Kathy Parkins of Seattle owns her own cannabis baking company. Here she puts a few drops of a marijuana tincture into a spoon for a customer to sample at the Seattle Cannabis Farmers Market. In many ways, medical marijuana entrepreneurs are no different than any other business start-ups. They need a business plan, venture capital and a fair dose of fortitude. They also are likely to have something not generally found in most small-business owners, an activist streak. More than half (58 percent) of those in the burgeoning industry say they started their businesses to promote expansion of medical marijuana or outright legalization, according to a report released last month analyzing the growing market. Only 12 percent said financial opportunity was their primary motivation.
