DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY
MICHIGAN MARIJUANA: DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY BY ALEX MANESS
The Green House, Walled Lake
THE marijuana industry in Michigan is just now getting on its feet in a very real way, but that isn’ t to say that it hasn’ t existed as a gray market for years. Some cities, including Detroit, allowed dispensaries to open and run despite the fact that medical marijuana was ultimately deemed to still be illegal by the state itself. It should come as no surprise that being legal in a city while illegal on the state level created a gray area, legally speaking, and led to a lot of dispensary raids by law enforcement. Even so, the cases were often dismissed or won in court by dispensary owners, but that didn’ t change the disruption caused.
Fortunately, people like Jerry Millen out of Walled Lake, Michigan, in Oakland County are actively fighting against public misconceptions and pushing the reality of marijuana not only through the eye of the media but also through legislative barriers. With an extensive background in media, Jerry worked in entertainment for over thirtyfive years, going from a television host into radio, transitioning to on-air sports personality, and eventually moving all the way up to the vice president of a major mixed martial arts company in Japan. With a family, however, Jerry found that all the travel became a tough pill to swallow. Having friends in California and Colorado who knew the marijuana industry, Jerry decided to dip his feet into the industry in the best way he knew how: through media.
He reached out to Mike Callton, a local pro-marijuana state politician, and offered his services as a media consultant. Mike graciously accepted the help and introduced Jerry to the National Patients Rights Association( NPRA) whom he also helped with media. With the help of his agent, and the owner of a media company, Mort Meisner, Jerry and his team were able to successfully combat a lot of the stereotypes which had plagued the industry
Jerry met with parents, elderly patients, and others who have been helped by the industry. He saw Parkinson’ s patients who were able to get relief. He met former addicts who kicked their opiate addictions with the help of marijuana. He met children with seizure disorders who overcame their illnesses when they could find no other relief.
Jerry found Walled Lake in Michigan’ s Oakland County and decided it was the perfect place to open a dispensary of his own. He got a city license, as a local ordinance allowed it, but decided to forego opening until he could get a state license. This cost a lot of profits, but Jerry knew that doing things the right way was essential to success and changing public perception. He purchased a building downtown on Main Street, holding off opening until he could get a license from the state. Nothing“ illegal” or“ criminal,” just a gray area.
Jerry’ s end goal is to raise the level of customer service, perception, and quality in the marijuana industry. With new renovations, a very nice aesthetic, a safe and inviting atmosphere, and( most of all) the ability to pass the“ grandma” test(“ Would you take your grandmother there?”), Greenhouse of Walled Lake is doing just that. Customer service is king, as with any industry, and that is how Jerry means to grow the business on an organic and( pardon the pun) grassroots level. He is even offering free classes to the public with doctors and product displays to show people the reality of what it is and help change perception and educate the public.
Despite almost a century of misconceptions about marijuana, the sky isn’ t going to fall if a dispensary opens. Businesses like Greenhouse and men like Jerry are showing that. For more information about Jerry or Greenhouse of Walled Lake, contact them at info @ greenhouseofwalledlake. com or 248-956-6181 or drop by their website at greenhoueofwalledlake. com.
Jerry Millen
With a 35 year career in the world of broadcasting, Jerry Millen has seen it all. Covering the NFL and NHL as a sports anchor for CBS, to working with A-List Hollywood celebrities as an on air host for E! News Live and EXTRA, to working with some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts and boxing like Chuck Liddell, Floyd Mayweather, Randy Couture and Manny Pacquiao while producing events in Tokyo, Moscow, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Rio De Janero and Soeul. With a career that has taken him across the globe, Jerry’ s new focus is to spend more time with his family and less time on the road. A life-long Michigan native and father of 3, Millen has dedicated the last 6-years to becoming an expert in the field of medical marijuana. With his new Greenhouse label, Jerry is dedicated to helping his patients and is eager to pioneer the emerging medical marijuana industry here in Michigan.
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