Canna Business Profile
An “ Amazing ” Test of Perseverance
Pays Off for This Minority-Owned Business by Clayton Stallings , The EVOLUTION Magazine
We all know the old saying , “ Patience is a Virtue ,” but if anyone knows the level of mental and financial sacrifices that the patience virtue can test in the MO MMJ industry , it is Jay Patel .
Patel graduated from MU in 2007 with a mechanical engineering degree and started a family business with his first convenience store called Xpress Liquor and Smokes . With Patel ’ s natural ability to own / manage retail businesses , it grew from one to 16 stores in just a few years . When Amendment 2 passed in Missouri in 2018 , allowing patients legal access to Medical Marijuana , Patel ’ s family decided to apply for licenses . After all , over the years , they gained a lot of retail experience in the regulated industries of tobacco and alcohol .
Patel and his family applied for five dispensaries , one cultivation , and one manufacturing license . After the scores came out , he won four dispensary licenses , making him and his family one of the few minority-owned groups in the MO MMJ Industry , theirs having an Indian descent . But what makes Patel ’ s story even more unique is that he was the 61st score on the cultivation list of the 60 groups awarded cultivation licenses . “ The first thought that came to mind was … God , “ Really .” We missed by 1.2 points out of 1,900 ,” Patel recalled . “ But I believe in a universal power / God , who I believe does everything for a reason .”
He was literally 1.2 points away from getting the 60th position , making him the first on the conditional denial list . What does conditional denial mean ? Basically , if any of the other 60 cultivation license winners did not make it through the minimum standard review , verification process , or the one-year commencement date deadline , they would sacrifice their license , and it would go to the next in line on the conditional denial list . This would make Patel the first person to get awarded a cultivation license if any of the other groups failed . At the time , the odds seemed to be in Patel ’ s favor . “ I thought it was going to happen within six months ,” Patel explained .
Then , the unthinkable happened — COVID . COVID not only led to more laid-back extensions to all the winning groups ’ commencement date deadlines but it also delayed the 2020 U . S . census report . Since the number of MO MMJ licenses was based on population , and populations continue to increase , which would have allowed for more than the 60 cultivation licenses initially set based on the previous census report .
Jay Patel , of Amaze Cannabis .
On top of having the professional experience necessary , Patel had personal reasons for getting involved — a grandmother going through cancer and a son with autism . They introduced both to CBD and CBG , and both started seeing positive benefits . This started Patel ’ s quest of interviewing hundreds of cannabis users to learn how the plant improved the quality of their lives . “ The individuals were mostly older professionals turning away from free pharmaceuticals via insurance and spending money to be illegal ,” Patel explained . “ Why has it not been legal for all these years is all I thought . These aren ’ t criminals ; they are peers and professionals .”
“ U . S . census was required to provide population data for 2020 by a certain date which was well before the conditional denial expiration date ”, explained Patel . “ U . S . census delayed publishing the results due to COVID . They provided an estimation , but that was not enough for DHSS to act . The conditional denial list expired by the time the US census published the data . So , basically , DHSS was not required to award two cultivation licenses to next two people in line , which was me and a company named Red Tractor .”
After over a year and a half of waiting , Patel got a call from his Realtor about a buyer wanting to purchase the building and property he was hanging on to for his cultivation . That night was very tough for him as he considered cutting his losses and taking advantage of the interested buyer . To Patel ’ s astonishment , the very next day , he got the call from DHSS wanting to settle their appeals out of court and award