As 2019 comes to a close, so does another year of cannabis retail features and b2b journalism at Cannabis Dispensary. Here, CD editors take a look back on their favorites stories this year and reflect on what they liked best.
Noelle Skodzinski, Editorial Director
10 Tips for Winning a Cannabis Dispensary License – Feature, February 2019
Competition in the cannabis industry has increased by leaps and bounds in the past couple of years and shows no signs of slowing down. License applications require tremendous amounts of work, planning and time—not to mention, in most cases, lots of money. It is arguably the most important step in a business’s future: No license, no business. This concept applies to new businesses as well as those looking to expand their footprints with new dispensary locations. Following CD’s service-based journalism approach, this important feature in CD broke down some of the most crucial considerations for dispensary-owner hopefuls to increase their chances of winning a license and entering the markets they are eager to serve. Read more
Michelle Simakis, Editor
Berkeley Patients Group Web Series
Berkeley Patients Group (BPG), one of the oldest operating cannabis dispensaries in the country, celebrated its 20th anniversary in October. Originally launched in 1999 in a regulatory climate that did not allow cannabis retailers, BPG’s solitary goal was staying open to serve the patients who so desperately needed its products. Since then, the company’s founders have fought on the front lines of the drug war, lobbying for policy reform in California and riding the wave of legalization and the rollout of the state’s regulated marketplace. CD sat down with BPG Co-Founder and Vice President Etienne Fontan for a three-part interview to learn more about the dispensary’s origins, its founders’ passion for cannabis and their fight for patient access.
Read Part I here
Read Part II here
Read Part III here
Jonathan Katz, Managing Editor
Blooming in Water Hill – Cover Story, June 2019
Bloom City Club makes patients feel at home in its cozy dispensary located in Ann Arbor, Mich. The 960-square-foot facility fits in with its hospitality-style approach to patient care. The article describes a setting that’s more reminiscent of a wellness center than a place to buy your product and go. The dispensary also provides a welcoming atmosphere for patients from all backgrounds. “Women in their late 40s and early 50s, who shop here—they come in and they’re like, ‘Oh my god, I had no idea that this is what the dispensary would be like,’” explains Allison Ireton, Bloom City co-founder. Read more
Brian MacIver, Senior Editor
Mentoring in Massachusetts – Great Ideas, June 2019
Garden Remedies, a vertically-integrated cannabis operation in Massachusetts, is working hard to make the state’s industry lives up to its potential. The company’s Catalyst Mentorship Program pairs team members with cannabis license applicants to help guide these license hopefuls through the early stages of launching their businesses. The program allows the company to develop strong relationships with new industry hopefuls and ensure that the entire industry is operating at a high-level. If a rising tide raises all ships, Garden Remedies is betting that it raises the good ships a bit higher. Read more
Andrea Sparr-Jaswa, Science Editor
Legalization 4.20 – Debby Talks, October 2019
The passionate advocacy of Magnolia Wellness executive director and cannabis industry pioneer Debby Goldsberry is in full force as she looks back on where North American legalization efforts have taken us and considers what’s next for U.S. markets, both legal and illicit. This article cleverly articulates the need for collaboration over competition across cannabis businesses of all shapes and sizes by setting clear intentions for improved consumer access and safety, collectively. Read more
