How To Open a Collective

Several states across the US have decriminalized the possession and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Patients who are registered with the medicinal marijuana board in each state are legally entitled to possess a limited amount of the substance for their own personal use. This demand has led to many people opening medical dispensaries as legal suppliers of marijuana.

Selling medicinal marijuana is technically still illegal under federal law, which means that anybody who has a wish to operate in this industry must be aware of state legislation in order to comply with it fully. This means knowing how to open a collective, which is how many states determine the legality of supplying medicinal marijuana.

According to guidelines set out by the Attorney General, a collective in this scenario is a group which is set up with the explicit purpose of providing a means for the supply of medicinal marijuana to state registered patients or their caregivers. These people should in fact be part of the collective, thereby giving it a collaborative structure. Under state law collectives are legally entitled to cultivate and distribute medicinal marijuana to their members without fear of prosecution.

Learning how to operate a collective therefore means operating within the law. The intention by state law makers is that collectives are run as non-profit making organizations, with no single ownership. Despite this, individuals have opened medical dispensaries in states throughout the US as a business venture. Storefront medical dispensaries are not formally recognized in law in some states, whilst collectives are. It is understood, however, that collectives can and do operate out of such premises. This gives storefront medical dispensaries a certain amount of legal validation.

It is generally the case across the states that a collective operating out of a dispensary will have to comply with state legislation regarding the obtaining of required licenses and permits. There may also be a requirement to pay sales taxes. In addition, there are strict regulations regarding how medicinal marijuana is distributed. More specifically this relates to ensuring that only registered patients receive the drug, and that they do so within the legally defined permitted quantities. This extensive regulation and licensing of dispensaries has further helped to legitimize them.

The process towards legitimacy begins with learning how to open a collective. It is these which are formally recognized by state legislation, not the dispensaries themselves. Collectives provide a valuable service for their members by facilitating the distribution of much needed medicinal marijuana to those people who are in poor health. For that reason alone they are important organizations, a fact which is evident by the growing number of examples in operation.

Enter your information below for a free step by step guide on how to open a collective.