How Much it Costs to Open a Pot Dispensary

For all those stories about the crackdown on marijuana dispensaries, there haven't been many profiles of the guys who actually run the stores. Here comes the Wall Street Journal, which runs a profile of one of those pot entrepreneurs. Yup, pretty much the background you'd expect. Daniel Halbert, who was running a dating service in Phoenix, found a business investor via Craigslist and made three trips to Los Angeles to investigate opening a dispensary before settling on Venice, according to the Journal: "He registered the business as Best Buds, but later changed the outlet's name to Rainforest Collective. He placed a clapboard sign out front and advertised his services with a flashing neon sign in the window. He decorated his shop with rainforest-themed murals. Clients could select from an assortment of marijuana strains for smoking, as well as "edibles" -- pretzels and cookies with the marijuana baked inside. Total investment: close to $100,000, he said." Despite the recent crackdown, it looks like there's no shortage of LA-area investors looking to open local shops. [WSJ]