Rachelle is a producer/care-giver, meaning she is licensed to grow and dispense medical marijuana, operating in a state that has a medical marijuana program. Both she and her partner Joseph started out as patients in 2009, one using marijuana to counter the effects of chemotherapy, and the other for chronic pain due to injuries. They were so enamored with its benefits that they decided to become care-givers, and by 2012 they moved to Rhode Island and obtained the necessary licensing to be growers and caregivers. Their patients include children and adults, and they are active in a coalition to help protect grower and patient rights. Here’s how she described what it’s like to be in this business:
“The risks are the same no matter what state you work in, because federally it is still illegal. Even if you follow all legal state guidelines you are always breaking federal law, and so they can take you to court whenever they like. Financials are a particularly tricky thing. We cannot deposit money associated with cannabis into a bank account. So, we have to pay all of our expenses in cash. All the income gained from sales has to reinvested — according to our accountant this was the only way we could avoid trouble tax-wise.”
