Community Plan for Greenville Cannabis Dispensary

INTRODUCTION

All businesses need to think about being good neighbors. When it comes to cannabis, this is especially true. The illegal status and categorization of being a Schedule One drug means that there is a stigma around the product and services related to cannabis. In this module, you will begin a community plan focused on the area of cannabis you are interested in exploring. For example, if you are an attorney, your focus will be on opening a law practice that caters to helping people with their legal issues related to cannabis from zoning permits, to tax assistance, to licensing, and expunging criminal records due to the legalization. If you are a retailer, you will want to do environmental scanning to understand how and where your business will most likely succeed and may need to consult with the lawyer about nuances in the area you are interested in getting established. The community plan has been divided into two parts over the next two weeks.

INSTRUCTIONS

Before you can apply for a license in just about any state, you will have to submit a community plan to your local governing body (i.e., city or county council). For a business to be successful, especially in the cannabis industry, it is important to show that it will not have a negative impact on the community. One way to do so is to create a community plan. A sample community plan can be found here Download here.

The purpose of a community plan is to demonstrate that the proposed business will not adversely impact the health, welfare, or public safety of the neighborhood in which the business is proposed to be located. The first part of the community plan consists of the following sections:

History

Mission statement

Management team and staff

Contact Information

Outreach plan

For this module you will complete the following seven sections:

History – Information about your business up to this point. Include information about why you decided to get started in this industry and share any previous related experience. This will be the first impression of your business for anyone who reads the community plan, so make an effort to be honest and stay positive.

Mission Statement – You most likely already have a mission statement from a business plan that can be used here. A good mission plan addresses your target audience, your product, and what sets you apart from your competitors. The following site includes an easy to follow guide for writing mission statements and gives some examples from major companies: Mission Statement ExamplesLinks to an external site..

Management Team and Staff – Include information about the key members of your management team and staff. It is a good idea to include a brief bio for the owners and managers and general information about any staff members that will be involved in the day to day operations. It is not essential to provide a bio for each staff member, but it is a good idea to state how many people will be working at the location at any time and any other general staffing information that the community may be interested in.

Contact Information – Let the reader know who they should contact if they have any issues. It would also be a good idea to include your proposed hours of operation in this section.

Outreach Plan- Messaging to your neighbors about the role you are going to play in the community to the mutual benefit of the community.

Community Participation- the ways in which your business will interact in the community

Security and Odor- this section includes the security measures you will take to keep the business and community safe. Note: there are likely regulatory and compliance requirements in your jurisdiction, make sure your plan reflects those requirements. The same is true around odor control, this is particularly important for growers and dispensary owners.