Live Stoners Virginia is for Growers

[Suki]

We are on the same level here lmao

Ive been thinking about this for years. I'd love to do like gourmet edibles including savory dishes. Not just your typical sweets.

 

[Buckroe Craft]

Ive been thinking about this for years. I'd love to do like gourmet edibles including savory dishes. Not just your typical sweets.

Exactly. Just pure happiness and love.

 

[Suki]

I wanted to do like a food truck or cafe, but even just a storefront would be cool. Have you been to/hear of Queen's Green in VB? They've got a "private club" format that allows for sharing, but no selling/soliciting etc. I did edibles for a while, everyone who tried them loved them. Caramel fudge brownies, various granola bars, all kinds of cookies, peanutbutter fudge bars, chocolate caramel cookie bars, chocolate caramel peanut candy.

 

[BII]

......
Lemme know how that goes
Kinda like how now every stripmall seems to have a microbrewery in it nowadays, imagine a chain of grow houses that members use to supply artisanal buds to local dispensaries...screw eat local, smoke local!

Yes, you and others may be eligible to obtain a growers license. But how would you make money, particularly since you envision targeting niche/artisanal and local vs. state-wide markets? An ever increasing percentage of dispensaries are becoming more vertically integrated, growing and processing and not just selling, so there's less demand for legal specialty growers. This is besides growing legally becoming ever more competitive, e.g., states such as VA issuing more, including social justice-inspired, licenses. [Will there be too many players?] And of course, growing legally is totally different from doing it illegally, with incredible investment, operational and overhead costs and totally different skill set needed.

Otherwise, I presume there are no legal options for the small growers' cooperative approach you propose, much like I wish there were weekly or monthly "growers markets," where individuals lay out and sell or 'gift' what they've grown.

[How does VA intrastate tobacco growing and selling work? Can farmers freely sell their raw and processed tobacco, or even at the few plant level is it federally controlled? I recall there being harvested tobacco auctions - how do they work? I presume cigarettes and other non-bulk, packaged forms would be regulated, taxed by both the state and feds, best avoided].

 

[Buckroe Craft]

I wanted to do like a food truck or cafe, but even just a storefront would be cool. Have you been to/hear of Queen's Green in VB? They've got a "private club" format that allows for sharing, but no selling/soliciting etc. I did edibles for a while, everyone who tried them loved them. Caramel fudge brownies, various granola bars, all kinds of cookies, peanutbutter fudge bars, chocolate caramel cookie bars, chocolate caramel peanut candy.

No not yet. I was interested in checking it out and I probably should. I have been to a few of the pop up events. We have a long way to go educating people in our area as to what quality cannabis is IMO of course.

 

[Buckroe Craft]

Yes, you and others may be eligible to obtain a growers license. But how would you make money, particularly since you envision targeting niche/artisanal and local vs. state-wide markets? An ever increasing percentage of dispensaries are becoming more vertically integrated, growing and processing and not just selling, so there's less demand for legal specialty growers. This is besides growing legally becoming ever more competitive, e.g., states such as VA issuing more, including social justice-inspired, licenses. [Will there be too many players?] And of course, growing legally is totally different from doing it illegally, with incredible investment, operational and overhead costs and totally different skill set needed.

Otherwise, I presume there are no legal options for the small growers' cooperative approach you propose, much like I wish there were weekly or monthly "growers markets," where individuals lay out and sell or 'gift' what they've grown.

[How does VA intrastate tobacco growing and selling work? Can farmers freely sell their raw and processed tobacco, or even at the few plant level is it federally controlled? I recall there being harvested tobacco auctions - how do they work? I presume cigarettes and other non-bulk, packaged forms would be regulated, taxed by both the state and feds, best avoided].

I have to answer you with a simple answer.
Yes the answer is yes.
Edit- I don’t like my answer to you I feel it was alittle rude. You have thought about this. Let’s figure it out!

 

[Cave Dirt Cody]

Yes, you and others may be eligible to obtain a growers license. But how would you make money, particularly since you envision targeting niche/artisanal and local vs. state-wide markets? An ever increasing percentage of dispensaries are becoming more vertically integrated, growing and processing and not just selling, so there's less demand for legal specialty growers. This is besides growing legally becoming ever more competitive, e.g., states such as VA issuing more, including social justice-inspired, licenses. [Will there be too many players?] And of course, growing legally is totally different from doing it illegally, with incredible investment, operational and overhead costs and totally different skill set needed.

Otherwise, I presume there are no legal options for the small growers' cooperative approach you propose, much like I wish there were weekly or monthly "growers markets," where individuals lay out and sell or 'gift' what they've grown.

[How does VA intrastate tobacco growing and selling work? Can farmers freely sell their raw and processed tobacco, or even at the few plant level is it federally controlled? I recall there being harvested tobacco auctions - how do they work? I presume cigarettes and other non-bulk, packaged forms would be regulated, taxed by both the state and feds, best avoided].

Tobacco farmers take their wares to auction.

 

[Cave Dirt Cody]

All growing and selling should be a cottage industry. No big Corp. no outta state weed except to pick up the slack. But you know that ain’t happening. The state can holler inclusion and diversity all they want. Everyone knows they will sell out

 

[Bruce Campbell]

The point of a co-op is not to maximize profits for owners or shareholders. A co-op is primarily intended to benefit its members in some way, who often use or purchase what the company produces themselves.

Virginia's law is set-up to limit vertical integration by large businesses (although I think there are some vertical integration exceptions for small businesses) - so you couldn't necessarily setup a combined grow/retail business like a farmer's or grocery co-op. You'd primarily have to rely on partnerships / marketing to local retail outlets to sell excess yield, but that would still be mainly just to help cover operating costs.

I'm thinking more along the lines of just a way home growers to get around the 4-plant limit, share knowledge, and evaluate small-scale growing techniques to promote education and experience for home cultivation.

(Did I just write a mission statement?)

 

[Buckroe Craft]

All growing and selling should be a cottage industry. No big Corp. no outta state weed except to pick up the slack. But you know that ain’t happening. The state can holler inclusion and diversity all they want. Everyone knows they will sell out

I see your point and it’s valid. I think cottage is the best answer for the community. Let’s think this out.
So we agree craft is overall a good solution.
We anticipate big business to push us out. How do we stop this? There is an answer.