As marijuana is being decriminalized, enter “Ganjapreneurs.”
By American Bazaar Staff
Last November, voters in Colorado and Washington passed referendums legalizing marijuana for recreational use among adults. With a majority of Americans now favoring a system of legalization and regulation of marijuana, a substance that has been criminalized in the country for more than a century, it is not just patients’ rights advocates that see potential benefits of what was once called the devil’s weed.
A growing number of entrepreneurs are also gearing up to cash in on the “green rush,” according to a Global India Newswire story by Sharmistha Chakraborty, published in The Economic Times on Saturday.
Among them are two Indian Americans:
Jigar Patel, 30, a native of Long Island, New York, wanted to get out of his family’s motel business and do something different and exciting. After discussing with his close friends and family, he decided to take the plunge into a hitherto untapped market: marijuana consulting.
“I have never used marijuana in my life, but it’s clear to me that marijuana does have legitimate medical uses and we can profit from it,” says Patel.
LastJuly, along with his wife and two sons, Jigar Patel moved to the neighbouring state of Massachusetts, which would pass a referendum three months later allowing patients with certain conditions to possess and consume medical marijuana.
In Boston, Patel partnered with fellow Indian American Sanjeev Patel and started a company — DispensaryPermits. com — which does consulting work for cannabis entrepreneurs interested in setting up shops. “We go to states running medical marijuana programmes and help individuals with permits,” says Jigar Patel of his business.
“We provide services like lawyers, doctors, horticulturists and CPAs, everything an entrepreneur will need to start a shop.” Patel talks about his venture in a lighter vein: “I often joke with friends and family that Patels were historically farmers. Maybe it’s time we go back to farming again.”