11 Tips for Winning a Marijuana Cultivation License

This article originally appeared in the November/December print edition of Cannabis Business Times. To subscribe, click here.

Getting a license for a marijuana cultivation business is one of the most difficult early steps in doing business in the evolving cannabis industry. The biggest issue is understanding the complex, and often confusing, rule-making of a state licensing board that is unfamiliar with the industry. To help navigate this twisting and slippery road, Cannabis Business Times reached out to six licensing consultants, growers and cultivation-business owners with proven track records of success in winning licenses for their tips on how to create a winning marijuana-license application.

1. Understand the features that make your application stand out.

Jay Czarkowski: “Passion for the industry is not enough to win a license. It is getting … a lot more competitive. ... The ultimate bellwether is the amount of effort we need to put in to win. In addition to winning application narratives, the team needs to be well-rounded and qualified, proper facilities need to be designed that manufacture great products, and good programs that benefit the community need to be put in place.

“Some of the top indicators are:

• A great team: well-rounded, showing expertise in finance, facilities management, controlled environment horticulture, manufacturing, retail operations, health care and security, to name a few.
• Strong local support: a strong relationship with the community. ...
• Excellent application narratives and financial modeling: Detail how you intend to build, run and maintain your business, including strong financial governance.”

To read the full article in Cannabis Business Times' November/December edition, click here.