The Walmart of Weed: Medical Marijuana Going Mainstream?

The explosion of legally approved medical marijuana dispensaries in the western US has led to questions about whether the prohibition against the drug is finally crumbling (the Berlin Wall in 1989 is one analogy)due to a combination of popular demand, changing mores about personal behavior - and the need for new sources of tax revenue. To supply the new market, industry specific retailers are springing up. In assessing their prospects, one would do well to remember that the wealth accumulated by John Sutter, the Swiss immigrant who first discovered gold in California in 1849 was relatively short-lived. However, some of the companies created to supply the gold miners continue to thrive; among them, Levi Strauss.

As reported in the Sacramento Bee via HuffPost:

"A retail store billing itself as "the Wal-Mart of weed" will open its doors in Sacramento tomorrow, the Sacramento Bee reports.

The 10,000-square-foot weGrow outlet, advertised as a one-stop shop for legal growers seeking supplies and training, claims the honor of being the industry's first-ever national franchise. Look for outposts of the self-proclaimed "first honest hydro store," which started as a solo warehouse operation in Oakland last year, to sprout up in Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and even New Jersey in the coming months.

The Ganja Galleria doesn't sell any actual pot--it just offers growing and cultivation supplies, provides classes, and features an on-site doctor to help customers choose their favorite strain.

According to the Bee, the store's founder chose its opening location strategically. And he has no qualms being forthcoming about its purpose:

"I just thought it was a statement to have something close to the state Capitol," said Dhar Mann, who founded the original iGrow in January 2010. "It's a statement of how progressive the industry has become. We're all about coming out of the shadows."

With California, 14 other states and the District of Columbia legalizing marijuana for medical use, the hydroponics industry is exploding. But, unlike weGrow, most hydroponics outlets avoid any mention of marijuana, billing themselves only as generic suppliers for people growing anything from peppers to rosemary.

weGrow's unearthing has led CBS news to ask an essential question: Is medical marijuana going mainstream?