Am I a Professional Cannabis Consultant?

Am I, Michael Mayes, a Professional Cannabis Consultant?

Based on Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule in his book Outliers, yes, I am a professional cannabis consultant. I have practiced international marijuana consulting in twelve countries with a consulting firm I founded in 2012, Quantum 9. We have practiced in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Guam, Puerto Rico, Holland, France, Germany, Australia, Colombia, Austria, and India. I was a founding member of Good Meds in 2009; Good Meds has grown into a 90,000 square foot cultivation center with two retail dispensaries.

I have spoken around the world on marijuana consulting best practices including a class I taught in Toronto for the International Pharmaceutical Academy on Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR). Consulting has been an amazing experience for me. The best part of it all is how many patients I have helped along the way. My brother Thomas, in Lansing, Michigan, started a dispensary called Greenwave, and the patient engagement has been incredible. I have worked with Senators like Perry Clark in Kentucky and Senator Michael Jacobs in Illinois to sculpt cannabis laws. I have also collaborated with the German Ministry on rulemaking. To top it all off, I am a member of the International Cannabinoid Research Society and the National Cannabis Industry Association.

Aren’t Professional Marijuana Consultants quoted in the news?

I am a contributor to Marijuana Business Daily, quoted in Denver Post, NBC News, Yahoo Finance, the CBC, Tampa Tribune, Chicago Tribune, Sativa Magazine, and the Daily Herald. My media appearances include several CBS and WGN appearances and an international presence on BNN Commodities in Canada. This experience makes me a professional marijuana consultant on the news front, I believe.  To view my media appearances, please visit the link below:

Cannabis Consulting Media Appearances 

What does a professional cannabis consultant do?

I spend most of my time writing applications to acquire permits for marijuana businesses to operate cultivation, processing or dispensing businesses. We in the business call this “cannabis permit acquisition consulting.” Our newest marijuana consulting project focus is in Pennsylvania and Guam. State and Federal governments require Security Protocols, SOPs, GMPs, Quality Assurance Protocols, Recordkeeping Documentation, Inventory Control Procedures, Extraction, Dispensing and Horticultural plans. We have written over 100s of documents and thousands of pages we now submit on behalf of clients.

I find the team building aspect of cannabis business license services the most enjoyable. Starting with a base team and adding the most talented specialist in the world is very satisfying. I take a lot of pride in my work, out of the 24 licenses we have submitted we were successful in 22. With a 91.5% success rate in very merit-based territories like Colorado, California, Canada, Massachusetts, Washington, Nevada, and Illinois. My goal is to write more about my travels like my adventures to Hawaii. The other thing I love about my job is the freedom to do creative graphic arts projects like the ones below including Videography using Adobe Premiere and After Effects, Designs in Illustrator and Photoshop.

Project: Quantum 9 – Permit Consulting Video 

Project: Greenwave – Half Page Advertising

Aren’t top marijuana consultants recommended by other great marijuana consultants?

Funny you should ask. During my career, I have had the greatest honor of working with the industries most talented and knowledgeable consultants in the world. I would consider Ed Rosenthal the foremost authority on cannabis. He authored the book Marijuana Growers Handbook, which has shown up on the New York Best Sellers list twice. If you look on my LinkedIn page, you will find the first recommendation I had ever received was from my good buddy Ed. He is like the grandfather I never had but always wanted. He joined the Quantum 9 Cannabis Consulting team in 2013. Since then he has been a staple of the marijuana consulting team ever since.

What is the most stressful thing you will encounter as a Cannabis Consultant?

By far, the most stressful situation I have ever been in while doing cannabis consulting is the Unincorporated Clark County Commissioner meeting for Cannabis Land Use Permits. Unincorporated Clark County is actually downtown Las Vegas, very competitive.

The video captures Derek Odgen, Ed Rosenthal and Myself conducting a six-minute interview with the Las Vegas Commissioning Board. It was a public event where all other applicants sat in an auditorium and presented in front of each other. To add to the complexity, the commissioners voted live to allow the applicant to receive licenses or not. Penalties were assessed for groups who presented longer than the allotted 6-minutes. The drama unfolded live televised and can be found below.

The group went on to obtain the processing and cultivation licenses due to the work Quantum 9 did. If you are in need of a professional marijuana consultant, fill out the information form below. Tell us a little about your passion and project. You might be our next client if your heart is in the right place.

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