Interview with a Medical Marijuana Dispensary Owner Bijan Sakaki | Utah in the Weeds Episode #31 скачать в хорошем качестве

Interview with a Medical Marijuana Dispensary Owner Bijan Sakaki | Utah in the Weeds Episode #31

Today on the Utah in the Weeds Podcast Tim and Chris talk to Bijan, on of the Medical Marijuana Dispensary owners in Utah. Connect with us at UtahMarijuana.org (Tim) and IAmSaltLake.com (Chris). What is the address of Bijan’s convenient newly opened Beehive Farmacy? [00:01:16]: Beehive Farmacy is the newest Utah Medical Marijuana dispensary, which opened October 2020. The address is 1991 South 3600 West, Salt Lake City, 84104, bordering the edge of West Valley on the North side of the I-201. Directions can be found on their Google page. Bijan explains why they changed the spelling to Farmacy in their name, and what their pharmacy wants to accomplish [00:05:58]: Their whole motto is plants over pills, so ‘Farmacy’ indicates that everything’s coming from one of the 8 farms here in Utah. As they’re not allowed to advertise, people mostly find out about Beehive Farmacy through their QMP offices like Utah Therapeutic Health Center, social media, word-of-mouth, and referrals from other pharmacies. How did Bijan get into Medical Cannabis? [00:13:52]: Bijan was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when he was 12, but he didn’t find cannabis until he was 19 or 20. He comes from a very conservative immigrant family from Iran, so cannabis was taboo and had very negative connotations. Bijan points out other factors that play a part in the provision of Medical Cannabis in Utah [00:19:55]: He points out that medical cannabis goes beyond just pharmacies; supply chain is just as important (with cultivators and processors coming into the picture, as not many pharmacies grow their own product). Bijan speaks about some of his earlier exposures to the cannabis industry [00:23:07]: Around 2010, after Denver, Colorado and Portland, Oregon went recreational, Bijan had a vape pen, called a Wellness pen, that he began selling for profit at music festivals. Bijan discusses the uncertain implications around Code 280E for the cannabis industry. [00:29:03]: 280E is the IRS tax code where you can’t write anything off except the cost of goods sold for a ‘federally illegal’ business. It was designed to capture drug traffickers. Lawmakers did not anticipate having some trades legitimized, like Medical Cannabis. In short, 280E prevents cannabis-related businesses from qualifying for tax deductions, and can also affect their access to banking services. Bijan talks about his professional paint-balling days. [00:37:20]: After Bijan got sick at the age 12, with a gastrointestinal auto-immune disease, he discovered paintball after no longer being able to play soccer. He soon started getting better at this new sport, as he learned to overcome his fears. This gave him good life experience as well. It also introduced him to travel, as he was going to California every weekend. Once he did well regionally, he was fortunate enough to get picked up by teams from Australia and Holland. About five times a year, he went to Amsterdam to play professional paintball matches. What are Bijan’s favorite products that he plans to bring in? [00:44:04]: One of Bijan’s favorite products is the Omura, a portable handheld device that vapes pre-filled flower sticks. They will work with the Sugar House Selects team in this regard and will have some of their own house brands as well. He also wants to bring another device to market called the Indose which is a controlled dose distillate cartridge pen that actually measures the amount of THC being inhaled through the vapor so the dosage can be precisely calculated. Bijan emphasizes how important contact with the right people is in the cannabis industry [00:53:37]: Bijan points out how important it is in the Medical Cannabis industry for people to help each other get in contact with the right people, to help and motivate them, and then paying that forward. This has helped establish the legal cannabis industry in Utah, good people helping good people. In fact, there are now about 20,000 legal cannabis users in Utah. How to reach out to Bijan, Beehive Farmacy or the Utah Marijuana team Connect with Beehive Farmacy on their website or Instagram. Or reach out to Bijan on LinkedIn. Time Stamps: 00:00- Intro 01:16- What is the address of Bijan’s convenient newly opened Beehive Farmacy? 05:58- Bijan explains why they changed the spelling to Farmacy in their name, and what their pharmacy wants to accomplish. 13:52- How did Bijan get into Medical Cannabis? 19:55- Bijan points out other factors that play a part in the provision of Medical Cannabis in Utah. 23:07- Bijan speaks about some of his earlier exposures to the cannabis industry. 29:03- Bijan discusses the uncertain implications around Code 280E for the cannabis industry. 37:20- Bijan talks about his professional paint-balling days. 44:04- What are Bijan’s favorite products that he would like to bring in? 53:37- Bijan emphasizes how important contact with the right people is in the cannabis industry.