Publisher's note: They call it the "Immaculate Conception," - where/how dispensary owners get their first seeds as regulators turn the other cheek (to stay on the biblical thing.) The strange mix of legal/illegal in the launching of the grow operation underscores the need for clear-cut legalization initiatives.
CHICAGO – As more states legalize medical marijuana, there's one stage in the process nobody wants to talk about: the part where people still have to break the law.
After growers obtain licenses, plan for security and build facilities, they then must obtain their first seeds or cuttings – while regulators turn a blind eye.
"It has to be hush-hush," said Bradley Vallerius, an attorney focused on the emerging industry in Illinois. "I've seen the moment where the client realizes this is a problem" – and wonders how they're supposed to get started.
