News » The Medical Marijuana Industry – More Than Just Plants





In all of the talk about medical marijuana, the legal issues surrounding it, the science proving its medicinal uses, etc., we often overlook the industry that grows up around it. Like the plants themselves, the entrepreneurs surrounding medical marijuana are coming into the game to create jobs, infrastructure, and to add stability to the MMJ industry.

One of those is the supply side for marijuana growers themselves. Our focus is usually on the growers, the patients, and the dispensaries that link the two. Those growers (whether professional or in-home operations) require supplies. Those supplies come from somewhere, but aren’t often locally available.

So entrepreneurs like Keith E. Beyerlein and Christopher J. Krieger step in to fill the gap. The two have begun a business called Grow Mart (see their Facebook here) in Saginaw, Michigan. Grow Mart doesn’t sell marijuana plants or seeds, but instead focuses on the indoor, hydroponics and other grow methods used to cultivate it.

So whether marijuana is legal or not, their business would be legitimate. It would not, however, have near the business it does were MMJ not in place.

These two are just part of the growing industry cropping up around legalized marijuana in Michigan and elsewhere. Medical marijuana is spawning a lot of professionals and entrepreneurs who’re entering the market to provide services surrounding the growing of these medicinal plants.

Grow operations large and small require cultivation tools, such as those provided by Grow Mart. They also require buildings, electricity hookups, specialized water piping, etc., depending on their operations. These all involve tradesmen and professionals. Some will need computers, others will be looking for real estate to operate on, they’ll want delivery vans for carrying their goods, and more.

Just another example of how the issue of medical marijuana is about more than just courts and jails. It’s about people. We can do positive things like Beyerlein and Krieger are doing or we can do negative things like jails and prisons are doing. Which will it be?

[source MLive]

Tags: legalization, medical, Michigan, Saginaw