So what do I mean by Medical Marijuana Collective?

Here are the basics of how a collective works and tomorrow I will go over how to choose the best type of collective for YOU. 

In a nutshell:

A collective is a group of patients that collectively grow a garden and share equally in the harvest.  Any excess marijuana is then either sold through a storefront dispensary to patients outside the collective at cost or to another dispensary at cost.  Technically since marijuana cannot legally be sold, all distribution of marijuana must be sold at cost and the collective must be run in a not-for-profit manner.  All proceeds are to go back into the collective in a way that benefits all the members.

This does NOT mean that you can’t pay yourself or those in your collective who put in the work to grow the marijuana, a reasonable salary.  In a future post I will also go over what expenses you can include in the price of the marijuana you distribute, and later I will explain how some collective owners have exploited the medical marijuana system and made profits through their collectives.

There are several methods in which you can run your collective that exist right now.  These include:

a.       On your own/ a few friends

b.      A storefront with many patients

c.       A delivery service

Tomorrow I will show the Pro's and Con's of each of these types of collectives so that you can choose the right type for you and your patients.

A Few Things to Consider Before Starting Your Marijuana Collective

1. A space to grow your marijuana

The main source of income for your collective or dispensary is through your distribution of excess marijuana provided by your members.  So, you want to make sure before you start that either 1) you have your own place to grow, or 2) one or several of your members will have space to grow for the rest of the members of the collective.

A few of the things you will want to consider in finding places to grow plants for your collective are:

a.       Preferably you will want to grow in a space/s that is directly owned by you or your members.  At the very least you will want the approval of your landlord.  The last thing you want is unexpected visits.

b.      The security of the space.  How’s the neighborhood?  Is there a fence?  Is there a big yard?

c.       Preferably it should be more then 1,000 feet away from a school or church.  Some localities will be less lenient to growers operating in these areas.

d.      Is the house equipped to handle the size of the grow your planning?  Is there adequate electricity?  Is there adequate access to water near the grow room?  Is there adequate ventilation?

e.       You may want to keep your amount of plants, including, immature clones, flowering, vegetating and mothers to a 99 plant maximum, to prevent your grow being taken to federal court and possible 5 year minimum sentences for grows over 99 plants.  So, keep this in mind when deciding whether or not it is worth it to start a big grow.  Staying under 99 plants may affect the size of the plants you plan to grow in order to reach your target harvest weight.  It may also effect the amount of money you plan to take in.

I  won’t go into all the details of how to set up a grow here, as there are hundred of books (much longer then this one) that talk specifically on just that subject.  If you are a beginner or a novice and looking for some good resources here are a few I recommend:

Jorge Cervantes’ Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/ Outdoor Medical Grower’s Bible

AND

SeeMoreBuds Vol. 1(Good for grow room ideas)

2. There will always be risk

Marijuana is still illegal according to federal law, so there will always be the risk of getting raided by the feds, having your product confiscated, and/or having to go to trial.  In later posts I will show you how to minimize the risk of going to jail and/or losing the assets of your business.  Keep in mind that is also technically legal to “sell” marijuana almost anywhere, so you will need a good back up plan, which we will go over later.

3. Laws will change

Laws change frequently, especially in this fairly young industry.  You will have to keep up with the news nationally and locally in order to make sure you are in compliance and to minimize the risk of raids or going to trial.  Once you are well established it is vital that you get a good accountant and lawyer for you and your collective.

4. It isn’t completely free to start a medical marijuana business

This blog was written in order to help you minimize your startup costs, taxes, and other fees.  But, there will still be fees and taxes to pay in order to run a collective, just like in any other business. 

5. Distribution

Will you be able to sell everything that you grow?  You don’t want to end up sitting on several pounds of marijuana after each grow.  Not only is this a security risk, it will probably cause you to go over the legal limit of dry marijuana per patient.  If your running a small collective with a few friends and your producing far more then your smoking it would be pretty hard to convince a judge that it was all for personal medicinal use.  If you don’t have enough patients to distribute your marijuana I will explain in a future post how to find someone to legally distribute to.

Tomorrow I will provide an explanation of what exactly a Marijuana Collective is.

So, you want to start a medical marijuana collective..

Dispensary, Cannabis Club, Collective.. Whatever you call it they are all essentially run in a similar manner and can be started in the same way.  For example, you can start a growers collective and eventually turn it into a storefront dispensary.

Over the next week or so I will show you how I went from a regular stoner to a collective owner.  Last week I have outlined the initial steps you need to take to get your doctors recommendation.  Now I will outline all the additional steps needed to turn your doctors recommendation into your own collective and eventually into a store front dispensary serving thousands of patients (if that’s your goal).

When I first started writing this blog my main goal was to reach out to all the marijuana patients that just want to start a small grow by themselves and maybe a few friends and show them how to do this with out having to worry about the cops.  I have chosen to show you what I believe is the simplest and shortest way to forming a legal medical marijuana collective in California right now, without hiring a lawyer or accountant (although, if you plan on becoming a big operation I recommend both) and without having to do extensive research.  And, if you choose to take more advanced steps, such as incorporating your business I will show you how to do that as well. 

For any normal person wanting to start a medical marijuana collective you should be able to go through each of the steps I will outline here and have your grow operation running within a week (a month if you choose to incorporate) and you will be fully legal according to California state law as of March 2010.

As of today this business structure should be able to allow you to turn your collective into a storefront dispensary if you should choose to do so, and I will offer recommendations.  It should also easily allow you to be able to turn your collective or dispensary into a for-profit venture (unlike the non-profit route) should marijuana be legalized in the near future.  However, I do not know how the legal battle will be played out by the state and there may be additional licensing or fees to be paid in the future in order to keep your collective running, or to make it for-profit should marijuana be legalized in CA.

I will eventually also include an extensive resource section on the right below the search function that includes what I feel are the most useful resources on the Internet or at your local bookstore.  Eventually I will separate them into categories to make it easy for you to reference a site or book according to the step you’re on.

After you've followed the previous weeks posts and gotten your medical marijuana doctors recommendation you can jump to tomorrows post for the next step.  Tomorrow I will go over some considerations you should make before starting your collective.

Easiest ways to find the Pot Doctor for YOU

First you should ask any current mmj patients that you know how/where they got their mmj recommendation.  If that is not an option check the site I gave in my first post: http://www.canorml.org/prop/215physicians.html and give one near you a call.  After you've found a few potential mmj doctors in your area here are a few things you can do in order of easiness (of course the further down you go the more reliable the information is likely to be):

• Try Googling one of the doctors and look for reviews.
• Check the forums in http://weedtracker.com (A good site for resources on cannabis clubs, such as new locations, menus, etc) or checking other cannabis related message boards
• Go to the doctors office during business hours and ask patients in the waiting room or walking out what to expect when you get in for an appointment, as they are likely to be more upfront then the person at the front desk (although at some offices they can be very helpful).

As far as for what to expect during your office visit, the site I've been posting this whole week also has a section on that: https://www.marijuanadoctors.com/content/resources/appointments/typical-visit
Again, a great resource for patients getting their medical marijuana recommendation for the first time.

Why NOT to get you Cannabis Club Card or MMJ State ID Card

Don't bother paying the extra $100 or so for the "Medical Marijuana Cards" that some places in the San Francisco Bay Area try and sell you or for the state card.   Here are my reasons why:

1. I have been to almost 100 dispensaries all through out California and none of them require the card with the exception of 2 clubs in Oakland, which were nothing special. 
2. Most Cannabis Clubs outside of the Bay Area do not even accept the cards as proof of recommendation, requiring only that you bring in your original Doctor's Recommendation and a Driver's License. 
3. Most importantly, why add yourself to another state database where you risk having your information leaked?

However, if you happen to be going to a Marijuana Dispensary in the San Francisco Bay Area for the first time there is one benefit to having the card; not having to worry about going during your doctor's office hours. 

Most clubs require that your marijuana recommendation is verified by your doctor's office during your first visit before you are allowed to purchase your medicine.  But, usually you can just call ahead and get pre-verified over the phone before your first visit.

So, if your in a pinch and need to get your medicine in the San Francisco Bay Area at odd times of the day at different dispensaries, then paying the extra $100 or so for you cannabis card may be worth it.  But, for patients that only get medicine a couple times a week at the same local dispensary it's probably not worth the extra risk of putting your name in a state database.  Also, don't expect your "Cannabis Card" to be worth a grain of salt if you're pulled over by the police.

How to Get Your Medical Records for MMJ

Although about 80% of the patients I know were never asked for copies of their medical records almost all of them brought them just in case.  It would be no fun driving over to see your local pot doctor, spending ~$100, and then have to come back a week later with your records.  Not to mention the extra week you might have to wait without your mmj recommendation.

To be honest getting your medical records is really easy.  All you have to do is call your primary care physician (or the last hospital you were checked into) and ask what you need to do to get them.  Sometimes you have to fill out a form online, and sometimes they can verify it over the phone if you give them your information.  They will usually not be able to give it to you right away if you walk in, so call ahead and ask. Be wary:

It can take up to a week or more to get your medical records mailed to you.

So, plan ahead. 

For a more formal explanation on how to obtain your medical records check out this link:
https://www.marijuanadoctors.com/content/resources/medical-records

And for what to expect during your visit you can check out this link on the same website:
https://www.marijuanadoctors.com/content/resources/appointments/typical-visit

I am not affiliated with that website.  I actually just found it while writing this blog.  It's a pretty good website that I think would have come in handy for a lot of patients I know who didn't know what to expect before their first visit to a pot doctor.

Qualifying Medical Reasons for Medical Marijuana

There are probably thousands of medical conditions that can be alleviated by Medical Marijuana.  A list of just a few can be found here:
https://www.marijuanadoctors.com/content/ailments/index

And in case the site is down here is the list:

•    Rheumatoid Arthritis

•    Acquired Hypothyroidism

•    Acute Gastritis

•    Adrenal Cortical Cancer

•    Agoraphobia

•    AIDS Related Illness

•    Alcohol Abuse

•    Alcoholism

•    Alopecia Areata

•    Alzheimer's Disease

•    Amphetamine Dependency

•    Amyloidosis

•    Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

•    Angina Pectoris

•    Ankylosis

•    Anorexia

•    Anorexia Nervosa

•    Anxiety Disorders

•    Any chronic medical symptom that limits major life activities

•    Any Chronic Medical Symptom that Limits Major Life Activities

•    Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease

•    Arthritis

•    Arthritis (Rheumatoid)

•    Arthropathy, gout

•    Asthma

•    Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD)

•    Autism/Aspergers

•    Autoimmune Disease

•    Back Pain

•    Back Sprain

•    Bell's Palsy

•    Bipolar Disorder

•    Brain Tumor, Malignant

•    Bruxism

•    Bulimia

•    Cachexia

•    Cancer

•    Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

•    Cerebral Palsy

•    Cervical Disk Disease

•    Cervicobrachial Syndrome

•    Chemotherapy

•    Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

•    Chronic Pain

•    Chronic renal failure

•    Cluster Headaches

•    Cocaine Dependence

•    Colitis

•    Conjunctivitis

•    Constipation

•    Crohn's Disease

•    Cystic Fibrosis

•    Damage to Spinal Cord Nervous Tissue

•    Darier's Disease

•    Degenerative Arthritis

•    Degenerative Arthropathy

•    Delirium Tremens

•    Dermatomyositis

•    Diabetes, Adult Onset

•    Diabetes, Insulin Dependent

•    Diabetic Neuropathy

•    Diabetic Peripheral Vascular Disease

•    Diarrhea

•    Diverticulitis

•    Dysthymic Disorder

•    Eczema

•    Emphysema

•    Emphysema

•    Endometrial Cancer

•    Endometriosis

•    Epidermolysis Bullosa

•    Epididymitis

•    Epilepsy

•    Felty's Syndrome

•    Fibromyalgia

•    Friedreich's Ataxia

•    Gastritis

•    Genital Herpes

•    Glaucoma

•    Glioblastoma Multiforme

•    Graves Disease

•    Hemophilia A

•    Henoch-Schonlein Purpura

•    Hepatitis C

•    Hereditary Spinal Ataxia

•    HIV/AIDS

•    Hospice Patients

•    Huntington's Disease

•    Hypertension

•    Hypertension

•    Hyperventilation

•    Hypoglycemia

•    Impotence

•    Inflammatory autoimmune-mediated arthritis

•    Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

•    Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)

•    Intractable Vomitting

•    Lipomatosis

•    Lou Gehrig's Disease

•    Lyme Disease

•    Lymphoma

•    Major Depression

•    Malignant Melanoma

•    Mania

•    Melorheostosis

•    Meniere's Disease

•    Migraine Headaches

•    Motion Sickness

•    Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS)

•    Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

•    Muscle Spasms

•    Muscular Dystrophy

•    Myeloid Leukemia

•    Nail-Patella Syndrome

•    Nightmares

•    Obesity

•    Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

•    Opiate Dependence

•    Osteoarthritis

•    Panic Disorder

•    Parkinson's Disease

•    Peripheral Neuropathy

•    Peritoneal Pain

•    Persistent Insomnia

•    Porphyria

•    Post Polio Syndrome (PPS)

•    Post-traumatic arthritis

•    Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

•    Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

•    Prostate Cancer

•    Prostatitis

•    Psoriasis

•    Pulmonary Fibrosis

•    Quadriplegia

•    Radiation Therapy

•    Raynaud's Disease

•    Reiter's Syndrome

•    Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)

•    Rheumatoid Arthritis

•    Rheumatoid Arthritis

•    Rosacea

•    Schizoaffective Disorder

•    Schizophrenia

•    Scoliosis

•    Sedative Dependence

•    Seizures

•    Senile Dementia

•    Severe Nausea

•    Shingles (Herpes Zoster)

•    Sinusitis

•    Skeletal Muscular Spasticity

•    Sleep Apnea

•    Spasticity

•    Spinal Stenosis

•    Sturge-Weber Syndrome (SWS)

•    Stuttering

•    Tardive Dyskinesia (TD)

•    Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ)

•    Tenosynovitis

•    Tension Headache

•    Terminal Illness

•    Testicular Cancer

•    Thyroiditis

•    Tic Douloureux

•    Tietze's Syndrome

•    Tinnitus

•    Tobacco Dependence

•    Tourette's Syndrome

•    Trichotillomania

•    Uterine Cancer

•    Viral Hepatitis

•    Wasting Syndrome

•    Whiplash

•    Wittmaack-Ekbom's Syndrome

•    Writers' Cramp

But, not all of them will qualify you for a Doctor's Recommendation for Medical Marijuana, so you want to follow this link https://www.marijuanadoctors.com/medical-marijuana/indexabove to see what ailments qualify for a MMJ recommendation in your state.


Under California’s medical marijuana law, patients may be recommended marijuana for the following conditions:

§         Anxiety

§         Arthritis

§         Cancer

§         Chemotherapy Side Effects

§         Chronic Pain

§         Fibromyalgia

§         Glaucoma

§         HIV-AIDS

§         Migraine Headaches

§         Multiple Sclerosis

§         Radiation Therapy Side Effects

If you suffer from several of these ailments, but do not have a documented medical record of all ailments it is recommended you choose an ailment that is not usually documented and thus more likely to help you obtain your doctor's recommendation, such as insomnia or nausea.  In addition, be sure to choose an ailment that is both chronic and long term (i.e. insomnia or nausea) to ensure your doctor's recommendation for mmj is made out for the longest period of time (usually 1 year) and to ensure future renewals.

Getting your Medical Marijuana Doctors Recommendation

To find a local California Doctor that will provide you with a medical marijuana recommendation refer to the following site: http://www.canorml.org/prop/215physicians.html

You can also try typing in "215 physicians" into Google if the site is down.  The list on that site is fairly up to date and several professional growers and collective owners I know got their recommendations from doctors on that list.

You can call ahead to several physicians in your area to find the cheapest one and to setup an appointment.  They will let you know over the phone what you need to bring, but usually you will only need a copy of your medical records, a drivers license and a form of payment.  Some do not even require medical records, so if this is an issue try and find a doctor that will give a recommendation without requiring them.


Don't worry about your regular physician or health insurance finding out about your recommendation as all records from each doctor you go to are kept confidential and cannot be shared with anyone without your approval.