In Nevada, marijuana industry is growing up

Who are your customers?

Medical marijuana patients of all ages and walks of life. The Nevada market is unique in that we accept medical marijuana cards from 23 states.

You also did business in Colorado; what brought you to Las Vegas?

Colorado was a great place to learn about thriving in an emerging industry and adapting to ever-changing regulations. After seeing the market become oversaturated, I knew Colorado wasn’t my last stop. When Nevada opened its application process, I quickly realized that Las Vegas would be the holy grail for the cannabis industry. With its robust regulatory track record, those of us paying attention knew that the marijuana regulations were going to be thoughtful. With that in mind, and after approvals were sent out, I prepared my family for the move and we headed west in January 2015.

What makes your dispensary unique?

It was important to me that we branded the stores as marketplaces, not dispensaries. With the way licenses were issued, it made logical sense. We aim to be the storefront for those who don’t have one. We’re privileged here in Nevada; we have really good cultivators and producers, and more are coming online seemingly daily. The more diverse I can keep my store’s shelves, the better shopping experience the patients will have.

What’s the biggest misconception about the medical marijuana industry?

I think one of the biggest misconceptions is about who actually works in the industry.

Nevada has been a key location where prominent people are throwing their hats in the ring, bringing their expertise from other industries and looking for ways to implement proven methods. The days of the renegade pot grower are slowly slipping away, and the notion of ruining public land to provide medicine to patients is transforming into awareness of the medical cannabis industry’s commitment to sustainable cultivation methods, transparency and accountability.

What’s the most important part of your job?

Compliance. A lot of people ask what I do for a living and depending on who’s asking, oftentimes I simply say that I work in compliance (it’s a good way to have a conversation come to a screeching halt).

The medical cannabis industry is really tightly regulated. Without proper attention being paid to compliance-related issues, it’s hard to stay up and running.

What is the hardest part about doing business in Las Vegas?

Growing plants in a climate where plants are not accustomed to the extremes. The climate of Las Vegas is really unique and something I haven’t had to deal with in the past. It completely changed the way that we build cultivation facilities.

What is the best part about doing business here?

Nevada has been surprisingly pro-business. I didn’t expect to have such a receptive audience.

Lets face it, we’re laying the foundation of the most talked about emerging industry in the hottest city in the country. Enough said.