safety, transparency, and real benet Cannabis is beginning to feel those same pressures

The trust issue is not abstract. The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer reported that more than seven in ten consumers lose condence in a company when they believe prot outweighs people For an industry still emerging from decades of stigma and inconsistent oversight, that perception carries real risk If customers do not see dispensaries as credible, they will not see them as sustainable sources of care

Huq’s idea sits somewhere between reform and realism He is not proposing that every shop become a clinic, but he argues that the industry will not reach its potential without clinical discipline. His stance reects a broader turn toward what some analysts call “ethical growth,” where businesses succeed by embedding responsibility into the core of their operations rather than treating it as marketing

That shift is already visible in other corners of the economy The most resilient wellness brands are those that educate their customers, disclose sourcing, and employ trained professionals The same approach could dene the next generation of cannabis retail If the rst wave of legalization was about access and the second about aesthetics, the third may be about accountability.

The transition will not happen overnight Building trust takes time, and the market’s image problem is partly cultural Yet as demographics evolve and regulation tightens, the conditions are aligning for a more grounded model to take root

The cannabis industry has spent years selling the idea of cool Its future may depend on learning how to sell care instead

Comment:

Name:*

Email:*

Website:

Savemyname,email,andwebsiteinthisbrowserforthenexttimeIcomment.

4

8

17

February4,2026-February6,2026

NationalMentoringMonth:Focuseson theimportanceofmentorshipin professionaldevelopment–Mentor Allday

WD2026:ArtConnectsWomen–9th edition–InternationalWomen’sDay Allday

AIandtheMedia–WhatYouNeedto Know|SaïdBusinessSchool

4

17

March4,2026-March6,2026 2026CHROSummit

Allday

SANSCybersecurityLeadership Summit&Training2026

March25,2026-March26,2026

Equality,DiversityandInclusion Conference2026:EmbeddingEDIin HigherEducation–AdvanceHE

Allday

EngageEmployeeSummit May25,2026 May26,2026

TopBusinessSchoolsDiscuss:

Allday

MBAone-to-onemeetingsinLondon–

Lookingforclarityamidconstant change?

TEBRLeader’sDigestisaweekly editorialbriefingfordecision-makers seekinginsight,context,andtrusted thinking.

Bysubmittingthisform,youareconsentingtoreceive marketingemailsfrom:EBRMEDIA,3-7Sunnyhill Road,London,SW162UG,GB.Youcanrevokeyour consenttoreceiveemailsatanytimebyusingthe SafeUnsubscribe®link,foundatthebottomofevery email.EmailsareservicedbyConstantContact.