Home growers with just 12 plants have a lower risk for a DEA raid, naturally. But under state law, they still need to keep the plants in an "enclosed, locked facility" unless they're moving to a new home.
The bubble will soon burst, if it hasn't yet, for anyone who thought a $5,000 application fee and a hand-drawn sign might be the ticket to legal weed-dealing in this state. Because of all the likely regulations, zoning requirements, and normal expenses for retail businesses, experts now say owning a dispensary could require an initial outlay of $350,000 to $500,000.
High-quality marijuana buds line the shelves at Nature's Own Wellness Centers in
Colorado. Owner Travis Pollock plans to run a dispensary in Arizona.
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Some industry backers claim that's not such a bad thing.
"It takes $250,000 in the bank to open a Baskin-Robbins," quips Brad Senesac, chief marketing officer for the Berkeley Patients Group in California.
If that cuts out some people with lesser means, he says, so be it. Arizona's industry needs only the best, most qualified players if it's to survive long-term, he says. He throws out another one-liner: "If everybody's great, it's great for everybody."
Senesac's talking points are similar to those of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Association's Myers and Yuhas. There will be winners and losers in this game, they all agree.
Yuhas notes that if someone's disappointed they don't get to own a dispensary, the industry is "creating thousands of jobs."
In other words, if you miss one of the 124 dispensary jackpots, there's always the option of salaried "bud-tender."
