1. Looking to enter the retail market, Brandon Brock CEO of Mary Jane’s House of Glass, said that having to negotiate a lease with a landlord on a “maybe, if we win the lottery” basis presented quite the financial challenge. Brock ended up drawing the winning lottery position in Washougal, though the city has a marijuana moratorium in place.
2. David Bristol, attorney and shareholder at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt in Vancouver, believes landlords will exercise caution when it comes to leasing space for marijuana retailers, because these stores present an extra risk. As a result, he said, retailers likely face higher rates and/or extra terms and conditions.
3. When it comes to workplace drug policy, Terry Johnson, owner of ARCpoint Labs in Vancouver, said, “We are trying to guide our employers down the path of treating marijuana like alcohol. You wouldn’t come to work drunk, but it is perfectly legal.”
4. Should business owners tolerate marijuana use “off the clock?” Johnson thinks business owners will eventually tell his company to “test for everything but marijuana.”
5. Bobby Saberi, a partner in Mary Jane’s House of Glass, said that his major concern continues to be the fact that banks and credit unions are waiting for federal guidelines before accepting deposits tied to the sale of legal marijuana. He hopes this won’t be an issue by the time the city of Washougal’s marijuana moratorium expires.
6. It’s no surprise that financial institutions have stayed away from marijuana businesses thus far. As Bristol explained, current rules require banks to file “suspicious activity reports” on every marijuana-related business they serve, essentially flagging these establishments for federal authorities.
7. If employers aren’t testing to see whether or not marijuana is in an employee’s system, what should they test for? “I think it’s important that we test for levels of psychoactive components for those employers that want to allow marijuana use,” Johnson explained.
8. In it for the long haul, Saberi admitted that there is a lot to learn about this new retail industry. He expects several years of transition ahead, especially when it comes to marijuana in banking and the legal world.
9. Johnson wonders if employers will lose out on talented employees if they adopt a policy of not allowing marijuana use outside of work.
10. How will retailers overcome the stigma associated with marijuana? Saberi believes the best way is to share positive stories (like marijuana’s medicinal benefits) to overcome current stigmas.
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