I recently visited a medical-marijuana dispensary in Denver. I expected tie-dyed tapestries and Bob Marley posters. Instead, I found a well-designed shop that looked like any high-end health-supplement boutique.
The display cabinets were organized with various strains of marijuana and there were many non-smokable types, including transdermal patches, oral sprays and edibles. An employee proudly explained that in Colorado, dispensaries are required to grow at least 70 percent of their inventory, a boon to small operators. This particular dispensary grew 90 percent of its inventory and sourced the plants out to other small businesses that transformed them into the patches, sprays and edibles.
The business model was impressive. That the medical model was lacking soon became apparent.