Technological innovations seem to contribute to improving lifestyles, a better allocation of resources, and ensuring intensive economic growth. The purpose is to cogitate on the essence of technological transformation and encapsulate the value propositions of innovation activities to improve the producer value and socio-economic growth. The first objective is to establish the role of technology and innovations in the development of the cannabis and hemp industry. Then, to analyse how supply chain technology influences the socio-economic growth of the cannabis industry. This chapter uses the systematic literature review method and synthesizes the existing conceptual approaches in the industry. The study embodied the review protocol, identified the inclusion exclusion criteria for relevant publications, performed an in-depth search for studies, and is followed by a critical appraisal, data extraction, and a synthesis of past findings. The study reveals that the role of technology and innovation invigorates the propensity to innovativeness in the cannabis industry to generate new ideas and operations methods.
TopGlobal Cannabis Context
Cannabis as a precious and lucrative plant has psychoactive (affecting the mind) properties and is used for industrial, recreational, and medical purposes. Jelsma, et al., (2021) focused on the three most common species Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. Cannabis sativa has non-psychoactive and grows in hotter climates with longer daylight and lots of sunshine usually in countries near the equator, such as Colombia, Mexico, and Thailand. Sativa reflects an energizing or uplifting effect consumption due to its primary psychoactive compound known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Secondly, cannabis Indica psychoactive originally hails from the environmentally hostile Hindu Kush mountains in Central Asia. Nowadays, it is generally found in countries 30 degrees north of the equator, such as Afghanistan, Turkey, and Morocco (Silvaggio, 2018). The buds of indica are more compact and shorter than those of Sativa. The buds look tangibly fuller and firmer with purple, indica has a muscle-relaxing and sedating effect. Finally, cannabis ruderalis, which originated in Russia generally grow two feet high with shorter leaf fingers making it ideal for growing outdoors. Ruderalis is ready to harvest 10 weeks after seeding (Bennett, 2018). Ruderalis is less psychoactive and thus it is not used for recreational purposes. Instead, Cannabis ruderalis wild strains are used to create hybrid species.
The chapter focuses on both cannabis and hemp, and hemp is the English vernacular name historically given to Cannabis sativa. Nowadays, crops are explicitly grown for purposes other than psychoactive ones, such as clothing fibre, paper, fuel, building material from the fibre, or food and oil from the seeds. Cannabis and hemp crop regulation programs should be embedded within regional, national, and local agricultural strategies (FAO, 2010). In that regard, national laws legally regulating psycho activity-related Cannabis can be reformed to economically empower populations living in poverty situations and give everyone a chance to live in dignity.