This past November, an enormous number of states have decided to make medical marijuana legal. A few more states have opted to make recreational marijuana also legal. As more and more states move toward the legalization of medical and/or recreational marijuana, you see a rise in dispensaries opening to provide single-use dosages to consumers. If you are thinking about opening a dispensary in your state when your state makes this substance legal, there are a few things you need to know and a few things you need to do next.

Medical Marijuana Certification

​Many states, as a means of controlling the sales of marijuana, are requiring that all dispensary owners and operators take a twenty-hour medical marijuana certification course. The course describes in detail what you are allowed to do and not allowed to do in the role of a dispensary owner, operator, and sales associate. You cannot work or run your dispensary unless everyone in the dispensary, including yourself, has completed the course and has been certified by the state. Some states are also requiring an additional CPR course, just in case consumers have a heart attack or need to be resuscitated while they are in your store. (Some strains of marijuana can elevate heart rate, which is good for patients with hypotension, but bad for patients with hypertension.)

Centers for Certification 

​Some states only require that you complete the course; they are not particular about how. In those states, you can complete the online course in your own time or take a weekend crash course. In other states, you have to attend the nearest certification center. A certification center registers you as a dispensary employee/owner/operator when you sign up to take the course. These centers help the state keep track of who is selling the marijuana while the centers certify you. The best part about the centers is that when you complete the coursework, you are granted a certificate on the spot. You do not have to wait for the certificate and/or card in the mail.

Following Licensing for Opening a Dispensary

​Once you (and any employees) are certified, you can open the dispensary. Separate licensing rules apply, so be sure to check with your state's new laws regarding dispensaries. Growers of your store's supply typically have to be local or at least within the same state. Product must be carefully weighed and bagged in view of security cameras. Licensing will require a demonstration of the knowledge of the laws and restrictions.  

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