Medical Marijuana - AN EVERGROWING Field
Even with no pun intended it is hard to ignore the thriving business environment surrounding the production and sale of medical marijuana. With MMJ now legalized in 15 states and the District of Columbia, the market is expanding vigorously.
Treating a range of Ailments
THC, the active ingredient in marijuana has been shown to effectively treat numerous conditions. It could reduce nausea, insomnia, neurogenic pain and movement disorders and the outward symptoms of glaucoma. It could be useful in controlling the outward symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, migraines and fibromyalgia. Recent studies have indicated that THC prevents the formation of deposits of plaques connected with Alzheimer's disease.
Of course more research is vital in determining which conditions medical marijuana might help, but even this short list is encouraging.
Not Just Smoking
Medical marijuana opponents object strongly to the most frequent approach to ingestion: smoking. However, there are numerous safer ways to ingest marijuana. Marijuana can be inhaled in a vaporized form and put into food after being processed into hemp oil. Both methods bypass the potential risks involved with any form of smoking.
Who Can Grow It?
One of the challenges to getting medical marijuana is figuring out who is allowed to grow it, and just how much they are able to grow. The states which have legalized marijuana for medical use have implemented standards for whether and just how much marijuana an individual is allowed to grow or possess. Things are a little more complicated for dispensaries.
California allows patients and caregivers to create cooperatives to grow the plants, but much of the product which reaches the marketplace is grown on small "farms" which still operate outside the law.
Recently a large store focusing on information and supplies opened in Sacramento, CA. The store doesn't sell any marijuana, nor any plants. There are some plants on display however they are owned by licensed individuals and you will be removed before they bud.
Licensed Dispensaries
Opening a medical marijuana dispensary involves a little bit of work. In each of the states where the sale of medical marijuana is legalized certain requirements are a bit different. Businesses must apply for a license and offer proof that the storefront is either owned by the business enterprise or that the leaser has approved the business enterprise. Some states need a safety plan to be used, or request tax documents etc.
One of the primary challenges facing these legal businesses is acquiring the full selection of business services, such as merchant accounts for processing charge card sales or bank accounts, since marijuana is only legal on the state level, not at the federal level.
Possibly the strongest argument that the federal government will respond to may be the potential tax base that medical marijuana will create. In tough economic times it really is hard to show away any source of much needed income.