fascinated by medical marijuana scene

[healing of the nation92]

ok so i was hoping someone could shed some light on medical marijuana laws and 'oaksterdam university' very interested in going to this place but i heard it got raided?

 

[SenorBrownWater]

it's still there...but you wont really learn anything you can't here...

 

[angryblackman]

Oaksterdam was cool about 5 years ago. Now you can find any of that info on the web. You just don't have that 1 on 1 that you would get in a class setting. Oaksterdam is a HUGE waste of money if you ask me. I don't think that there is 1 pro grower on here that attended Oaksterdam.

 

[healing of the nation92]

i dont mean go there to learn to grow i mean i wanna go there to learn how to open my own dispensary, whats the score with that how would i go about it?

 

[angryblackman]

I would say hold off on opening a dispensary. Just my opinion. With this being an election year everyone is afraid to do anything that might be undone in a few months. Look at the current situation in San Jose, Sacramento, Long Beach, and Los Angeles and you will see that being in the city limits you will likely be targeted for shutdown quickly. Your best bet would be to look for a county location and start from there.

You have a long road ahead of you but I am sure you already know that.

Good luck!

 

[healing of the nation92]

yeah man i get what u mean atm im tryna get a serious amount of money together that would be enough to cover everything i dont even live in the states for a start so its a long shot but its my dream to live in cali while doing something i like

 

[angryblackman]

yeah man i get what u mean atm im tryna get a serious amount of money together that would be enough to cover everything i dont even live in the states for a start so its a long shot but its my dream to live in cali while doing something i like

You may have JUST missed the boat on that dream. The whole scene is changing out here.

 

[healing of the nation92]

You may have JUST missed the boat on that dream. The whole scene is changing out here.

so ive been hearing about change n shit all i know is its legal under state law among a few other things how is it changing?

 

[Dan Kone]

i dont mean go there to learn to grow i mean i wanna go there to learn how to open my own dispensary, whats the score with that how would i go about it?

you and everyone else. Unless you are really plugged into the scene and have a ridiculous amount of money, forget about opening a club.

It's nearly impossible now. Since the Feds have started going after landlords, the process starts by buying a building with all the money up front since banks can't lend for this use. Then you have to lobby your city/county to permit the use (which they aren't real interested in doing with the attention from the feds). Then you have to drop more money to get the building ready to be a dispensary (bullet proofing, steel remote opening doors, etc). Then you have to stock the dispensary with products.

Unless you're a big time baller who's got both political connections and 215 connections, forget about it. Not going to happen.

 

[healing of the nation92]

you and everyone else. Unless you are really plugged into the scene and have a ridiculous amount of money, forget about opening a club.

It's nearly impossible now. Since the Feds have started going after landlords, the process starts by buying a building with all the money up front since banks can't lend for this use. Then you have to lobby your city/county to permit the use (which they aren't real interested in doing with the attention from the feds). Then you have to drop more money to get the building ready to be a dispensary (bullet proofing, steel remote opening doors, etc). Then you have to stock the dispensary with products.

Unless you're a big time baller who's got both political connections and 215 connections, forget about it. Not going to happen.

bullet proof lmao? fuck me i wasnt plannin on opening one in south central bro, yea i know id need a good amount of money and thats what im tryna get but just cause something seems hard to do doesnt mean you cant do it i bet they told obama the same thing when he said he was gunna be the first black president am i right?

 

[Dan Kone]

bullet proof lmao?

Not a joke. Dispensaries are a target for robberies. If you don't have proper security, you will get robbed over and over again until you do.

fuck me i wasnt plannin on opening one in south central bro,

It doesn't matter where you open. Robbers can drive too. I know a club in a very upscale area that is extremely busy commercial zone with cops that drive by all the time that has been robbed 4 times. There are crews that scout dispensaries all over the state looking for the easiest ones to rob.

yea i know id need a good amount of money and thats what im tryna get but just cause something seems hard to do doesnt mean you cant do it

Like I said, it starts with being able to pay cash for a building.

i bet they told obama the same thing when he said he was gunna be the first black president am i right?

Go ahead a try then. I know people with the money and all the connections you need who've been trying for 5 years unsuccessfully. It's nearly impossible. And yes, I bet they did tell Obama it's nearly impossible. You know what? They were right. There are nearly 40 million black people in America currently and only one of them has been president. That's 1-40 million odds. If you like those odds, go right ahead.

 

[healing of the nation92]

Not a joke. Dispensaries are a target for robberies. If you don't have proper security, you will get robbed over and over again until you do.



It doesn't matter where you open. Robbers can drive too. I know a club in a very upscale area that is extremely busy commercial zone with cops that drive by all the time that has been robbed 4 times. There are crews that scout dispensaries all over the state looking for the easiest ones to rob.



Like I said, it starts with being able to pay cash for a building.



Go ahead a try then. I know people with the money and all the connections you need who've been trying for 5 years unsuccessfully. It's nearly impossible. And yes, I bet they did tell Obama it's nearly impossible. You know what? They were right. There are nearly 40 million black people in America currently and only one of them has been president. That's 1-40 million odds. If you like those odds, go right ahead.

can tell your a pessimist still ive heard anyone can do it if you got the money life aint always about who you know the only real power in the world is money if you got that you can do anything how much would u think youd need like 50 g's?

 

[ru4r34l]

...And yes, I bet they did tell Obama it's nearly impossible. You know what? They were right. There are nearly 40 million black people in America currently and only one of them has been president. That's 1-40 million odds. If you like those odds, go right ahead.

There is 225 million whites/european in the US, 1 president at a time the odds are 1-225 million you will be president if you are white

Now all things change when you get to voting demographics

regards,

 

[angryblackman]

can tell your a pessimist still ive heard anyone can do it if you got the money life aint always about who you know the only real power in the world is money if you got that you can do anything how much would u think youd need like 50 g's?

What some call pessimistic others call realistic. You are going to need more than 50g's for sure if you are going brick and mortar.

You are just now trying to start and I believe Dan has been in the scene on the dispensary level for at least a couple years now so I would REALLY listen to what he has to say and take that info in for your research.

 

[Dan Kone]

can tell your a pessimist

I'm someone who knows the medical marijuana industry really well and know the reality of the situation.

It's not as easy as people think. Hell, there is competition to be a trimmer these days. Even more to be a vendor. For someone not in the medical business to come in and become a dispensary owner? You're more likely to be the next black president.

still ive heard anyone can do it if you got the money

Flat out not true. You can't buy knowledge. This is a very competitive business. If you don't know the details of it you'll get took at every corner and then pushed out all together.

life aint always about who you know

This part of life is. It's about who you know and what you know and what you've done.

the only real power in the world is money if you got that you can do anything

Tell that to the billionaire developer who tried to muscle his way in to a dispensary and warehouse grow in Oakland and ended up losing his ass then pushed out of the business.

how much would u think youd need like 50 g's?

Add a zero. That's the bare minimum. Then spend a few years in the business making herb connections. Then make some connections on city counsel and planning dept. Then maybe you've got a shot.

I know a baller grower with 6 houses + a warehouse grow who was doing 100 lbs a month. He tried for 2 years to open a dispensary /w the cash to buy a building and still couldn't do it. He got pushed out of the game entirely in the end. And he was legit.

50g's wouldn't be enough even if someone gave you a building for free. This is a lot more competitive than you think it is.

 

[healing of the nation92]

What some call pessimistic others call realistic. You are going to need more than 50g's for sure if you are going brick and mortar.

You are just now trying to start and I believe Dan has been in the scene on the dispensary level for at least a couple years now so I would REALLY listen to what he has to say and take that info in for your research.

yea but hes basically sayin its impossible and hes contradicting himself if he himself has a dispensary if thats what u mean by dispensary level, wouldnt it be simple enough to speak to a lawyer and find out what needs to be done? im a long way from having money like that atm but im working on changing that and i want a plan for my future as i dont wanna stay here forever how long can someone keep growing without going legit? only places that are legit are a few places in the states like cali and colorado or amsterdam, this is the path ive chosen to go down now im not turning back and i know nothing good lasts forever but i got myself thinking what if i could go legit?

 

[Dan Kone]

You are just now trying to start and I believe Dan has been in the scene on the dispensary level for at least a couple years now so I would REALLY listen to what he has to say and take that info in for your research.

I've been into it since the beginning. I've been working full time in the industry for 5 years now. Nearly everyone who started around the same time as me (a couple years before the green rush) is out. 95% go bust. Go ask anyone working at a hydro-store how many customers have been around for more than 2 years. I guarantee it'll be under 10%.

Look on this board. How many people still post after 2 years? Not many. Everyone who's successfully grown a plant in their yard or closet thinks they can hang in this industry. The overwhelming majority fail. I've had times when I've almost given up, and I'm very good at what I do. It's hard.

Now take that level of difficulty and multiply it by 1000x and that's how hard it would be to open a dispensary right now. A few years ago maybe you could luck into a dispensary, now you can't.

 

[healing of the nation92]

I'm someone who knows the medical marijuana industry really well and know the reality of the situation.

It's not as easy as people think. Hell, there is competition to be a trimmer these days. Even more to be a vendor. For someone not in the medical business to come in and become a dispensary owner? You're more likely to be the next black president.



Flat out not true. You can't buy knowledge. This is a very competitive business. If you don't know the details of it you'll get took at every corner and then pushed out all together.



This part of life is. It's about who you know and what you know and what you've done.



Tell that to the billionaire developer who tried to muscle his way in to a dispensary and warehouse grow in Oakland and ended up losing his ass then pushed out of the business.



Add a zero. That's the bare minimum. Then spend a few years in the business making herb connections. Then make some connections on city counsel and planning dept. Then maybe you've got a shot.

I know a baller grower with 6 houses + a warehouse grow who was doing 100 lbs a month. He tried for 2 years to open a dispensary /w the cash to buy a building and still couldn't do it. He got pushed out of the game entirely in the end. And he was legit.

50g's wouldn't be enough even if someone gave you a building for free. This is a lot more competitive than you think it is.

that sounds so farfetched it doesnt cost 100s of g's to buy a relatively small building with a basement or not and set up a grow are u crazy, where are u getting these figures from what would the money go on? ive watched alot of videos on medical marijauna like on cnbc and stuff and they aint saying you need 100s of gs they show average people getting into it. a building and a grow set up does not that much. and even then if u couldnt open one whats to stop you growing and selling to dispensaries? ive even seen ordinary people that have made a seed company that sells seeds to dispensaries, what would you need 500g's for thats so fucking far fetched, now either your bullshitting me or these people that have gone on cnbc and talked about it are lying which is alot of people might i add so tell me why would i take the word of one person? your basically telling me this documentary is bullshit which i highly doubt. http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=1185791780&play=1

 

[healing of the nation92]

I've been into it since the beginning. I've been working full time in the industry for 5 years now. Nearly everyone who started around the same time as me (a couple years before the green rush) is out. 95% go bust. Go ask anyone working at a hydro-store how many customers have been around for more than 2 years. I guarantee it'll be under 10%.

Look on this board. How many people still post after 2 years? Not many. Everyone who's successfully grown a plant in their yard or closet thinks they can hang in this industry. The overwhelming majority fail. I've had times when I've almost given up, and I'm very good at what I do. It's hard.

Now take that level of difficulty and multiply it by 1000x and that's how hard it would be to open a dispensary right now. A few years ago maybe you could luck into a dispensary, now you can't.

i dont get how everyone has gone bust according to you, dispensaries outnumber starbucks?, weed maps theres hundreds of dispensaries are u saying they dont exist no more?

 

[Dan Kone]

yea but hes basically sayin its impossible and hes contradicting himself if he himself has a dispensary if thats what u mean by dispensary level, wouldnt it be simple enough to speak to a lawyer and find out what needs to be done?

Sure, lawyers will be happy to take your money and send you through the hoops. That's what they do. Very few people succeed however. Nearly everyone who just shows up with a stack of money thinking they can open a club goes broke.

im a long way from having money like that atm but im working on changing that and i want a plan for my future as i dont wanna stay here forever how long can someone keep growing without going legit? only places that are legit are a few places in the states like cali and colorado or amsterdam, this is the path ive chosen to go down now im not turning back and i know nothing good lasts forever but i got myself thinking what if i could go legit?

I'd advise you start with a delivery service. Very low overhead there and you don't need political connections. Still will be hard to succeed, but at least it's possible.

Being able to grow a some bud does not mean you can succeed in the medical marijuana industry. There is a lot more to it than that. And attempting to start at the top is not the right way to do it. It won't work. Ever managed a dispensary? Ever been a professional vendor? Not like selling a pack to a dispensary every once and a while, but had that as your only source of income and survived? Not many people can. If you don't have these kind of experiences then you're not ready to open a dispensary.