BY: SAMANTHA TAPP
It looks like 2017 may be the year that the term “gateway drug” is finally gone forever when talking about weed. Good riddance. Farewell. See ya. As more and more people who have turned their noses away from the drug for years are finally grasping the concept that no, it’s not a deadly substance and yes, alcohol is more harmful with heavy usage, yet it’s legal.
As Canada inches towards legalizing the drug nationwide and state-by-state America gives the thumbs up for marijuana, we’re seeing breakthroughs with the drug that we’ve never seen before. In this case we’re seeing big companies that reside in states where weed is legal, publicly say that not only do they allow and encourage their employees to use weed at work, but it has done nothing but enhance their business.
Take for example, Flowhub, a software company for the weed industry that was founded in 2015. The company encourages employees to eat weed-infused edibles and drink sodas and juices with THC in them while working. Co-founders Kyle Sherman and Chase Wiseman said that they have allowed weed since day one.
“Our philosophy at Flowhub is to get shit done,” Sherman told CNN. “If it helps our employees get work done, then we don’t care if they consume at work.”
Its not just a free-for-all, as only employees over the age of 18 are allowed to participate and employees can’t light up in the office, as smoking is still not allowed. The founders said that sometimes the office will all have a little weed snack before meetings to boost creativity.
“It definitely surfaces new ideas and a fresh take on things,” Sherman said. Also stating, that there has never been a problem from using marijuana in the office.
According to True Activist, other companies that encourage weed-use include High There! and MassRoots, which are both social media sites for stoners. Fun fact: co-founder of MassRoots, Isaac Dietrich, was stoned when he came up with the idea for the company; a company that know has $4.4 million in funding, so yeah, they’re all for weed in the office.
“Our general philosophy is that we need to be as productive and creative as possible, everyday,” Dietrich said. “If cannabis facilitates that, then we’re allowing it.”
According to CNN, it’s not just these successful businesses that are indulging at work. While pot-oriented companies tend to be more open about their consumption, it’s becoming a common element in employee creativity and engagement. Some companies just aren’t vocal about it; they’re probably scared of hurting their business with potential customers and investors, or maybe they’re just too stoned.
