Our mission at The Dispensary Experts is to give you advanced information that no other site or state website will give you. We need more reputable dispensaries to prove to states that have yet to legalize marijuana. The more success individual dispensary owners have, the more opportunity and acceptance all of us will see.

This provides all of us new opportunities, which is why we painstakingly try to provide an inside look not make every get to see, causing massive rejection every single day.

In this effort, we’ve created an outline with details that MUST know, but unfortunately, only dispensary owners understand.

And if you’ve contacted dispensaries for assistance, you are either met with silence or could be given inadequate information, as they don’t want new competition, especially nearby their successful dispensary.

We believe that since we’ve got 16 successful dispensaries in multiple states, are fortunate enough to live our dreams and make marijuana our lives’ work, the more we help others, that Karma will only come back to us.

So let’s go, take some notes, stop to think, and confirm you have what it takes to never have to work a day in your life because it feels more like fun that any job will provide you.

1. Full and complete application form – over 90% of people make careless errors getting them rejected right away. Don’t rush through the application form

Be sure to include your MMD# on every item mailed to the MMD program. Program staff will use this number to match your items to your application form. Items submitted without a MMD# will not be matched to an application.

Success will automatically generate an e-mail which you should keep. If you do not receive an email, be sure to check to see if it was filtered into your spam or junk mail folder.

This email will also have your MMD number, which you want to keep in a safe place as you’ll see why later.

During the application process, you will create a user name and password. You will receive a separate email asking you to verify your new account. Until you complete this step, you will not be able to log in to your application after submission.

2. Business Plan– You’ve probably heard us tell you this is the most important document you’ll own throughout pre-application on to after you open your doors.

Vendors you’ll work with will want to see this in order to enter into agreements with you for everything from medications to display cases and product containers.

3. Operations Plan – This document will describe your plan as to how your dispensary will be run. It should include the process your patients will experience from the moment they step into your dispensary, sign in with security, where they will wait before they are asked to come in to make a purchase.

Also how you will design the process that is specific to your business, which can be anything from having a patient number, a document, or even a sticker that is placed on the back of their license or patient card.

This ensures your customers can move through the process quickly, allowing you to be organized and allow the highest number of customers through per day.

What your state is looking for is how you’ll ensure there won’t be crowding or lines at your location (which will attract law enforcement quickly if they see lines and crowds.

4. Security Plan – All dispensaries need to have security. The reasons are many:

1. You have cash and valuable product in your store which can attract theft and middle of the night break ins.
2. You’ll need a security guard to ensure each individual has the appropriate doctor approval and are able to make a purchase
3. Someone that can handle a situation where law enforcement may come to your location and ensure they are reassured you are operating a legal dispensary
4. Security in case anyone attempts to steal from your dispensary
5. Simply maintain order and check any person that enters your dispensary

5. Identify your location – Yes, you need to have a location lined up for your application. Which means you’ll need to understand how to approach a potential landlord with your business plan, which proves you are serious and professional.

This is not as easy as it sounds; landlords generally are skeptical of allowing dispensaries to operate out of buildings or stores they own. They can view it as more of a liability that a traditional business.

There are many fly-by-night dispensaries that want to max out how much money they can make in 3-6 months and then disappear, skipping out on the rest of their obligation.

Your business plan is going to eliminate all the concerns and put their worries at ease.
Speaking of locations, after your application is approved, you’ll need to complete the school proximity affirmation form that the proposed facility is not within 1,000 feet of the real property comprising a public or private elementary, secondary, or career school attended primarily by minors.

So you need to be sure the locations you are looking at meet regulations in terms of proximity to schools and places where minors may be close by. We recommend you use a school proximity locator online to make sure you are 1,000 feet away from these locations.
6. Collective Agreement – Patient agreement that outlines what you and your patients agree to. We’ve included the Collective agreement you can simple add your dispensary name to and use once you are in business. It’s been reviewed and checked by multiple attorneys.

7. Setting Up a Not for Profit Business – While this seems daunting to some, it’s a simple 12-step process. Again, we include those easy to follow 12 steps to make it simple and quick to do without any need to pay a lawyer or business consultant $1000 to set up for you.

8. Growth Opportunities – This will be included in your business plan. If you have our Secret Dispensary Business Plan, you’ll see we’ve included our growth opportunities. We will also give you ideas you want to implement for your specific dispensary.

You want to show you are forward thinking, in it for the long term, and want to build a business that is successfully operated for many years to come.

9. Adding Value to Your Community – State officials love to see this and most other applicants never even think to include. It will make you stand out from all other applicants moving you to the approved pile.

10. New Product Offers – This speaks to you commitment and long-term approach to your business.

Ideally, state officials want to see that this is going to be a helpful pillar of the community and a detriment to the people and other businesses also residing near your dispensary.

When you state specifically the ideas for new helpful patient products, it shows you are planning to be a long-term business that adds value to everything in proximity to your dispensary.

11. Growing Your Revenue – This is different from additional product offers. This is going to speak to things included in our How to Double or Triple Your Revenue Guide.

Items like loyalty programs, special discounts, ways to communicate with your patient list, and how you will provide more than just medical marijuana like patient information, suggestions, and an advocate for each patient you see.

Identify the “Person Responsible for the Facility – This is the person that is going to own and operate the dispensary. It includes whom has legal responsibility.

This person has to meet the qualifications and is able to pass the background check. They are also responsible for the application payment.

Note:Your payment must be received before we can process your application. If your payment is not successfully processed, you will need to start over with a new application or follow the instructions in the email that is sent to you.

Identify Person Responsible for the Facility (PRF) – This means an individual who owns, operates, or otherwise has legal responsibility for a facility and who meets the qualifications established in these rules and has been approved by the Authority.

Additional information to assemble the following information you will need for your application:

• Address of (proposed) facility
• Contact information for the PRF and Primary Owner (if different than PRF)
• Identification number for one of the following forms of identification for the PRF:
  • Driver License
  • State Identification Card
  • U.S. Military Identification
• Business Registration Number (active or pending)
• VISA or MasterCard for the application fee, required at time of application

Documents you’ll need after you have successfully submitted your application and payment has been received.

Note that some of this was mentioned previously to organize you and be sure you understand “what comes next.”

• Background check request and fingerprint authorization
• Copy of Driver License or U.S. Military Identification
• Proof of residency – This is not your dispensary location but proves you are a resident of the state you are applying in
• Zoning documentation from governmental entity which can be obtained from your state’s official website.
• Completed school proximity affirmation form that the proposed facility is not within 1,000 feet of the real property comprising a public or private elementary, secondary, or career school attended primarily by minors

Application Submission Options:
Sign into your application to upload these documents to your application under the “Documents” tab OR:
Mail them, postmarked within five (5) calendar days of making payment, to:

State Medical Marijuana Dispensary Program
State Health Authority
P.O. Box Number
City, State, Zip Code

You’ve Followed Our Guidance and Are Now Approved! So…what should you expect next?

Post Application Approval

Medical Marijuana Dispensary Background Check Information will need to be provided quickly after your approval. It’s best to get these done by a neutral company to see what your state will see when they run one on you.

But there is good news, keep reading, it’s not as serious as it might seem (I have a “Drunk in Public” on my record, which no state even brought up.

National background check is required for any owner or applicant for a new dispensary. This is something you want to think about and ensure nothing will come up on your background check or dream will be over immediately.

All States require that any person applying to be a Person Responsible For a dispensary (PRF) to be subject to a national background check. The check will only look for the answer to the following two questions:

1. Has the PRF been convicted in the past five years “for the manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance in Schedule I or Schedule II”?
2. Has the PRF been convicted twice in his/her lifetime “for the manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance in Schedule I or Schedule II”?

So if you have partners or concerns about this, our recommendation is to buy a background check online prior to application for all partners to see who should be the PRF.
Learn more right now about how we hand you easy to follow directions, hand you a Business Plan, Simple Steps to A Non-Profit easily, a done for you collective agreement, how to get a prime location, and much more.

Background check deadline

In order to start the background check process, the PRF must submit the following no later than five (5) calendar days following the submittal of a dispensary application:

• Background Check Request
• Fingerprints

Required documents for the background check

In order to complete the background check the PRF will be required to provide fingerprints and an authorization form to conduct the background check. These following documents may be used by a PRF (dispensary owner) to complete this requirement for a license.

See your State’s Website for the following forms your state provides you:

• Background Check Instructions
• Background Check Request Form
• Fingerprint Authorization Form

You are not required to submit your fingerprints electronically. If you do, you must use one of the approved electronic fingerprinting locations located on your state’s website to ensure you are viewing fingerprint locations near you.

Mail your completed background check documents to the address listed on the form.

In Conclusion…

So there you have it. You’re outline and expectations pre-application process and what to expect after you follow our direction and get your approval email.
Our aim is to provide you with the information that isn’t easy to find, secrets to beating out your application competition, and transforming a complete process into one that you can understand easily, put yourself in the optimal place for approval, and what you need to prepare.

If you want it even more simplified with much more details, ideas, secrets, and helpful tips, read through our blog and Guides to make your life easier, END any frustration and overwhelm, and offer a very clear easy to follow action plan saving a ton of time and money.