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in
the
The
Business Of
Marijuana
Many have high hopes for
Michigan’s budding industry.
SUSAN PECK SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
M
ichigan’s “green
rush” is officially on.
Legalized medical
marijuana laws have opened
the gateways to a multibillion-
dollar industry promising to
create economic growth across
the state, and interested entre-
preneurs are eager to stake their
claim.
In the eyes of an increas-
ing number of industry ana-
lysts, cannabis has already
become too big to fail. Up nearly
26 percent since 2015, it’s one of
the fastest-growing industries in
the U.S., according to ArcView
Group Cannabis Investment &
Market Research, and medical
marijuana alone could reach a
net worth of $5 billion annually
by 2020.
By that same year, economists
predict the legal marijuana
industry could generate up to
$556 million annually for the
state of Michigan. “It can gen-
erate significant revenue and
jobs,” said Dr. Gary Wolfram,
a professor of economics
and public policy at Hillsdale
College. “It will create a robust
marketplace that will provide a
positive economic impact.”
As it stands now, each city
in the state can determine
whether it will award medical
marijuana licenses for busi-
nesses in its jurisdiction. There
is a $6,000 fee required with the
license application, along with
a stringent list of qualifications
applicants must meet. Cities
like Troy, Ferndale, Waterford,
Hazel Park, Warren, Harrison
Township and Harper Woods
are currently in the process
of deciding which businesses
they will allow. Ordinances are
expected to pass early this year.
CHANGING FACE OF
MEDICAL MARIJUANA
With the huge influx of oppor-
tunities within the lucrative
cannabis industry, many are
entering the arena in need of
professional guidance to follow
the stricter state and municipal
regulatory laws that ultimately
help to legitimize the industry.
“This industry isn’t full of
Cheech and Chong-type ston-
ers or something out of Reefer
Madness. There’s a solid cred-
ibility to the new cannabis busi-
nesses that we didn’t see in the
past,” says Mort Meisner, CEO
of GROW Cannabis Marketing
firm in Royal Oak.
“There are many extremely
experienced business-minded
people who want to comply
with the laws and are passion-
ate about what they’re bringing
to their communities in the way
of health and financial benefits.”
Ganja-preneurs, or people
investing money in the indus-
try, are developing businesses
that will be licensed under the
Medical Marijuana Facilities
Licenses Act (MMFLA) that cre-
ates a system for the licensing,
regulation and tracking of all
medical marijuana in Michigan.
The business categories are:
grower; processor (extraction/
manufacturing); provisioning
center (dispensary); secure trans-
portation; and safety compliance
facility (independent testing lab-
oratory). Since December 2017,
the state of Michigan has accept-
ed applications for these licenses
and is creating an entirely new
administrative agency under
LARA (Department of Licensing
and Regulatory Affairs) to ensure
public safety.
Florida-based company
Franwell will run Michigan’s
software program METRC
(Marijuana Enforcement,
Tracking, Reporting and
Compliance) for seed-to-sale
tracking. “All products will be
traceable back to the grower
and the plant from which they
are sourced, to handle issues
involving product safety, com-
pliance standards and recalls,”
said Scott Denholm, executive
director of METRC.
CHANGING ATTITUDES
A very personal side to medical
marijuana has changed the opin-
ion of the industry for many.
Seeing medical success stories
firsthand like the one of 8-year-
old Bella of Grand Blanc, who
suffers from a genetic disorder
that causes constant seizures,
has had a big affect.
“Bella’s mother took her to
the top pediatric neurologists at
University of Michigan in Ann
Arbor, but nothing could stop
her seizures,” Meisner said. “They
read about a successful treat-
ment using medical marijuana
containing cannabidiol, or CBD,
that quiets the electrical activ-
ity in the brain and got a doctor
from Detroit to prescribe it.
“It worked and gave the little
girl her life back, just like it does
for so many others. It’s hard to
turn your back on an industry
that can safely help people,
including young children suffer-
ing so much.”
Current medical marijuana
laws allow prescribed usage
for seizures, cancer, glaucoma,
chronic pain, muscle spasms and
atrophy, HIV/AIDS and severe
nausea. You must get qualified
by your doctor and apply for a
card with the Michigan Medical
Marijuana Program before you
can purchase any form of mari-
juana.
GREEN DREAM TEAM HELPS
LEGITIMIZE THE INDUSTRY
A growing group of topnotch
professionals across the country,
including Michigan, are provid-
ing their legal and business
acumen to promote successful,
legitimate canna-businesses.
Meisner, a 30-year veteran in
public relations and a national
media agent, and his partner,
24-year-old son Mark, who holds
an MBA from Niagara University,
own and head up GROW
Cannabis Marketing, providing
cannabis business services that
include PR, marketing, brand
management and development,
web development, video produc-
tion, social media, graphic and
logo design, crisis management,
packaging and more.
“I also work together with
a team that includes the best
attorneys, financial advisers,
real estate agents and HR spe-
cialists to assist the business
people in the cannabis industry
who want to do it the right way,”
Meisner said. “We wouldn’t lay
our own good reputations on
the line unless we were abso-
lutely convinced that medical
continued on page 12
10
January 25 • 2018
jn
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Grow Cannabis Marketing
322 E. Lincoln Ave.
Royal Oak, MI 48067
Grow-cannabismarketing.com
(248) 613-0948
Cannabis Legal Group
520 N. Main St.
Royal Oak, MI 48067
cannabislegalgroup.com
(248) 541-2600
Bricks + Mortar Group
2769 Coolidge Hwy., Suite 100
Berkley, MI 48072
bricksmortargroup.com
(248) 671-4676
Iron Laboratories
1825 E. West Maple
Walled Lake, MI 48390
info@ironlaboratories.com
(248) 313-9000
THC 1-2-3,
Green Solutions HR
13854 Lakeside Circle
Suite 350
Sterling Heights, MI 48313
Thc123.com
greensolutionshr.com
(586) 707-1437
Green House Dispensary
103 E. Walled Lake Drive
Walled Lake, MI 48390
greenhouseofwalledlake.com
The Reef Dispensary
6640 E. 8 Mile Road,
Detroit, MI 48234
findthereef.com
(313) 915-4800