NEW YORK: Marijuana has been legalized in 23 states and Washington, DC primarily for medicinal use. The herb has been approved to tread a myriad of ailments including cancer, multiple sclerosis, seizures, chronic pain and anxiety. With this new industry growing steadily, many people are leaving the lives they know to pursue success with medicinal cannabis. However, very few of these people are minorities. In April, NBC published a series of reports analyzing the dearth of minorities getting involved in the medical marijuana industry and lists reasons for the lack of participation (criminal record, lack of finances, the stigma attached to the drug, etc.).
One of the states that has legalized medical marijuana is New York, a state that is building the framework for marijuana businesses as we speak. In fact, applications for marijuana licenses were due earlier this week. Dr. Greg Daniel, a Black physician and businessman, will be throwing his hat into the ring. “I consider myself to be an entrepreneur and being a successful entrepreneur demands the skillset of an innovator,” he says. “Medical marijuana, as far as I can see, is one of the most innovative, interesting and progressive business enterprises that has occurred since the dot com era.”
Daniel looks to enter the marijuana business after years of developing and managing his own medical enterprises. Having served his surgery residency in Buffalo and receiving an MBA from University of California-Irvine, he opened Buffalo Emergency Associates, a hospital services and outpatient care enterprise that serviced over 750,000 patients annually at its heights. The patient-centric healthcare delivery model Daniel pioneered is now seen as a benchmark for the majority of successful urgent care centers in the nation. In 2012, he sold his medical enterprise to one of the largest hospital based service providers in the country, where he served as President of the National Urgent Care Division.