IGrow Retail Store Shines Light On Marijuana Debate

Some call it the "Wal-Mart of Weed." The reporters (above) compare it to Home Depot and IKEA. But the store’s official brand name is IGrow.

IGrow is a massive, 15,000-square-foot warehouse in Oakland, CA. General manager Justin Jorgensen describes the retail space as "a one-stop shop for everything you’ll need for indoor hydroponic cultivation of marijuana - medical or otherwise - everything but the plant itself." This includes resources from soil to hydroton to boxes.

IGrow's massive scale, unconventional product offerings, and hip name, however, are not what make the brand noteworthy. The IGrow brand is compelling because of its mainstream approach to selling niche products. Take IGrow's "Grow Squad," for example. The Grow Squad is comprised of experts that consult with consumers and answer questions pertaining to growing marijuana. Sound familiar? Jorgensen knows it does, telling National Public Radio "The Geek Squad is Best Buy, we have the Grow Squad."

Many herald the legalization of marijuana as a whole new growth area for the economy. Taxation, proponents say, will supply states with new, and much-needed, revenue streams. They also point out that legalization would add jobs in various industries from agriculture to retail.

The legalization of marijuana, of course, would drastically change the sale, delivery, and packaging of the product. In fact, barring heavy-handed regulation, it's conceivable that a legal marijuana market could rival the alcohol industry. In fact, Oslo-based Strømme Throndsen is just one firm to already have imagined what marijuana packaging might look like.

Will the future one-day bring the legalization and subsequent branding of marijuana, or is that type of speculation just half-baked?