Have you ever found yourself in a position where you knew something before the majority of the world knew it?  What would you do if you had the skills to prove that knowledge true?

Four years ago, I went from perfect health to near death when my large intestine sprung a leak and I was up literally up “shit creek.”  It was then that I realized that Cannabis was a medicine.  Even some of those in support of the legalization of Cannabis disagree whether it is a medicine. But when it’s your life, your stomach, and your nausea -  there is simply no valid argument.  Cannabis is a medicine!

In 2010, I and my two partners set out to help evolve this industry with computer software that tracks every plant, patient, gram, and dollar to each state’s requirements. It had to be cloud-hosted, so that it could be accessed from anywhere, with any computer. We also knew it had to have HIPAA-strong security for patient and financial record management. And it had to be so easy to use that even state regulation compliance was guaranteed. We accomplished that and more, and today our software is the strength behind much of the industry. Simply put, we created MJ Freeway to legitimize medical cannabis.  An incredible amount has happened to support our efforts in the last two years, including:

• Colorado’s creation and enforcement of specific guidelines that regulate distribution, control diversion, and allow access and taxation in a “for-profit” model has already netted the state millions in fees and tax dollars and reduced crime.
• 18 states currently have pending legislation in addition to the 16 states (and the District of Columbia) that have already approved Cannabis for medical use.
• Arizona, New Jersey, DC, Vermont, and many other states, have created regulations which require seed to sale tracking and diversion control and are rolling out distribution channels this year.
• Dozens of federal raids have occurred in states that do not have any diversion control, but do offer medical marijuana.  As a result, states like California, Washington, and Michigan are all considering legislation to regulate, tax and actively control diversion as well as convert the industry to a “for-profit” model similar to Colorado.
• An industry that abhorred tracking because it was incriminating, has embraced it for legitimacy, and MJ Freeway has grown to process over $100m in this industry alone, proving its financial viability as an industry.
• An estimated 24.8 million patients are eligible for medical Cannabis and many have federally incriminated themselves by seeking and receiving a recommendation from a health care professional so they can be afforded minor state protections for possession and can acquire medicine without having to deal with unlicensed, unregulated drug dealers.  MJ Freeway’s system alone houses over 500,000 patients recommendations.
• An unbelievable amount of press and scientific studies have surfaced touting the medical and crime reducing virtues of Cannabis.  Even more press has surfaced regarding the potential financial benefits of this $1.7B medical marijuana market.
• Some local municipalities, like Fort Collins, CO., have sought to ban distribution sites.  But patient possession is allowed in Colorado statewide, and so regulation and taxation are the only casualties of this short-sighted political wrangling.
• Cities like Chicago are considering simply allowing personal cannabis use because enforcement is often fruitless and ruins innocent lives. More importantly, as with most major cities, they searching for ways to meet their budget shortfalls and create jobs.
• There are currently thousands of listed Medical Marijuana sellers and even more growers only for the licensed medical markets.  The recreational market for Cannabis is significantly larger at an estimate $18B annually.

Virtually every study, statistic, and story about Cannabis over the last two years has validated its medical use, its financial viability, and its inevitability as a revenue source for government.   Every win has been based in data, while every loss has been based in local political wrangling, fear and posturing.  

While law enforcement continues to spend billions chasing after Cannabis and the people who use it; with 16 states recognizing its medical application, this effort seems fruitless at best.  The net loss in tax revenue, jobs, prosecuting innocent patients, and diversion of resources from hard drug enforcement will ultimately require law enforcement to focus on the more damaging, real crimes. And that’s not just my point of view, an international group of former law enforcement members and retired criminal justice professionals - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) - is leading the effort to enact change in their own ranks.

There will be people who take advantage of the state laws designed to control Cannabis and those people should be prosecuted.  They operate as if the conflict between federal and state laws allows them to do whatever they want -  much like bootleggers in early prohibition.

Unlike early prohibition, we now have technology that can track the dollars, the grams, and even the plants associated with Cannabis - so that every dollar is accounted for, and the harvest does not end up on a truck bound out of state.

The Constitution of the United States affords “all men” the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”   My primary physician and I agree that Cannabis is an important medicine for my quality of life. Federal law may trump state legal guidelines, but my physician and my health care trumps my elected official’s uneducated perspective.

We could abandon the Constitution, incarcerate millions of patients, stop the millions of tax dollars that have been generated in support of helping patients. We could choose to create a  morality-based barrier between me and my physician for my health care.  But I doubt it will work.

Or we could embrace the technology that is available today to allow the tracking of Cannabis from Seed to Sale, taxing every step, validating that no patient receives more than appropriate amount and encouraging a new budding industry to evolve and spark our economy.

From my perspective, the future is clear.  

       

The great state of Arizona has graciously agreed to re-open the process of legitimizing Cannabis in Arizona, and MJ Freeway is grateful you are here. Story Here
 
Click here to see how MJ Freeway met the Arizona compliance guildelines as of their last published date.  We will update this document and our software to meet any changes as they are published.  Future MJ Freeway customers are welcome to use this document in your submissions package to the state to explain how MJ Freeway will provide you with the tracking information you need to meet Arizona State compliance guildelines for Medical Marijuana.
 
MJ Freeway shares the desire of Jan Brewer, Will Humble, and the Arizona Department of Health Services to allow patients legal, safe, and reliable access to Cannabis, while also controlling the product excess from entering the illegal markets and our schools.
 
When the Arizona program was shut down, MJ Freeway had already built in all of the elements necessary to meet the extensive guidelines that were in place for seed to sale tracking. Arizona Rules Framework.
 
 
The rule making process has begun again, and regardless of any changes that may be made, MJ Freeway will continue our commitment to meet or exceed ANY state guidelines for MMJ transactions. As has always been the case, all MJ Freeway customers are assured they have the data and tools for guaranteed state compliance.
 
As soon as the “new” state guidelines are rolled out, MJ Freeway will update our compliance documents so that hopeful applicants can simply attach our documentation as their ‘Management System plan for the POS,’ which is mandated for tracking Arizona state compliance. MJ Freeway’s HIPAA-standard compliant, patient/grow/ inventory and sales management system has become the industry standard and currently, safely houses over 500,000 patient’s medical Cannabis validation and sales information across the US and Canada where Cannabis is state regulated.
 
If you would like to receive an updated copy of MJ Freeway’s Arizona State Compliance document when it is released, please sign up on this webpage listing Arizona and we will email you everything you need as soon as we have the new rules from AZDHS. Contact us here
 
Legitimizing Cannabis is not an easy task. When done correctly, it requires professional systems that can reconcile and report evaporation, shake, spillage, overweighing, and intuitively handle the myriad of rules that bureaucracies will need to implement to ensure this medicine can be regulated. MJ Freeway is solely dedicated to this task and we welcome your partnership on the ride to legitimacy.