Startup in Colorado?

[thingshappening]

Never thought i'd see so many fellow growers discouraging a man from coming to your state to grow his passion and make yalls state money plus himself. Selfish bastards were you not much different not long ago scrapin by illegally and finally you get it legalized and you shoot down anyone elses dreams who would like to come to the state that agrees with them most. all i can say is fuckin WOW

There is definitely some of that in the movement as a whole. Some very unfortunate and unsavory people growing cannabis on scale these days. Not mentioning and crunchy names...erre...wait..what just happened?

Anyway, I didn't see any of that in this thread man. I just saw peeps explaining how tough the reality is right now.

Colorado has an almost shockingly high percentage of nice people, and that is pretty well reflected on icmag IMO.

 

[LetTimmySmoke]

Never thought i'd see so many fellow growers discouraging a man from coming to your state to grow his passion and make yalls state money plus himself. Selfish bastards were you not much different not long ago scrapin by illegally and finally you get it legalized and you shoot down anyone elses dreams who would like to come to the state that agrees with them most. all i can say is fuckin WOW

did you read any of the fine print. people are doing this guy a FAVOR. they are saving him from losing money in a venture that wont work.

2 year residency and no caregivers to dispensaries makes life hard. you will have to sell on black market good luck.

 

[Chem&M]

There is definitely some of that in the movement as a whole. Some very unfortunate and unsavory people growing cannabis on scale these days. Not mentioning and crunchy names...erre...wait..what just happened?

Anyway, I didn't see any of that in this thread man. I just saw peeps explaining how tough the reality is right now.

Colorado has an almost shockingly high percentage of nice people, and that is pretty well reflected on icmag IMO.

Yeah, seriously. Sometimes the truth 'aint pretty. I don't see anybody really hating on this guy here man, just giving him the facts. Much agreed.

It's a great place to live in any case.

 

[tennesseetoker]

well what advice! yall are right about the residency the cost of electricity and stuff cost of licenses but i saw and read every post some were in my mind pretty rough though lots were very helpful some i found almost a smugness in them and attitude towards the subject that bothered me sorry if you were not one of those guys i kinda took it personally obviously and may have posted that to quickly.

 

[Rednick]

And on top of that, most big cities you can only have 1 patient now, growing 12 plants... as opposed to 5 patients, 30 plants.

What other big cities besides Denver.
Colo doesn't have too many of them.

Smuggnes? Probably me.
Not trying to be smug, just calling it like I see it.
Will the kid be able to grow? Yes.
Will he be welcomed to the community and get to learn a shit ton, with easy access to some real winners? Yes, as long as you're not from Florida, or at least one of the bad ones.
Will he then be breaking the law to get enough donations from his patients, to cover the costs associated with his hydro enterprise; rent 1300-2000/mo, electricity 500-600 mo (more in summer), labor (depends on the person), code (complying with code is going to be a BIG push by ALL cities/counties that don't like this shit (Breck...code for caregivers/open access to all Breck PD, or DO (look at Boulder, most stringent code I have seen for MMCs), hydro equipement (they keep raising the price on the good stuff, giving 'deals' on what you don't want).? Maybe.
Will he be able to find a job besides growing? Maybe. Not an easy job market right now. If you are properly motivated there are always high school jobs at $8-$10 hr in Denver...Mountain towns, good luck (that's salary )
My advice/2 cents.
Try and set up a job first, or at least take a vacation out here to look for housing first. Either of those goes a long way to ensuring a happy existence here.
Housing or Job ,and Housing = Job for you, so either counts as a job...Otherwise there aren't that many out here.
Niether, and you're fucked. We have all witnessed plenty of people come and go over the last two years, not all were retiring with money.

Being nice was probably (collectively as a State) our biggest downfall. We let everyone in here and some of those unsavory people started throwing their money round the state legislature, now it's got us here. The Snake, the cat, the rat, the dog...

 

[Okiedope]

Never thought i'd see so many fellow growers discouraging a man from coming to your state to grow his passion and make yalls state money plus himself. Selfish bastards were you not much different not long ago scrapin by illegally and finally you get it legalized and you shoot down anyone elses dreams who would like to come to the state that agrees with them most. all i can say is fuckin WOW

i felt the same way when i was growing illegally before i moved. seemed like everyone was trying to depict an overly negative image of the local market.

i don't think anyone is trying to discourage the OP from moving here or growing the plant in a more legal environment. i think people just feel obligated to give a reality check. expecting to move out here and legally make a nice living off herb is no longer a reality for almost everyone. the comments you perceive as selfishness could definitely save the OP a lot of heartache if his perceptions don't reflect reality.

imo, colorado is a beautiful state. the weather is great, the people are generally very friendly, lots of good food, and we have mountains! if you want to move here, make it happen. its a great place to grow herb. probably just not a great place for making a living off herb any more. my two cents.

 

[tennesseetoker]

Like i said i think yall have your points it must be the fact of the matter and i just dont like what i'm hearing. Yall are there with the knowledge shouldn't of been so quick to jump on yall sorry all just took it personally for some reason.

 

[MileHighGuy]

Colorado is AWESOME...

Every single business in the world has competition... and MJ is no dif.

I will say that on the western slope where I'm at... there is a HUGE shortage of real quality buds.

The growers are having PM and Mite issues...

Most of the really good growers are still underground or are just small time....

Go into the local Dispensaries and you will find some WACK ASS Schwag mixed in with some good strains that were not grown properly.

You will love colorado! Besides.. who the hell wants to move to michigan anyways.

(I just moved from Cali... and have been to Michigan for business)

Colorado is MUCH better than Cali... Just my 2 cents

PEACE

 

[Rednick]

Colorado is MUCH better than Cali...

You must not be one of the SoCal crew that bitches about winter being so long here.

 

[tennesseetoker]

haha really who cares yall know nothin of winter colorodo anyday over cali.

 

[MileHighGuy]

The winter here is PERFECT for Growing... Lmao.

I Love the cold air and the warm sun... seriously the Sun in Colorado is Freaking great.

I think EVERYONE here will agree with me...

I can't wait to get outdoors and enjoy the summer, but while growing indoors... the winter is so nice.

I have my intake fan and filter mounted to the wall in front of my window, when I need AC all I do is crack the window and it sucks cold air into my tent.

Not to mention you can actually breathe the air here... lmao (compared to socal)

 

[iSMOKE.KUSH]

go black market for 2 years. get your residency, and your set. fun stuff.

 

[Hillbilly419]

Colorado is great but the "GREEN RUSH is Over I repeat the GREEN RUSH IS OVER, its flooded here period but a good place to live I love it !

 

[Chem&M]

go black market for 2 years. get your residency, and your set. fun stuff.

The 2 year residency has to be BEFORE Dec. 2009. No way around that.

Black Market or most dipensaries, either way it's the same IMO about now b/c most have shitty herb.

The caregivers are the ones growing the real fire.

 

[iSMOKE.KUSH]

Colorado is great but the "GREEN RUSH is Over I repeat the GREEN RUSH IS OVER, its flooded here period but a good place to live I love it !

green rush is over huh? i guess thats why i still see pounds getting sold all day...wait no you're right. everyone stopped smoking weed....hahaha.

but really the green rush isn't over. the market is just finally starting to level out at a price where smoker can afford it and growers are still making money. i don't see how anyone could see something wrong with lbs for 2500.

 

[Marxsman]

Come to Colorado, it is great! All climates, great people and always something to do. just an opinion though.

but truth be told, like ALL new things, there will be a rush and there will be a fall and only the strong best business survives. Can you come here and make a ton with a new dispensary? maybe. it depends on how much you invest and your knowledge of the industry. but will you fail? maybe? there are so many factors that could change the outcome. you hear people say, mmj is crap in the dispensaries, well i will argue that, where i live the mmj is outstanding. I know owners and growers, large and small. A guy I hear of just opened his 3rd plantation but it cost him 300k. i know guys doing it out of homes and they all make the money. its all up to you. All the people I know are 100% legit and yes it costs money initially but it beats having the illegal blackmarket hanging over your head and the constant fear of being busted. then if you do, all the legal fees and fines and poss. jail time. personally, i like legit and being at 5456 ft high.

just my thought...

I am legit and only have 4 plants growing at this time, I do need my card and mmj for ailments. there are so many people out there that are exploiting this and trying to make money off all this. that is why the war continues, its about greed. if there is demand, there is need for supply. I just wish they would legalize it already. And with every business there are illegal operations too, not just in this feild. So yes this bussiness will always make money, it up to you, how much.

If i had the captital years ago, i would be in a different bussiness and growing commercially too.

but circumstance can change things, so you will never know if you like CO until you get here and see for yourself, you can always leave.

 

[merlin_008]

So with this 2 year thing, if I move and wait 2-3 years then apply will I be able to get a liscense and potentially open a dispensary?

 

[Marxsman]

Yes

 

[Rednick]

The 2 year residency has to be BEFORE Dec. 2009. No way around that.
.

No, amnesty was granted for those in operation before Dec. 2009, to all others the two year residency applies.
No way the Cali lobby would have made it residency since DEC 2007. They didn't get here until June 2009.

 

[Rednick]

So with this 2 year thing, if I move and wait 2-3 years then apply will I be able to get a liscense and potentially open a dispensary?

Operative word being potentially.
Right now the lobbyists are working hard on a new version of HB-1284 to fix some mistakes they made that cost them dough. It seems they were too exclusive and now can't import the help they need.
HB 11-1043
http://www.leg.state.co.us/

You will also have to consider all the associated costs with startup, fact you will be competing with established businesses, who have already paid those startup costs and are now just paying for upgrades, taxes, licenses (not cheap)...
If you have the money, great, I personally don't have 500K in the bank.

Ofcourse legalization will be on the ballot in 2012, that could change the 'regulations' game alltogether.