Medical Marijuana Caregiver, A Growing Career

[MrKind]

I watched a local news story about caregivers, thought i'd share ...

Link to original article http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=495789

 

 

 

for those that don't wanna click..

 

TRAVERSE CITY -- It’s being advertised across the state as a growing career that anyone can be a part of, medical marijuana care giving, but is the job really what the ad promotes it as?

 

From September 10-12th, the Medical Marijuana Academy is holding classes at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa for those interested in becoming a caregiver or for those who want to grow medical marijuana for themselves. The MMA has been advertising the event in local magazines for months. In fact, the ads are working because the MMA says they expect to be over capacity.

 

MMA Botanist, Todd Alton says, "We have a lot of professionals, a lot of retired people, and a lot people displaced from the auto industry that are signing up for these classes.”

 

A caregiver must be 21 years old and can’t have a drug related felony on their record, but to attend these classes you only need to be 18 years old. They’ll even have a physician on site for patient certification. The cost of the class is $495 and includes a lesson on how to produce plants and how to market yourself as a caregiver. The director of the local chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana says taking these classes can be beneficial.

 

NORML member, Bob Heflin says, “if a caregiver doesn’t have a background in growing it’s a really good thing. There are some excellent programs but also there are some excellent books that will teach you for cheaper.”

 

These classes are not required by law, if fact caregivers don’t even need certification, but Heflin says there is something people should know. Care giving is a patient initiated patient driven system.

 

Heflin says, “You can only be a caregiver if a patient sings you up, so really a patients makes the determination on whether a person becomes a caregiver."

 

The ad also claims a person can make up to $120,000 annually. Heflin says don’t quit your day job just yet, because legally you can only serve five patients.

 

Heflin says, “I really think it’s disingenuous. You’d have to have five patients paying you over $20,000 a year for cannabis. That’s a lot of money for cannabis.”

 

The MMA says the average salary range is $60,000 – $75,000 a year, a number way higher than what Heflin says he has seen caregivers make legally in Traverse City.

 

 

 

anyone here make 60 - 75k off of patients?

[Kingdiamond]

Charge $495 to teach someone everything they can learn from a simple google search on their own for free mmmmm.............

[+Jennifer8]

Charge $495 to teach someone everything they can learn from a simple google search on their own for free mmmmm.............

That's what I was thinking too....hmmmmmm.

[Grow Thread]

i was just occupying some time and doing some math:

 

72 plants. 2 ounces per plant. 3 harvests a year. $200 per ounce = $86, 400.

 

now of course that number is nowhere close to being right because of expenses incurred throughout an entire year. and thats a ton of expenses. BUT, (in an imaginary world) if you could tighten up the ropes a little in the grow room and make this happen...............

 

72 plants. 3 ounces per plant. 4 harvests a year. $200 per ounce = $172, 800.

 

NOW you may be at the 60-75k profit level after expenses. but really, those sure are some imaginary numbers.......... and if you sold 864 ounces in one year at $200 each, you have some UBER-WEALTHY patients.

 

whats the labor cost to produce 288 plants a year?? thats an astronomical amount of labor/time/effort.

[+RevThad]

Hehe, not to mention the ammount of attention moving 54 pounds might garner.

[1082]

 

 

anyone here make 60 - 75k off of patients?

 

 

You could easily legally make that much if you had 5 patients who were also caregivers for other patients.

[______]

You could easily legally make that much if you had 5 patients who were also caregivers for other patients.

 

More imaginary income. Why would the person at the bottom of such a pyramid scheme pay the additional profit each "caregiver" in line would add to price of the meds when they could just buy direct from a grower?

[Che]

New to this......I need verification here.

From what I have gathered the only thing a cargiver needs is for a patient to dictate who his cargiver will be. Is that all there is to it besides all the other guidelines there are. My second concern is the tax man. Do you have to get a tax id number aand file that way in regards to this income. Are you also allowed to write off all your supplies and materials to make the product???

Thanks to anyone who can help =)

[smoker]

don't forget the TAXES-

 

1/3. you'd have to invest in alot of tools for the first couple years. show a loss even.

[MrKind]

Since it is a herb, can they actually tax it? like in sales tax?

 

If they do want to tax my "business" then all equipment and utilities i should be able to take off as a business expense.

and if that was the case, can I declare myself a NPO? as long as the forms are filled out, wonder if i could get grants then.

[JayBuds]

If you want some realistic numbers I think 25,000-35,000 is the best you would do honestly not including a 10,000$ investment...you'd take a loss in the first year or break even at best. It is a legitimate job and some people need that but 60k a year in your first year of growing while being 100% legit lol yea fugin right, your more likely to win the lottery. Unless you strike gold with some very wealthy frivolous clients who are willing to help you, but it is more like a part-time job although it is a lot of work I am able to maintain a full time job in addition, being single with no kids my life is easy right now and I am the happiest I have been in a long time, I love it, I get to really help people and make a difference everyday all day, I am a social worker in addition to a caregiver.

 

Sincerely,

 

A caregiver for 5 patients.

I am treating MS, Cancers, Glaucoma, Pain, Insomnia, Anxiety, Depression, AIDS, ALS

[drtarzanmd]

 

I don't know what I'm going to do w/ all

the Money we've made from helping others .....

 

I just don't see how someone could make anywhere

near that kind of Money helping Patients that are

on a Fixed Income and can't hardly pay their bills

or buy food ?

 

It's hard to believe Traverse City is doing that Good ?

 

I know where i live , there are No jobs to speek of....

Unemployment is the highest its ever been ....

 

Realistic , After you pay your Electric Bill and cover

your expenses for growing inside ...

 

Only way i see a bigger profit would be to grow outside ...

[JayBuds]

some of your patients pay you in pesos and euros? lol just kidding I know that's not yours..

 

I cant imagine someone being a caregiver as their only job with kids and a family to support that would be impossible...your right, outdoors could actually pay good but still only if you live in the fantasy world where your patients are wealthy and very generous or if you decide to provide for patients which are not registered to you but for me that is one area I don't want to get into, for me my patients are not very well off so they cant afford to give me much of anything.

[+Jennifer8]

i was just occupying some time and doing some math:

 

72 plants. 2 ounces per plant. 3 harvests a year. $200 per ounce = $86, 400.

 

now of course that number is nowhere close to being right because of expenses incurred throughout an entire year. and thats a ton of expenses. BUT, (in an imaginary world) if you could tighten up the ropes a little in the grow room and make this happen...............

 

72 plants. 3 ounces per plant. 4 harvests a year. $200 per ounce = $172, 800.

 

NOW you may be at the 60-75k profit level after expenses. but really, those sure are some imaginary numbers.......... and if you sold 864 ounces in one year at $200 each, you have some UBER-WEALTHY patients.

 

whats the labor cost to produce 288 plants a year?? thats an astronomical amount of labor/time/effort.

 

Ok, did any of that include state and federal tax payment? How much would be left, roughly, assuming paying taxes was legally allowed and not a current weird situation.

[+Jennifer8]

You could easily legally make that much if you had 5 patients who were also caregivers for other patients.

 

Does the law allow that? I thought it was one caregiver per patient and five patients for each caregiver, period.

[+Jennifer8]

I don't know what I'm going to do w/ all

the Money we've made from helping others .....

 

I just don't see how someone could make anywhere

near that kind of Money helping Patients that are

on a Fixed Income and can't hardly pay their bills

or buy food ?

 

I know where i live , there are No jobs to speek of....

Unemployment is the highest its ever been ....

 

This is a more honest evaluation at this time, of the situation, for the most part. You did not sugar coat it with seducing big money making theories, or those rare patient/caregiver set-ups, or suggest ways to make big money with it that would cause the DEA and even local LEO to start wanting to be up ones butt crack.

[Mark Coward]

The misconception IMHO is the myth that marijuana is only useful for symptom relief, primarily smoking the weed. In fact THC can kill many types of cancer cells. But you need significant amounts in edible or suppository form. Rick Simpson’s rule of thumb is to use at least 1lb to make extract, depending on the strain that can produce 64 gm or so of extract. You have to work up to taking at least 1 gm/day. It is also vastly important to eat healthy foods while you are healing.

[Restorium2]

13 minutes ago, Mark Coward said:

The misconception IMHO is the myth that marijuana is only useful for symptom relief, primarily smoking the weed. In fact THC can kill many types of cancer cells. But you need significant amounts in edible or suppository form. Rick Simpson’s rule of thumb is to use at least 1lb to make extract, depending on the strain that can produce 64 gm or so of extract. You have to work up to taking at least 1 gm/day. It is also vastly important to eat healthy foods while you are healing.

THC helps a lot of people with a variety of medical uses.

However, Rick Simpson wasn't exactly doing anyone any favors other than himself, stroking his own ego. 

It's too bad that cannabis has so many supposed advocates that only really want to make themselves famous as she quietly helps and saves millions every day. 

If it has Rick's name on it beware and realize the information behind it has a very weak beginning. 

[Mark Coward]

I don’t know about Rick’s ego, it’s been years since I read any of his material. Back then he seemed fairly humble, not perfect by any means but his basic message was to grow your own, and make your own meds. Unlike every has been actor and musician who have jumped on the CBD Snake Oil train - each has the only “exclusive” formula. 

[Restorium2]

11 hours ago, Mark Coward said:

I don’t know about Rick’s ego, it’s been years since I read any of his material. Back then he seemed fairly humble, not perfect by any means but his basic message was to grow your own, and make your own meds. Unlike every has been actor and musician who have jumped on the CBD Snake Oil train - each has the only “exclusive” formula. 

Would you have the nerve to call cannabis oil that has been made for thousands of years Mark Coward Oil like you invented it? Says it all. If that shoe fits you have an ego problem. 

[Redy321]

I think it's right to develop this, but make it a little more accessible. I have health problems, and marijuana helps me a lot. This is just my opinion:) I know what I'm saying, because a lot of people suffer from various diseases and some of them are chronic, for example, I have chronic pain.... It's very hard for me, live and feel it. I don't have a wife... I'm almost alone. I smoke marijuana and Marijuana edibles to forget about problems and serious illness, it helps me to live and move on. It also helps with psychological illnesses. I can share one online store where I get all these products https://weedsmart.net/ here I found a lot of information about the effects and useful properties of marijuana. I hope this helps someone.

Edited November 29, 2020 by Redy321
I found smt new:)