Introduction

These are the chronicles of Robert and Beverly. Married for over 10 years, this upper-middle class family is embarking on their version of the American Dream…to own and operate their own cannabis business.

I, Robert, am documenting our journey from a life of certain and reliable comfort into a highly risky venture, the re-emerging cannabis industry. I hope to share with my readers not only the process of changing your life, but the emotional roller coaster that goes with chasing your dreams. Unfortunately I will also need to share with you the many frustrations we have encountered with outdated laws and regulations, local town bureaucracies and the societal stigmatism that follows everyone in this industry like a black cloud.

After 11 years as an IT Manager with a Fortune 500 company (top 50 actually), I was unceremoniously laid off by a descendant of Darth Vader, as evil a boss that ever existed. At 47 years-old and 23 years of working for “The Man” I had decided (a) I will never be able to work for any large company ever again, and (b) I was losing interest in my own career as a software developer and IT manager.

Thankfully my wife Beverly is the most supportive and understanding person I have ever known. We had the most wonderful conversation that every married couple should have. It started with a simple question: What do you really want to do that will make you happy? A future chronicle will delve deeper into this conversation.

Our conclusion was that we both wanted to open our own “Mom and Pop” retail store. Something that would at least replace the income we lost from what I was earning. We don’t need to be millionaires (although I wouldn’t mind giving that a shot), we just wanted to continue to live the life style we had been enjoying for the past decade.

In the spring of 2015 I was a regular user of cannabis, self-medicating for various ailments and also enjoying the pleasure that comes along with the side effects of marijuana. Bev was an occasional toker. What we both could clearly see was the re-emergence of cannabis in our own state, Massachusetts.

Our American Dream is to open a retail cannabis shop where we can sell our own strain grown by Beverly and sold in our own shop. Seems simple enough. Until you actually try to do it. And our ultimate fantasy dream would be to have a shop in a beach community in Florida and a shop in New England. This way we could live and work in the shop in Florida during the cruel winter months that New England tortures me with year after year. And live and work in New England during the nicer, warmer times of the year. Hey, if you’re going to have a dream, why not have a fantasy too. It could happen.

These chronicles are both an education for the reader who wishes to get themselves into the cannabis industry and a shared experience with my family and I as we attempt to live our American dream.