Building a national cannabis company is extremely difficult. While one of the biggest challenges is that the products must be sold only in the states in which they are produced, another underappreciated challenged is residency requirements. Colorado, for instance, requires license holders to have lived in the state for two years. Oregon recently changed its rules, removing its two-year residency requirement (though residency is required for the majority of ownership), and this could fuel entry into the market by out-of-state companies.
Sweet Leaf, which has six Colorado dispensaries, opened in Portland earlier this year and is planning to open more stores as well as a cultivation and processing facility. The company is also expanding to Nevada and Illinois. Colorado-based Dixie Brands and Mary’s Medicinals have entered the state already through partnerships. Some local entrepreneurs welcome new entrants, while others fear that the companies from Colorado could have an unfair advantage given their years of experience as that market developed.
Read Noelle Crombie’s “Out-of-state companies eye Oregon marijuana market for expansion”: http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2016/04/colorado_marijuana_entrepreneu.html
