The EVOLUTION Magazine January 2022 | Page 16

Cannabiz Entrepreneurs ►

Missouri ’ s

Most Wanted

Commercial Cultivators

by Clayton Stallings , Contributing Writer

Choosing a name when launching a new business takes a lot of creativity . Obviously , the goal is to be memorable in the minds of your customers . The words Illicit Gardens are a reminder of the mindsets from which we ’ ve evolved . After all , it wasn ’ t too far in our past that the ( fictitious ) mug shot on the left of Greg Gluckman , Vice President of Illicit Cultivation , would have been an all-to-true reality . In the past , getting caught with the magnitude , complexity , and sheer volume of their now legal Missouri MMJ grow business was forbidden by outdated laws , rules , and customs . The media would ’ ve portrayed Gluckman as a criminal mastermind , stealing years away from his life — not just through imprisonment , but a criminal record barring most future career opportunities .

Thankfully , the word Illicit is losing its grip on its past applications to cannabis ; Illicit cultivation is creatively rebranding this past tense word into stress-freeing products and Gluckman presently has one of the most sought-after careers in the fastest growing industries around . The future is bright — like Three A Light — but before we get too far ahead — let ’ s look back ! il●lic●it
/ i ( l )´ lisit / adjective : 1 . Forbidden by law , rules , or custom ― “ illicit drugs .” 2 . A Licensed Missouri Medical Marijuana Commercial Cultivation Facility .
Long before “ Illicit ” took on its new meaning , Gluckman was a sailboat captain in the Virgin Islands . I know what you ’ re thinking . That ’ s a pretty sweet gig to walk away from — why you ask ? Well , once a year , Gluckman took haven in his Colorado stomping grounds to evade the Caribbean hurricane season . On one particular return , MMJ was now legal in Colorado , and Gluckman ’ s buddy Josh Haupt was one of the patients that needed it the most for his Epilepsy . Haupt had already been navigating uncharted waters on his course to perfect methods of growing his medicine . Three months later , Hurricane season was over , and it was time for Gluckman to return to the sea . At that time , he made a decision that would alter the course of his entire life . He decided to anchor down on a new journey with Haupt to refine the art of cultivating cannabis and redefine expectations .
Let me explain . In case you didn ’ t recognize Josh Haupt ’ s name earlier , it ’ s probably because you skipped over the bibliography section in his book , Three A Light . If you don ’ t know about this book , you ’ re either not a grower or never left the basement . As the title suggests , the book is a guide to growing cannabis leading to harvest yields of three pounds of flower per grow light . They single-handedly doubled the
16 January 2022