# Why haven't we seen a major tobacco company move into the legalized marijuana market?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-we-seen-a-major-tobacco-company-move-into-the-legalized-marijuana-market/915115>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 12, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-we-seen-a-major-tobacco-company-move-into-the-legalized-marijuana-market/915115 "2020-07-12T13:40:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-we-seen-a-major-tobacco-company-move-into-the-legalized-marijuana-market/915115/21 "2020-07-14T15:14:12Z")

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Cannabis is a much less delicate plant than tobacco. It grows just fine outdoors, even without human maintenance. The only reason it’s often grown indoors is to hide it.

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**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-we-seen-a-major-tobacco-company-move-into-the-legalized-marijuana-market/915115/22 "2020-07-14T15:59:42Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
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> It grows just fine outdoors, even without human maintenance.

Yup, many of the grows in the north part of my county are outdoors, or under minimally protective hoop houses at most.

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**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-we-seen-a-major-tobacco-company-move-into-the-legalized-marijuana-market/915115/23 "2020-07-14T16:01:50Z")

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> [@kayaker](#):
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> Why do people assume a big tobacco company would automatically do well growing, harvesting, curing, packaging, and selling cannabis? Tobacco is grown outdoors in huge fields. The leaves are harvested, dried, and cured, then processed into cigarette or bulk forms.

Isn’t all the handling of the actual plant matter subcontracted these days anyway? I had assumed that the Big Tobacco firms were all about the marketing, sales, distribution and finance activities, with poorly paid subs doing the grunt work.

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**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-we-seen-a-major-tobacco-company-move-into-the-legalized-marijuana-market/915115/24 "2020-07-14T16:03:40Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> Cannabis is a much less delicate plant than tobacco. It grows just fine outdoors, even without human maintenance. The only reason it’s often grown indoors is to hide it

It grows fine outdoors, sure, it will survive, but it will also turn hermaphroditic with stress and self fertilize. Consumers who find an occasional seed in their weed are going to be pissed. Outdoor grows in humid environments are going to have mold issues, and aphids are going to be a concern.

As for plant delicacy, I’ve seen how tobacco plants are tossed aroung the drying shed. You’d be losing trichomes like mad if you handled cannabis like that.

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**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-havent-we-seen-a-major-tobacco-company-move-into-the-legalized-marijuana-market/915115/25 "2020-07-14T16:09:27Z")

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> [@Pork\_Rind](#):
>
> Isn’t all the handling of the actual plant matter subcontracted these days anyway? I had assumed that the Big Tobacco firms were all about the marketing, sales, distribution and finance activities, with poorly paid subs doing the grunt work.

The cannabis I legally smoke in Pennsylvania is mostly from [Cresco Labs](https://www.crescolabs.com/brands/). They are fairly secretive about their business, but as I understand it, they are growing, drying, curing, processing, and marketing.

They are trying to spread things out, and have rebranded dispensaries they own, renaming them Sunnyside.

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