Parker Beck: Influencer Marketer on The Future of LegalizationParker Beck works in influencer marketing with a specialty in creating engaging content formusical talents including Russ, Megan Thee Stallion and Maxo Kream. Along with content creation,Parker manages social media ad campaigns using nano, micro and macro influencers, while alsoleveraginghighly followed meme pages to convert sales, app downloads, web traffic and followergrowth.Parker runs a meme page on Instagram called Weed Vs Alcohol touting 400k followers. Hestarted running the page in 2016 when he saw a lucrative opportunity in the niche to grow the account.
Through this account he linked up with Top Tree Agency and in June of 2018 he became their Head ofContent Creation. Parker Beck and Top Tree are at the forefront of cannabis marketing on social mediaand are ready for the increased legalization across the United States.After the success of every marijuana provision that was on the ballots in 2020, I asked ParkerBeck to share his thoughts on the future of the cannabis industry in the comingyears.2020 has not been the year any of us expected, this pandemic has effected everyone in differentways. The question that have been raised over the last few months is ‘Where do we go from here?’ Withstates starting to get cases under control and businesses starting to open backup, a small portion ofnormalcy has been returned to us. What is still effecting us is the economic down turn the country hasfaced during the pandemic.
Small businesses have beendecimatedand millions are out of work. Therehas been two small solutions that some governors are starting to realize could be a boost for their stateseconomy. Cannabis and sports betting.As the 2020 election has shown, people want legalized weed. Every marijuana provision thatwas on the ballots this year easily passed. This overwhelming support has shown other states this is alucrative industry and that legalization has the power to ease the financial burdens that have been puton thestates as a result of this increasinglylengthy pandemic.Witha handful of other states alreadyhaving implemented legal cannabis laws for both recreational and medical use, there is a clear blueprintfor new states to learn from past mistakes in the legalization process. This allows for a smoothertransition into thelegal and decriminalized world.
Sports betting also has the negative stigma surrounding it similar to weed. While cannabis hashealth benefits, the benefits of legalized sports gambling is a much more difficult argument to pitch.There are currently 18states with legalized sports betting with even fewer states allowing sportsbooks.Just like the cannabis market, legal gambling is a multibillion dollar a year industry with someprojections putting it at a 100+ million dollar industry within the next 10 years.
This industry can alsoprovide the much needed economic relief to states with tax revenue, although a portion of profitsshould be set aside to fund programs for people with gambling addictions.With no clear end in sight for the Coronavirus here in the USA, each state is going to have toweigh the benefits and potential negative effects of legalized cannabis and sports betting. Althougheconomic desperation isn’t the ideal pathway for supporters of legalization, lawmakers may have to pickother battles for the sake of theirconstituents
