How do you become a dispensary supplier?

[jakester]

I know this has been discussed but there seems to be very little information on this. I am in Oregon and it seems we are a bit behind California with MM organization. I have been going through the process of trying to procure as many cards as possible but it's been super tough and slow. If I could afford the doctor bills I could easily get a card for my IBS and/or asthma, and/or insomnia, but I am self employed and business is not good enough for me to be spending money on my health.

So anyway, I just thought I would put the question out there and see what people say. I am on the verge of giving up on my MM growing dreams and working on brewing beer instead.

My ultimate dream is Green-Beer brewing but I have children and there is no way I am going to risk my family for any plant.

jakester Reviewed by jakester on 01-30-2010. How do you become a dispensary supplier? I know this has been discussed but there seems to be very little information on this. I am in Oregon and it seems we are a bit behind California with MM organization. I have been going through the process of trying to procure as many cards as possible but it's been super tough and slow. If I could afford the doctor bills I could easily get a card for my IBS and/or asthma, and/or insomnia, but I am self employed and business is not good enough for me to be spending money on my health. So Rating: 5

[jakester]

:wtf:

[jakester]

Well, I guess it's not a subject many people know about or are talking about.

Medical MJ is like the wild west. I guess people just do it and worry about how later. Better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission?

I can't risk it, I can justify personal use but if I get caught growing big it's tough to say "I was trying to sell it legally!". Do you just go get a business set up, get a tax license and start growing? Seems like "Jakes Medical Marijuana" would be a target waiting to get hit. If the vendors that bug you when you start a normal business are bad, imagine the calls you would get trying to start a MJ growing business.

Obviously it has to be discreet, and somehow it can also be legal? Come on, someone has to know how.

[DOUGAL25]

I have no idea, but I really want to see some answers.

[FLORIDA MON]

Word...I'm interested if for no more that just shits & grins.

[bickeybammer]

easy get you medical card and then go to a dispensary with your product they will offer you a price...

[snowking]

I live in Colorado, so I don't know anything about Oregon state laws. Here and in California the laws governing dispensaries proper are becoming more and more concrete, but caregivers are usually still a bit of a grey area.

The SPIRIT of the law is that if I have an MMJ cert I can grow for myself, and, by the way, if I have some left over I can provide it to other MMJ patients (and expect compensation). There are NO considerations whatsoever that I am aware of where a NON MMJ patient can grow cannabis and sell it to dispensaries, i.e. like a business.

When you get your MMJ certification you can designate another person to be your caregiver. Whoever that person is (in Colorado, at the moment) can grow 6 plants, presumably for you.

If a dispensary is listed as the caregiver for 100 MMJ patients, they can now legally grow 600 plants. If you want to grow marijuana legally (in CO) you need to get an MMJ certification, then be listed as caregiver for as many patients as you need to cover your grow. If you want to grow 48 plants then you need to be the caregiver for 7 patients. You are patient #8, 8 patients times 6 plants each equals 48 total. (Those are just example numbers, if you want to grow 300 plants you need to be the listed caregiver for 50 patients.)

How do you get listed as a caregiver? You could be completely independent and take out an ad on Craigslist. You could offer patients free medicine once a month in return for them listing you. Mostly, dispensaries have a system in place to "distribute" patients to caregivers, usually for a fee, or a discount on meds. And by discount I mean they will offer you the patients, but then pay you less for your product. Some just charge you $250 per patient per year. You want 10 patients, that's $2500 please.

Now you have legal cover to grow 48 plants, or whatever your number is. Again the spirit of the law is that you are growing for yourself and 7 other patients. The reality is that once you have that legal cover for growing, you can sell the cannabis to anyone you want (who also has an MMJ cert). Including dispensaries.

I had the same idea as you. It FEELS like the right thing to do is incorporate, create a business, pay your taxes. However, as I said, the spirit of the law is that patient A is either specifically growing for patient B, or selling his leftover cannabis to other patients. Not so much the whole business-model-I'm-in-it-to-make-a-profit. So, to be clear, creating a business to cultivate marijuana and sell it for profit, is a little outside the letter of the law.

On the plus side, the IRS doesn't care. There's a spot on your tax return where you can declare your income from illegal activities. And though it may be legal in your state it's still a Federal crime.

Personally, I know of one 32,000 watt grow, and four 10,000 to 15,000 watt grows. Some of them in industrial warehouses, some of them in residential basements. I'm guessing those might just be for more than just personal use. If you are an MMJ patient, and you have caregiver status for enough patients, game ON.

BTW, local legislators are discussing placing a 5 patient limit on how many patients a single caregiver can have.

I hope this was a little helpful. If you're asking this question I assume that MM is legal in Oregon, and you have legal dispensaries available to you. I guess the shortest answer to your question is "get your MMJ cert, make appointments with your local dispensaries, tell them you would like to be a caregiver, and find out how to get caregiver status for other patients". Dispensaries differ greatly, talk to them all. Good luck, go green.

[jakester]

I live in Colorado, so I don't know anything about Oregon state laws. Here and in California the laws governing dispensaries proper are becoming more and more concrete, but caregivers are usually still a bit of a grey area.

The SPIRIT of the law is that if I have an MMJ cert I can grow for myself, and, by the way, if I have some left over I can provide it to other MMJ patients (and expect compensation). There are NO considerations whatsoever that I am aware of where a NON MMJ patient can grow cannabis and sell it to dispensaries, i.e. like a business.

When you get your MMJ certification you can designate another person to be your caregiver. Whoever that person is (in Colorado, at the moment) can grow 6 plants, presumably for you.

If a dispensary is listed as the caregiver for 100 MMJ patients, they can now legally grow 600 plants. If you want to grow marijuana legally (in CO) you need to get an MMJ certification, then be listed as caregiver for as many patients as you need to cover your grow. If you want to grow 48 plants then you need to be the caregiver for 7 patients. You are patient #8, 8 patients times 6 plants each equals 48 total. (Those are just example numbers, if you want to grow 300 plants you need to be the listed caregiver for 50 patients.)

How do you get listed as a caregiver? You could be completely independent and take out an ad on Craigslist. You could offer patients free medicine once a month in return for them listing you. Mostly, dispensaries have a system in place to "distribute" patients to caregivers, usually for a fee, or a discount on meds. And by discount I mean they will offer you the patients, but then pay you less for your product. Some just charge you $250 per patient per year. You want 10 patients, that's $2500 please.

Now you have legal cover to grow 48 plants, or whatever your number is. Again the spirit of the law is that you are growing for yourself and 7 other patients. The reality is that once you have that legal cover for growing, you can sell the cannabis to anyone you want (who also has an MMJ cert). Including dispensaries.

I had the same idea as you. It FEELS like the right thing to do is incorporate, create a business, pay your taxes. However, as I said, the spirit of the law is that patient A is either specifically growing for patient B, or selling his leftover cannabis to other patients. Not so much the whole business-model-I'm-in-it-to-make-a-profit. So, to be clear, creating a business to cultivate marijuana and sell it for profit, is a little outside the letter of the law.

On the plus side, the IRS doesn't care. There's a spot on your tax return where you can declare your income from illegal activities. And though it may be legal in your state it's still a Federal crime.

Personally, I know of one 32,000 watt grow, and four 10,000 to 15,000 watt grows. Some of them in industrial warehouses, some of them in residential basements. I'm guessing those might just be for more than just personal use. If you are an MMJ patient, and you have caregiver status for enough patients, game ON.

BTW, local legislators are discussing placing a 5 patient limit on how many patients a single caregiver can have.

I hope this was a little helpful. If you're asking this question I assume that MM is legal in Oregon, and you have legal dispensaries available to you. I guess the shortest answer to your question is "get your MMJ cert, make appointments with your local dispensaries, tell them you would like to be a caregiver, and find out how to get caregiver status for other patients". Dispensaries differ greatly, talk to them all. Good luck, go green.

Excellent post! Thanks for the info. I am fairly out of the MM loop so thanks for that. I could easily get a card but I am self employed, don't have insurance or the money to go get 6 the months of doctor's visits to get the card. My main goal is to be able to grow my own meds. I love growing so I thought it would be cool to pay some bills by helping others grow theirs as well. I am not trying to get rich, just spread the great medicine and maybe stay in the black doing it.

More than anything I want to see people who need weed get weed....and not pay a fortune for it.

Oh well, seems like step 1 puts me out of the game. I will have to see what I can do.

[snowking]

Once again, can't comment on what's going on locally with Oregon. Here in Colorado, maybe a few years ago, getting the cert was a little more difficult.

My girlfriend is really good friends with the owners of a local dispensary, and they now have a doctor on site. He books patients in 10 minute intervals, and pretty much does this all day every day. That's 6 patients an hour. He's rubber stamping 24 patients by lunch time. I think it runs about $100 for the state cert, and generally about $100 for the doctors visit. You may have a problem coming up with a couple a hundred dollars, but this is not a 6 month long process with multiple visits to your regular medical practitioner.

If I were you, I'd get on some message boards related to the Oregon MMJ scene and ask around. Or just flat out call some dispensaries. If you find a dispensary with a doctor on-site, that's a pretty good sign.

Good luck.

[jakester]

Thanks man, I really appreciate the advice.