Seattle Entrepreneur Plans $100 Million National Chain of Pot Stores

[Newsjock]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by NancyBlueINOklahoma (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: The Stranger

Jamen Shively, CEO of Seattle-based Diego Pellicer, announced plans this afternoon to invest $100 million over the next three years in the burgeoning "social marijuana" market with a national chain of marijuana stores. In doing so, the former Microsoft manager is not only taking a page from the Howard Shultz playbook for building Starbucks, he's also testing the Obama administration's tolerance for flouting federal drug prohibition.

"Yes, we are Big Marijuana," Shively, 45, said unabashedly about ambitions to "be the most recognized brand in an industry that does not exist yet." And in doing so, politically, Shively would also create the first consolidated economic engine that advocates for legalization.

At a press conference in downtown's tallest skyscraper, Shively said he and business partners will begin in Washington State and Colorado, where rules for legal pot come online this year, and wait as voters pick off prohibition across the country. Flanked by lawyers, a state lawmaker, and former Mexico president Vicente Fox, Shively said he is a "couple weeks" from an initial $10 million milestone, and within three years, he fully expects to open—some medical marijuana and some recreational marijuana—a dozen branded stores in Washington State, another dozen stores in Colorado, and as many as hundreds in California (a state where only medical marijuana is currently legal but where voters are widely expected to legalize recreational pot in 2016).

... Keeping his headquarters in Seattle, near Green Lake, Shively says that means employing about 1,000 people locally and 10,000 people nationwide. And sounding like Big Hamburger, Shively says he predicted "tens of millions" of customers will be served.

Read more: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/30/seattle-entrepreneur-plans-100-million-national-chain-of-pot-stores

[midnight]

1. This is good news-

VICENTE FOX The former Mexican president was on hand to say the company's legitimate "business investment" in the US pot industry "will bring a solution to Mexico's huge crime problem."

[patrice]

6. KICK

[Mnemosyne]

2. Finally, work for those that can't pass their employer's stupid piss tests! nt

[daleo]

3. What music will they play in pot parlours?

I suppose it will all sound good.

[Kennah]

10. "Everybody Must Get Stoned" by Dylan. Duh.

[MADem]

4. Wow! nt

[Mr.Bill]

5. None of this can happen

until Marijuana is federally legalized. Until then, it's a pipe dream. Pun intended.

[99th_Monkey]

9. Perhaps, but this could represent a game-changing force for legalization

The proverbial straw, but more like a log.

[Mr.Bill]

14. Perhaps, but I doubt it.

California's legislative path on Marijuana has been ignored by the federal government. 38 million people live in California, and the feds take no notice of their voter's will. National politicians are terrified of legalized Marijuana, and will, unfortunately, remain so for a long time.

[99th_Monkey]

15. I think your crystal ball is out of focus

or should I say out of balance, only seeing the situation in a very limited way, only citing
all the "reasons it won't happen" while ignoring other evidence.

Momentum towards full legalization has been building steadily for decades,
and the trajectory is quite clear. Here are just a couple of recent examples
of this:

Northern California police chief pitches plan to allow residents to double medicinal pot gardens
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/29/northern-california-police-chief-pitches-plan-to-allow-residents-to-double-medicinal-pot-gardens/

Canadian drug policy experts recommend decriminalizing all drugs
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/23/canadian-drug-policy-experts-recommend-decriminalizing-all-drugs/

You post reflects a very limited view of what is possible, and flies in the face of much
evidence to the contrary.

[99th_Monkey]

7. Corporate America meet Cheech & Chong ~nt

[Kennah]

11. Bye-bye, Lardass!

Please, Gaia, tell me that someone gets the joke.

[Politicalboi]

22. That's Hard Head

No I mean Hard Hat. I wasn't looking at his neck.

[WheelWalker]

8. Kick

[alittlelark]

12. HATE IT !!!!!!

McDonalds redux...........

[olddots]

13. to me this sounds very bad

Going to try to research this guy , big business and pot ? think about it .

[99th_Monkey]

16. This is inevitable, if it is to be legalized.

..which I think it will eventually, is just a matter of time.

Don't you see that? or do you just not want it legalized?

I understand your concern; as I'm certainly NOT a fan of privatization and/or
corporate greed; yet I can see how this initiative could be a game-changer
pushing public opinion and public policy over the edge, to embrace full legalization.

Think about it: new jobs, new taxes galore, new money in the US Treasury,
something even RW deficit hawks could at least tolerate, if not support.

[gateley]

17. At least they won't be able to outsource the jobs. I don't think.

They should make laws that the pot has to be grown in the United States. Such a big argument for legalization is economics, let's put people to work.

[99th_Monkey]

23. Good point, about jobs not being outsource-able.

Make it the law that every "legalized pot" plant needs to be "Certified Grown In USA", might help.

Not sure how enforceable that would be, but it's a thought.

[Bigredhunk]

18. --

Green Lake is a great part of Seattle! Summer of 2001 memories are flooding back to me.

[gateley]

20. If they think traffic is bad there now...

It IS a great area, though, agree!

[gateley]

19. I'm not getting the name -- does Diego Pellicer mean anything?

(I'm thinking it's probably a protaganist from some blockbuster movie I never saw or something).

[pamela]

21. Vice Governor of the island of Cebu

He was the largest hemp grower in the world and was Shively's great grandfather.

[The River]

24. Capitalists Always Find a Way to Commodify & Profit

from new trends, ideas, social movements or changes in the law.
With 2 states making it legal and the prospect of many more to come,
it makes sense to get into the market early and establish a "brand".

Hopefully a legal market will drive the criminal element out.
Growing it in a home garden would be no different than growing
your own tomatoes. It will have little impact on the market.

I also hope the feds will sit back and see what happens.
Will WA and CO go to hell in a hand-basket?
Will drug crime go down?
Will car crashes increase?
Will alcohol sales decline?
Will prescriptions for tranquilizers go unused?

That will be up to the users.
Toke responsibly boys and girls.

[gtar100]

27. Heck, capitalists would sell piss as mouth wash if they could.

Oh wait...they already did that. No sarcasm here after all.

[JesterCS]

25. I need a link for a job application lol n/t

[gtar100]

26. It'll probably be legal and easily available to smoke before they will ever let it be used

in mass production to make clothes. That is, unless this whole legalization phase brings the other uses of hemp out of hiding as well. Then it won't be the DEA we'll be contending with, it'll be Big Ag. I'm willing to bet the cotton producers are keeping a close eye on this.

[OKNancy]

28. Duplicate topic - locking

previous LBN thread on the same topic can be found here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014496620