Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Might Offer Nevada Job Opportunities

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Medical marijuana dispensaries could provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs as well as patients in Nevada, according to the CEO of a business training center who recently held a seminar in Reno.

"Who would have thought you could have a retirement plan or future or pay for your kids' college with marijuana?" asked Robert Calkin, president and CEO of Cannajobs and a professor at Oaksterdam University in Oakland. "Now, you can."

Calkin began the Cannabis Career Institute when he learned that many of his students at Oaksterdam weren't going to class to become activists or learn more about marijuana – but rather to get into the business of the drug.

According to Calkin, people were leaving classes still disappointed because, while they were learning how to grow and work with plants, they weren't learning the business aspect.

The Cannabis Career Institute has given Calkin the opportunity to create a support group and give detailed instructions on how to operate in the business – legally.

"I've been used to doing this illegally all my life, and I'm happy to be able to do it legally now," Calkin said.

About 20 people attended an institute seminar at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Reno on Saturday. The event came a little more than a month after Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval signed Senate Bill 374 to legalize medical marijuana dispensaries in Nevada.

"When you leave here today, no one is going to be able to tell you you're running a criminal operation," Calkin said.

Calkin said he supports the legalization of marijuana for recreational as well as medicinal use. For medical purposes, however, he advocates that anyone trying to break into the dispensary business – or any aspect of the marijuana business – be a medical card holder.

By April 1, 2014, the state must have laws set in place for exactly how dispensaries in Nevada will work.

So far, the state will be allowed to have a total of 66 dispensaries, with 10 being allowed in Washoe County and 40 allowed in Clark County.

These licensed and regulated dispensaries will have the option to be either nonprofit or for-profit.

The limit on the amount that patients can carry during a 14-day period will change also from one ounce to two and a half. If patients do not live near a dispensary, they can grow their own until March 31, 2016.

All medical marijuana sold in the state will be taxed at 2 percent excise tax in addition to standard sales tax. Seventy-five percent of taxes collected will go toward education, and 25 percent will go to regulatory oversight.

One attendee, who refused to be named in this article, stated that he was a professional driver.

He was worried that having a medical marijuana card, which would allow him to carry the 2.5-ounce medicinal limit on him, would jeopardize his job.

"If you keep it locked in a separate box in your trunk, a cop will have to get a warrant just to open that box," local attorney John Roustis said.

"Never consent to anything like that," Roustis said. "You have rights."

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News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: rgj.com
Author: Megan Ortiz
 
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