These sort of "house call" or "doctor-on-location" weed businesses rely on people trying to get high that day. I find it incredibly hard to believe that they could be sustained by people who want to remain legal while owning more than an ounce of weed (a rather large amount of weed for all but the heaviest users...).

If it is merely a matter of keeping more than an ounce legally, the urgency is all but gone, and with it the advantage of the house-call system.

Also I sure as hell wouldn't start a business based on the current state of medical marijuana in Washington state; the system will likely be gutted and reworked relatively soon. Furthermore states that legalize in the future will likely follow Colorado's example more than Washington's.

I think one of the remaining advantages of medical marijuana in WA and CO is that it is significantly cheaper than recreational, because no tax is applied.

Unless of course, the feds get involved, and completely disregard the state law and any related affirmative defenses.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/06/harvey-family-marij...

Stores and the law are set up as if there is a real distinction between recreational and medical cannabis. It's sort of silly because it is all the same strains, grown by the same people who are growing it for the black market 10 years ago, or still may be. There are some legitimate true medical strains, like the ones high in CBD or CBN. As far as your standard cannabis though, the goals of people growing your average medical cannabis are exactly the same as the recreational… Make it as potent (high THC by weight) and flavorful as possible. At this point stores use the quality and price difference to try to encourage you to sign up through their clinic service, which they make money from. Medical in CO is about like a club you buy into.

Here in Colorado, the best thing to do is to still just go to my friends house, where I can get an ounce as good or better as the highest quality medical available, for 50 or $100 less with no government involved - just like 10 years ago but cheaper and higher quality.

People making house-calls selling knives is also still a thing, but I wouldn't recommend getting into that business. The business existing doesn't mean it is a smart business to get into.

The high-availability-doctor/one-stop-shop variety of weed business relies on loose medical laws but draconian recreational laws. Recreational users don't want to shop around for a doctor to approve their "condition", so these businesses do very well for themselves. Legalization, combined with regulation of medical, will remove a large segment of these businesses target audience.

Some people seem to think I am saying that medical marijuana will go away. I am not. I am just saying that these "convenience businesses" cater primarily to recreational users in markets with draconian recreational laws. Those people are their bread and butter.

Do you think that Florida's infamous "pill farm clinics" would still do well if you could buy Vicodin over the counter in 7-11's? Doctors would still be prescribing Vicodin because it is a useful medication, but would those businesses that specialize in getting prescriptions for middle-class addicts stay in business?

Swap in any number that you think is reasonable. The reasoning and conclusion is the same.

This makes the assumption that home visits are the same level of productivity as office visits. For the elderly, infirm, those who work during normal doctors' office hours, etc., home visits might reach a population that isn't getting good care currently.