Marijuana has become a veritable cash cow in states where its medical and/or recreational use has been legalized. Millions of dollars that used to go into the pockets of illegal drug dealers are now in the pockets of dispensary owners and the state government, which gets a cut for taxing weed. The states that have made it fully legal for both medical and recreational use are finding that they have millions more dollars for infrastructure projects, schools, social assistance programs, etc. There are still some states, like Wisconsin, that are holding out on making this drug legal, but for many other states, it is time to jump in and make some money while you can. Here are some pressing business questions to which you would likely want answers about various financial ventures and marijuana.
Dispensaries
There are lots of legal hoops to jump through to open your own dispensary, but most of those hoops involve background checks and the ability to keep proper records for sales of marijuana and related goods in your dispensary. You have to fill out a ton of paperwork, submit an application to the state to open a dispensary, and fill out a license to operate a dispensary in your city/county. That last part is probably going to be your biggest barrier when you are met with people who do not want you to have dispensary in their city, but ultimately they would have to petition your business's presence, and it would likely be shot down anyway.
Marijuana Investments
Maybe you would prefer to keep out of the competitive dispensary world and invest in marijuana some other way. As more people seek business funding to open a dispensary, it becomes more difficult to secure that funding from banks because banks are federally owned institutions, which poses a legal conflict of interest. States with marijuana legalization laws in place are in conflict with the federal marijuana laws, which still view the drug as illegal. Any federally owned and operated or federally supported institution is not allowed to be caught up in the marijuana movement.
As such, it could be difficult to secure a business loan with the end purpose of opening a dispensary. People often look to private investors to help. You could put your money into helping open any number of dispensaries and then create legal contracts with each of the dispensaries' owners for repayment of the loans and a cut of the profits.
For more information about marijuana legalization and its effects on business, contact a company like New York Daily Weed Report.