The Keys to Smart Dispensary Operations: Professionalism and Accountability February 20, 2016 Matt Walstatter Retail 2 Comments By Matt Walstatter In my last column I wrote about dispensary operations. More specifically, I discussed structural organization, suggesting some departments to create in order to manage your retail store. At Pure Green (my dispensary), we approach structural organization by… Read More→
It Pays Off If You Can Streamline Dispensary Operations February 8, 2016 Matt Walstatter Retail 1 Comment By Matt Walstatter When my wife Meghan and I were preparing to open Pure Green, our dispensary in Portland, Oregon, we realized that we would need to create an organizational structure. That is, we needed to identify areas of responsibility… Read More→
The Future of Cannabis: Just How Will the Industry Look in 2019? January 25, 2016 Matt Walstatter News & Insights, Opinions, The Buck Stops Here 0 Comments By Matt Walstatter Last week, members of the Oregon Cannabis Association got together for our Time Capsule event. About 150 members and guests offered relics from today’s world of cannabis and made predictions for the future. We’ll open the time… Read More→
2016 Oregon Legislative Outlook: The Big Impact of a “Short Session” January 4, 2016 Matt Walstatter Oregon 0 Comments We’re less than a week into 2016 and I have already seen at least a dozen articles declaring this to be "The Year of Cannabis." In 2015, we saw huge gains at the local, state, and federal levels, so I… Read More→
Growing Up December 21, 2015 Matt Walstatter News & Insights, Opinions 0 Comments By Matt Walstatter What do almost all cannabis companies — producers, processors, retailers, wholesalers and ancillary — have in common? We are all young companies. Some of us have been growing and selling cannabis for quite a while, but not… Read More→
Oregon’s Edible and Concentrate Rule Making Conundrum December 7, 2015 Matt Walstatter Oregon, Policy & Legal 0 Comments By Matt Walstatter Oregon is currently deeply immersed in the dual processes of implementing recreational cannabis sales while updating the medical marijuana program. While the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) is tasked with implementing and regulating the recreational system, the… Read More→
A Key to Your Success? It’s All About Optimizing Inventory November 21, 2015 Matt Walstatter Marketing, Retail 1 Comment A couple of months before we opened our dispensary, my wife Meghan and I went to Las Vegas to celebrate a friend’s 40th birthday. One of the members of our party was an old buddy who has been a medical… Read More→
Tips to Help Make Your License Application Succeed November 16, 2015 Matt Walstatter News & Insights, Oregon 1 Comment By Matt Walstatter The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), the state agency tasked with regulating Oregon’s recreational cannabis program, passed their temporary rules governing the program late last month. State law requires them to begin accepting license applications on Jan.… Read More→
The Oregon Cannabis Association Goes to Washington October 24, 2015 Matt Walstatter Oregon 1 Comment By Matt Walstatter They say all politics is local, but some problems require a federal solution. For cannabis, the biggest federal issues are banking, taxes and de-scheduling. We can have strong lobbying at the state level and robust outreach to… Read More→
The Launch of Oregon’s Recreational Sales: A View from Pure Green October 12, 2015 Matt Walstatter Retail 1 Comment By Matt Walstatter We have a little more than a week of limited recreational marijuana sales under our belts here in Oregon and the eager anticipation of the unknown has given way to the frenetic energy of a freshly minted… Read More→
We Shouldn’t Be Taxing Marijuana Medicine in Oregon! September 28, 2015 Matt Walstatter Oregon, Policy & Legal 0 Comments By Matt Walstatter When October 1 arrives in Oregon, medical dispensaries will begin limited sales to recreational customers. That means that medical patients and rec customers will be shopping side by side for many of the same products. (Recreational customers… Read More→
The Art of Customer Retention – It’s a Big Deal No Matter Where You Are September 14, 2015 Matt Walstatter Marketing, Retail 0 Comments By Matt Walstatter If you have ever read a book on marketing, you probably know that it costs a great deal more to find a new customer than it does to hold on to an existing one. This fact is… Read More→
Securing Your Cannabis Business September 1, 2015 Matt Walstatter Security 0 Comments As we prepare for Oregon’s rollout of early recreational sales, we have been reviewing all aspects of Pure Green’s operations in order to figure out what needs updating. As I reviewed our security policies and procedures, it occurred to me… Read More→
A View From Pure Green PDX: Lessons Learned, Compliance August 18, 2015 Matt Walstatter News & Insights 0 Comments In my last column, I began sharing some lessons we have learned operating Pure Green, our medical dispensary in Portland, OR. Today I’m going to dive back in, starting with compliance. Compliance is incredibly important in the cannabis industry. We… Read More→
Lessons from a Cannabis Business Executive August 3, 2015 Matt Walstatter Cultivation 0 Comments By Matt Walstatter Last week, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed SB 460, the law that allows Oregon medical marijuana dispensaries to serve non-cardholders on a limited basis. Beginning Oct. 1, any adult over the age of 21 will be able… Read More→