i'm sure you have heard, Oaksterdam university was just raided by the feds. seems to me the first thing you need to do is make business plan, and that means running the numbers. In Cali, for instance, if you are looking at growing your product and selling to a licensed dispensary, you are looking at getting somewhere around $4000 /pound. Once you factor in equipment, consumables, utility costs (electricity, water, heating in the colder months, perhaps a/c in the warmer months (depending on your location), where is your break even point?
you say you are willing to do whatever it takes to get your business going. unfortunately, the place to start isnt the fun part. you start by planning your grow space, getting specs on the equipment you want to use, doin really boring research on lumens and kilowatt hours, water costs, soil costs, nutes, these are all consumable items that you will need to keep buying. then hardware like lights, pots, chains to hang the lights, air conditioners, fans, space heaters, meters, etc. you've got to do all that math to find out if its even worth your while.
you also want to investigate every US state that permits medical marijuana, and read the pages and pages and pages of requirements in each state. in AZ i'm told patients can sell directly to other patients. in NM patients cant sell to anyone, not even dispensaries. Also in NM, they are not accepting any new applications for dispensaries.
but there are a dozen or more states that have medical marijuana laws. research the regs in all of them and decide where you want to set up your business.
this is the internet age, so most of what you need to know you can find by googling. states have web pages devoted to their medical marijuana programs. you can also read the statutes as they are online too. and don't forget to talk to patients, dispensaries and growers to find out what info they are willing to share. Ask the patients what they like and dont like about the dispensaries they are using now. What do they think about the prices, the customer service, etc. Dispensaries might or might not be willing to tell you what they pay growers for the product. they may also be willing to tell you what they like and dislike about the state of the industry adn the state of their buisness. and professional growers are often willing to share info, if not on the price they get for their product, at least in general terms what their profit margin is, how many hours a week they put into their farming, etc.
and ofc join NORML, find national and state level guilds or groups geared toward professional growers, etc.
dont even think about contacting a lawyer til you have spent a good month (or two or three) researching and reading yourself. then you can go to a lawyer with specific questions in mind. but if you walk into a lawyers office saying "what do i need to do to set up a dispensary?" the lawyer's eyes will light up, and the first word he thinks of he wont be saying out loud. that word is KaChing!~`` generally speaking, never go to a lawyer with general questions. they wil bill as many hours as they can for work you can do yourself.
so do the grunt work yourself. google is your friend. and when it comes to hardware, dont be afraid to call companies and actually speak to someone to get questions answered. somewhere on the web (ofc i cant find the link now), there are even calculators that will let you calculate your electric usage and costs.
i'm only growing for personal use, but i still had to do a ton of boring research. i have one worksheet devoted just to the pricing of various comparable lights on sale by different vendors. i have another worksheet devoted entirely to various s seed strains, prices at various vendors, advertised THC content (always over inflated), and weeks of flowering time. I spent 2 weeks on lighting alone. fluorescent? CFL? metal halide? HPS? LED? 120v? 240 volt? and then, once you settle on one, say metal halide, then you have to research all the brands and prices to choose the right one for your needs and budget.
What is your goal? How many plants do you want to grow? What yield are looking for? how much do you expect to sell your product for?
and we haven't even touched on the subject of what growing approach you want to use. SOG (sea of green?) SCROG (Screen of Green)? Vertical growing? hydro, aero, or soil? are you going to do a complete grow from seed to harvest of one strain, then begin again with seeds for your next crop. That would give you relatively larger yields but only 4 times a year. Or you can do a continuous cycle of growth like SOG, where you start a new, smaller batch every two weeks.
anyway, i guess my point is that there is no one source for the info you need. and nobody here or on any other forum, will be able to give you step by step instructions for starting your own grow room, because every grower has different approaches and methods.
So, get out your spreadsheet, and figure out what your montly income requirements are. then figure out all the stuff i mentioned above. put together a business plan. If you have questions along the way, like "which HPS bulb do you all recommend?" or "which fertilizers do you all think are the best?", then this forum is the place to ask them. People here are very willng to answer and help with specific questions
But you need to do a lot of up front research before you even know which questions to ask. and nobody can do that for you. it's not that we are unwilling, it's just that these are all uniquely personal decisions and your own research will guide you to what works for you.
