ERP Vendors Get Into Medical Marijuana Business

Release some educational rap videos. by elucido · 2011-04-25 11:35 · Score: -1, Offtopic

'there's no other product that is sold by weight that evaporates, dehydrates and [turns into] shake.

This rhymes. Maybe it's time to for a nickel or a dime. Brother, can you spare a dime?

Re:Release some educational rap videos. by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 11:50 · Score: -1

Not if the jackbooted fed shitheads and their Christian lapdogs in the lobbying groups^W^W churches keep trying to fight against what states voted for.
Re:Release some educational rap videos. by PopeRatzo · 2011-04-25 11:50 · Score: 2

This rhymes.
In which language does "weight" rhyme with "shake"?
Considering the subject, I'd say it's more like blank verse.
Though I can think of at least two other products that "evaporate(s), dehydrate(s) and [turns into] shake".
Neither of them are particularly good for you.

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You are welcome on my lawn.
Re:Release some educational rap videos. by newcastlejon · 2011-04-25 12:32 · Score: 1

...and [turns into] shake.
As in Shake and Bake?

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If God forks the Universe every time you roll a die, he'd better have a damned good memory.
Re:Release some educational rap videos. by everett · 2011-04-25 13:01 · Score: 1

Not if the jackbooted fed shitheads and their Christian lapdogs in the lobbying groups^W^W churches keep trying to fight against what states voted for.
Remember, we fought a war over this before and the federal government won.

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Sig withheld to protect the innocent.
Re:Release some educational rap videos. by n3r0.m4dski11z · 2011-04-25 14:04 · Score: 1

ight, ake and ate are all very similar and can be happily rhymed,
But i am sure you will disagree and respond in due time
the weight of the shake got me baked - dehydrate!
you know how to rhyme right? You just didnt want the limelight? i agree, best stay outta sight!

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Re:Release some educational rap videos. by slick7 · 2011-04-25 14:26 · Score: 1

Not if the jackbooted fed shitheads and their Christian lapdogs in the lobbying groups^W^W churches keep trying to fight against what states voted for.
Remember, we fought a war over this before and the federal government won.
To register for medical marijuana is to register for a federal DEA bust while the CIA brings cocaine and heroin into the country with impunity.

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The mind conceives, the body achieves, the spirit manifests.
Re:Release some educational rap videos. by slick7 · 2011-04-25 14:28 · Score: 1

...and [turns into] shake.
As in Shake and Bake?
As in Wake and Bake. FTFY.

--
The mind conceives, the body achieves, the spirit manifests.
Re:Release some educational rap videos. by bsDaemon · 2011-04-25 15:21 · Score: 1

It's a slant rhyme (aka a half rhyme).
Re:Release some educational rap videos. by lxs · 2011-04-25 19:37 · Score: 1

It is also complete nonsense.
Evaporation is a serious factor in the aging of Whiskey. The so calledAngel's share.
So whiskey may be sold by volume, but the effect is the same.
Re:Release some educational rap videos. by vrmlguy · 2011-04-25 22:42 · Score: 1

Speaking of evaporation, I used to work on a custom bill-of-material system for radiopharmaceuticals. We couldn't use an off-the-shelf system, because the active ingredients have short lifetimes. That meant that we had to track the precise age of the product in order to calculate the proper doses. For example, iodine-131's half-life is roughly 8 days, which means you lose 8% of your product a day, while technetium-99m's is a scant 6 hours, meaning you lose 12% every hour.

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Nothing for 6-digit uids?
Re:Release some educational rap videos. by Golddess · 2011-04-26 01:52 · Score: 1

Right, because once things change, they can never go back. Ever. We are forever stuck with the outcome of that war and must abide by it for the rest of our lives.

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"I'm not sure I like the fugnutish tone you used in your post!" -RogL (608926)-
Re:Release some educational rap videos. by Bassman59 · 2011-04-26 05:12 · Score: 1

Not if the jackbooted fed shitheads and their Christian lapdogs in the lobbying groups^W^W churches keep trying to fight against what states voted for.
Remember, we fought a war over this before and the federal government won.
Wrong.
The Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery. Anyone who claims otherwise is a fool who doesn't know history, or a racist pining for the Good Old Days when blacks knew their place.

Super unique. by The+End+Of+Days · 2011-04-25 11:36 · Score: 1

Maybe tobacco companies know a thing or two? Bars? Starbucks, even?

Re:Super unique. by Kjella · 2011-04-25 11:44 · Score: 3, Informative

Repeat after me, we are all individuals. Yeah, the whole premise here is lame. ERPs are essentially custom tailored one-stop solutions for your business, it's pretty close to the definition of an ERP. So they wrote some special stuff for this business, just like they do for every business. Yawn.

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Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Re:Super unique. by Wyatt+Earp · 2011-04-25 11:49 · Score: 2

Look at small business Ag Business software and solutions.
"...there's no other product that is sold by weight that evaporates, dehydrates and [turns into] shake." - Thats just not true, grain is sold by weight, it dehydrates, some of it is lost from mechanical breakdown, rot, etc
Re:Super unique. by mobby_6kl · 2011-04-25 12:02 · Score: 1

Yeah that seems to be a pretty ridiculous claim, there are plenty of products that degrade over time and experience shrinkage etc. Since I work at one of the larger business software companies, I'll ask around for what kind of solutions we have for this. I suspect that we'll have plenty to offer, the only problem I see is that most of these operations might be a bit too small.
Re:Super unique. by newcastlejon · 2011-04-25 12:35 · Score: 1

In their defence, the dry product is - unlike grain - at least as desirable to consumers than the fresh, wet stuff. I didn't realise THC evaporated to any significantly detrimental degree, though.

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If God forks the Universe every time you roll a die, he'd better have a damned good memory.
Re:Super unique. by interkin3tic · 2011-04-25 12:47 · Score: 1

Indeed. Alcohol is sold by volume rather than weight, but I can't really see how that would change much on the software side of things. Take software for alchohol. Change the L to a G. You now have software that can be used for selling things by weight that evaporate, dry out, and go into shakes.

If you want to -really- make a pot application dazzle your customers, maybe think about putting in a module which will do a google search for "deep questions" and then randomly put one into the report.

"You have 20 kilos of pot left for the rest of the month to sell. Also, how old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?"

"Okay, so we can net $3000 for the rest of the month, and whooooa duuuuude...."
Re:Super unique. by interkin3tic · 2011-04-25 12:53 · Score: 1

... so I realize now that they're using a "technical" term and aren't talking about pot that goes into milkshakes, they're talking about stuff that gets too small to use. This still does not seem like much of a hurdle.
Re:Super unique. by DeathElk · 2011-04-25 12:53 · Score: 3, Insightful

I think it evaporates due to a phenomena known as "sticky fingers".
Re:Super unique. by Maestro485 · 2011-04-25 12:56 · Score: 1

Actually, there is no reason for alcohol to be sold by volume other than that it usually is. I've seen a handful of smaller brewers and imports that sell by weight.

from http://beeradvocate.com/articles/518:

"To convert ABW to ABV, simply multiply the ABW by 1.25. So a 7 percent ABW beer would be a 9 percent ABV beer. If for some reason you want to convert from ABV to ABW, multiply the ABV percent by 0.8"
Re:Super unique. by Maestro485 · 2011-04-25 13:04 · Score: 1

Sorry to reply to myself, but as an aside, most mouthwash products have alcohol by weight included on their ingredients label. Mouthwash is actually as strong, or stronger, that many wines.
Re:Super unique. by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 13:37 · Score: 0

But shake isn't completely lost, it's usually sold in different forms or for a lower price. For instance, most of the cookies, brownies, lollipops and such are made from shake. So tracking a product that's sold by weight where part of the initial weight gets repurposed into a completely different product over time seems like something that is pretty unique to their business.
On a side note, ice cream can evaporate, dehydrate and be turned into a shake :-)
Re:Super unique. by demonlapin · 2011-04-25 13:39 · Score: 1

Especially since it's almost certainly a problem that the tobacco companies have solved in the past. All you need is a clean-burning binder.
Re:Super unique. by QuantumG · 2011-04-25 13:43 · Score: 3, Funny

Starbucks, even?
We don't have time for a handjob.

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How we know is more important than what we know.
Re:Super unique. by itsenrique · 2011-04-25 14:52 · Score: 4, Informative

Ha ha. THC (and other active cannabinoids) do not evaporate but break down in the presence of light and/or oxygen. There is an optimal wetness (varies by individual preference), however it has to be dry enough to not mold if its in airtight storage (if its done drying, in other words). Theres a lot more too it proper drying and curing of pot, google is there for any interested souls. I don't think that quote was meant in relation to ANY and ALL products, but in relation to other medical products, like pills, creams, liquids, powders, etc.
Re:Super unique. by itsenrique · 2011-04-25 14:53 · Score: 1

Mod +1, excellent point.
Re:Super unique. by itsenrique · 2011-04-25 14:56 · Score: 1

It gets solved a bit differently for a dispensary I'd imagine. Think much smaller scale. Dried out, shaky, and otherwise substandard but still safe (not molded or a year old) are probably turned into pastries, candies, and other edibles. This has to be tracked on their end, doesn't sound too hard, but its a unique situation to be in.
Re:Super unique. by Kreigaffe · 2011-04-25 15:34 · Score: 1

I'm sure there are plenty of other products that lose weight due to dehydration and bits of it just turning into dust... but can you think of any that are sold for 10-20 bucks a gram? prices like that.. that's the realm of precious metals.
then again, i have no idea what the prices at those stores are like. that's just general street price for the stuff.

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... still waiting for this free-as-in-beer free beer I keep hearing about. :|
Re:Super unique. by demonlapin · 2011-04-25 15:37 · Score: 1

Out of curiosity, why does dehydration matter? I mean, don't people want to pay for dry plant matter rather than water? Water won't get you high^W^W^W treat your California-approved medical ailment.
Re:Super unique. by Khyber · 2011-04-25 16:05 · Score: 1

You are dead on with your dispensary prices.
So glad I grow my own. AAA Medical, 20 bucks an OUNCE. Not per GRAM.

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Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
Re:Super unique. by oliverthered · 2011-04-25 16:41 · Score: 1

it depends if you measure specific gravity, %volume or proof.

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thank God the internet isn't a human right.
Re:Super unique. by interkin3tic · 2011-04-25 18:04 · Score: 1

I was motivated enough to do a google search for "dried out weed" and came up with a digg discussion, the first few posts indicated it wasn't as good. I'm not going to read that for very long, so I'm concluding that it makes it bad if it's dried out too much. http://www.reddit.com/r/cannabis/comments/a9b4y/does_weed_get_better_the_longer_its_dried/
Re:Super unique. by theArtificial · 2011-04-25 19:14 · Score: 1

Interestingly enough there is a growing market for cannabis potency testing and one of the perks is knowing what type of nutrients are used. While this is a bit beyond (de)hydration the value goes beyond the plant matter. Various companies offer services in several states (California is not alone in the approval of medicinal cannabis), however consistency and practices vary wildly from company to company. A practical example: In the later stages of development some growers use nutrients which are high in potassium to increase density. In the majority of purchases the sale price revolves around weight.
Supply chain quality control is an immense benefit to both the collectives and members. As you're no doubt aware quality is determined by a number of factors such as taste, smell, effect etc. however knowing the THC-A & THC-9*, CBN, CBD of a crop is great for specific needs patients. The ability to test for mold quantities and pesticides is also interesting. Now imagine if the uniformed buyer is an elderly patient or perhaps an AIDS or cancer patient.
* THC DELTA 9 (/. eats the symbol)

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Man blir trött av att gå och göra ingenting.
Re:Super unique. by mehrotra.akash · 2011-04-25 19:27 · Score: 1

possibly printer ink..
Re:Super unique. by rgbatduke · 2011-04-25 22:24 · Score: 1

Gosh, that sounds like 70's prices, before somebody figured out that the X-generation was stupid and would pay absurd prices for what was and remains basically a weed...

But why does it cost you $20/ounce to grow your own? I would have expected it to be more like $2/ounce, or $0.20/ounce. Seeds: free (or a one time expense). Growing pots: $10, reusable forever. Potting soil (per pot) $3 if that. Water, fertilizer, light -- so little that it might as well be free but hell, call it $1/plant. Human time is opportunity cost. Total investment per pot of pot, certainly no more than $15. If each plant yields a modest one pound, that is less than $1/ounce, and if you reuse your pots, potting soil and so on (and of course allow a few plants to go to seed), the amortized cost drops to pennies per ounce, plus some pleasant time performing zen-like bansai trimming of your plants while talking to them...

rgb

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Even when the experts all agree, they may well be mistaken. --- Bertrand Russell.
Re:Super unique. by Zero__Kelvin · 2011-04-25 23:56 · Score: 1

Just because they didn't properly capture the spirit of the uniqueness doesn't mean it's not unique There is essentially no comparison between tobacco and marijuana Different strains, hybrids, and a radical difference in effect as well as flavor, for example. A social website discussing the difference between marlboro and newport would be ridiculous, but one that discusses the difference of thousands of strains of pot from as many different sources does make sense. That is just one of myriad areas where the two are essentially completely different.

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Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
Re:Super unique. by Phoghat · 2011-04-26 00:36 · Score: 1

They never heard of air tight zip lock bags, or they don't want to know about them.

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
Re:Super unique. by Attila+Dimedici · 2011-04-26 01:22 · Score: 1

You have obviously never talked to cigar or pipe smokers. There is a significant difference between the flavor of a cigar made from tobacco grown in Honduras vs tobacco grown in Nicaragua. There are also several strains of tobacco that some pipe smokers prefer one over the other. Having been a pot smoker at one time and an occassional smoker of tobacco pipes and cigars, I can tell you that the discussions among afficionados of each are similar.

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The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
Re:Super unique. by h4rr4r · 2011-04-26 02:21 · Score: 1

Tea does the same thing. It goes from full leaf to fragments used for bagged tea or seasoning uses.
Re:Super unique. by kilfarsnar · 2011-04-26 02:53 · Score: 1

Dehydration matters because it changes the weight. It is sold by weight, but gets lighter over time (to a limit, of course).

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"What the American public doesn't know is what makes them the American public." -Ray Zalinsky (Tommy Boy)
Re:Super unique. by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 02:53 · Score: 0

Since this is still supposedly for medical use only, shouldn't the dispensaries be processing this in to some sort of tablet anyway? Does actually smoking the weed have any positive benefits that outweigh the lung cancer risks?
Re:Super unique. by Khyber · 2011-04-26 04:42 · Score: 3, Informative

$20/ounce is actually a low price. Most outdoor growers average $50 an ounce to obtain AAA medical quality. Most indoor growers using HID spend about $100-150 per AAA ounce produced. Also, outdoor growing is actually very inefficient and soil takes much longer than hydro to produce a crop.
It's cheaper for me because my particular system drops resource usage WAY, WAY down. LED for growth, NFT for highly reduced water usage and nutrient usage.
Waste not, pay not.

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Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
Re:Super unique. by demonlapin · 2011-04-26 07:15 · Score: 1

Right, but as it dehydrates, the percent THC content goes up - i.e., it gets more potent. The dispensary should be able to charge more per gram for a more potent product, since less of it is needed, no?
Re:Super unique. by rgbatduke · 2011-04-26 10:51 · Score: 1

My brother-in-law is a medical grower -- I'll have to ask him what he spends. Aside from some capital investment in climate and humidity control and light (amortized over years), I don't think it is that much. Of course he makes a small fortune per plant sold, so I suppose it doesn't matter. Growing weeds for enormous profits -- not since tobacco has there been such a deal.

Of course I'm a bit cynical about what "AAA medical quality" is of a drug that generally isn't assayed, that is grown from dozens of different "kinds" of seeds supposedly engineered to produce different sorts of, um, medical effects, that is grown at different temperatures and humidities and with slightly different watering and feeding even in a mostly-controlled hydroponic setting... which I don't mean in a hostile way, BTW. I just find it hard to believe that anybody could spend $320, sustained, to grow a plant of pot. Power doesn't cost that. Water doesn't cost that. The growth medium doesn't cost that, or at any rate I don't see how it could (I have friends who grow hydroponic tomatoes and if they spent $320 a plant, we couldn't afford to buy their product. I suppose a chunk of a mortgage or a rental space might cost that but no, my hydroponic friend runs a whole greenhouse growing tomatoes and still sells them for a few dollars a pound at a profit.

So what exactly do you buy to spend $320 per 1-pound yielding plant? A kilowatt per plant, sustained?

rgb

P.S. -- I don't mean to sound hostile, if I do; I'm genuinely curious. I'm happy enough believing that there is some medical benefit from marijuana for at least some people, and don't care to see the selection of those people regulated by some outside agent and wish they'd just legalize it. Then a lot of people who use MM could admit that the "disease" they were controlling is chronic boredom and we could all move on.

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Even when the experts all agree, they may well be mistaken. --- Bertrand Russell.
Re:Super unique. by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 18:28 · Score: 0

Power doesn't cost that? Maybe you are unfamiliar with the price of electricity (it is expensive in CA) or the types of lighting used to grow pot. HID lights in the form of metal halides or high pressure sodiums are what is generally used, which soak up an awful lot of electricity. This is why a lot of grow houses you will read about that get busted have diverted their power from in front of the meter as to not raise suspicion (but the power co can take some measurements of current in diff areas and eventually find that you are cheating the system). An expert grower should be able to get a pound per 1000w light per every 2 months, this is with everything dialed in perfectly. I would say power will cost you from $40-80 a month for 1 1000w light on 12 hrs a day (assuming 10-20c kWH price, which is cheap in some areas). Maybe with the cost of refilling CO2 tanks you could near something like $100 per plant, I do not see $320 per plant per month being cost efficient though. But to have a perpetual harvest (leaving your flowering chamber on the same cycle and just moving new females into it to bud them) requires you to have a separate area for vegetation, with more lights, to grow your babies to maturity before you can flower them.. Then if you have another area for clones, its a few more lights even (although florescents work fine for this area).

ERP? by Daetrin · 2011-04-25 11:38 · Score: 3, Informative

I guess we're talking about Enterprise Resource Planning? At least that's the only thing on wikipedia that looked like it made sense.

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This Space Intentionally Left Blank

Re:ERP? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 11:54 · Score: 0

I guess we're talking about Enterprise Resource Planning? At least that's the only thing on wikipedia that looked like it made sense.
exactly why this is absurd. enterprise? did they change their business model and name to "weedbucks?"
Re:ERP? by Onymous+Coward · 2011-04-25 11:55 · Score: 2

I think that's right. We're talking about software designed to help with business resource management.
Wish TFA or TFS had expanded the acronym.
Re:ERP? by newcastlejon · 2011-04-25 12:38 · Score: 1

Did they change their business model and name to "weedbucks?"
How about WH Spliff?
Send your mod points on a postcard to Paul Merton.

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If God forks the Universe every time you roll a die, he'd better have a damned good memory.
Re:ERP? by garcia · 2011-04-25 12:41 · Score: 1

Yeah and you have to be high to believe that ERP is necessary to run a dispensary. I just can't imagine that they're bringing in enough customers to need that kind of database horsepower.
Re:ERP? by hedgemage · 2011-04-25 13:39 · Score: 1

I was afraid ERP meant Erotic Role Playing.
Wish the article would have cleared this up better.
Re:ERP? by afidel · 2011-04-25 14:11 · Score: 1

ERP platforms range from Quickbooks to SAP with a whole lot of solutions in-between. Any company with more than 2 employees should have an ERP suite, my dad's business with a handful of employees uses Quickbooks for Manufacturing which is tailored for turning sub-assemblies into final products and handling that kind of inventory tracking and billing. As they say in the summary tracking natural inventory shrinkage is probably important with a business that's as heavily scrutinized as the medical marijuana dispensaries.

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There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
Re:ERP? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 14:25 · Score: 0

Yep, it puts the ERP in DERP.
Re:ERP? by Crudely_Indecent · 2011-04-25 15:29 · Score: 1

Yes, the type of software that Exxon uses.
ERP manages many types of business activities, from manufacturing to materials management and HR to shipping and receiving.
For more info, you can visit a website of one of the ERP leaders - http://www.sap.com/
No, I don't work for or with SAP anymore. I just know how powerful it can be.

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"Lame" - Galaxar
Re:ERP? by hellwig · 2011-04-25 16:04 · Score: 1

"Erotic Role Playing" would make more sense to me than "Enterprise Resource Planning" which is just a made-up buzzword. Erotic Role Playing Vendor might be like a porno shop, the same shops that already sell all your paraphernalia needs (bongs, pipes, boxes, etc..).

And what does this mean: 'there's no other product that is sold by weight that evaporates, dehydrates and [turns into] shake.'. Really, no other product? Medical Marijuana is the only plant-based product on the entire planet?

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Eggs
Milk
Bread
Cat Litter
Soda
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Re:ERP? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 00:27 · Score: 0

Nothing and possibly everything :)
Re:ERP? by Daetrin · 2011-04-26 02:32 · Score: 1

Yeah, i'm familiar with SAP. The company i work for happens to be suing them for copyright infringement at the moment :)

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Re:ERP? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 22:29 · Score: 0

Apache OFBiz offers an OS ERP, building components to take into account weed's special characteristics would be very doable.

Ins't it time for SANE drug laws? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 11:46 · Score: 1, Interesting

No Jail For Pot

SugarCRM? by otis+wildflower · 2011-04-25 11:57 · Score: 1

Is there a SugarCRM module for running a medicinal marijuana biz?

Re:SugarCRM? by alostpacket · 2011-04-25 12:20 · Score: 1

I think you're thinking of medicinal LSD. Like totally medicinal.

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PocketPermissions Android Permission Guide
Re:SugarCRM? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 14:18 · Score: 0

Judging by the quality of SugarCRM code, I'd say they're in the crack cocaine business.

The Mile High City by zbobet2012 · 2011-04-25 11:59 · Score: 2

They don't call denver the mile high city for nothing.... Colorado is rocky mountain high.

IQ Tests measure how well you take tests. by mmell · 2011-04-25 12:04 · Score: 0

Oh, wait . . . damn, wrong thread. How'd that happen?

Uhhh...

atmostfear thickening; triple threat tuesday by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 12:04 · Score: -1

never a better time to make sure that your extreme unction, or whatever absolves you from responsibility, is in good standing. the formerly unknown chosen ones continue to fire all of our guns at once, & explode into space? maybe finding an old book somewhere in (the former) utah will help us reconnoiter our history for the better, or even worse. it will not have the riveting impact of the genuine native elders teepeeleaks etchings. you can bet your bubonic blanket on that one.

I guess a stoner wouldn't know by scribblej · 2011-04-25 12:09 · Score: 4, Insightful

Plenty of businesses have to take this sort of thing into account. Look at any food service; they have to constantly calculate their 'food cost' and margin because food they buy doesn't always equal portions served; you sometimes get more or less in a dish, not to mention the stuff the cook dropped on the floor and didn't put back in the bowl, plus what the employees helped themselves to....

I thought stoners were the people who staffed the food service industry. I guess either I was wrong or they were just too high to notice how the business works.

Re:I guess a stoner wouldn't know by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 12:36 · Score: 1

Any Food Service Inc. isn't dealing with a controlled substance, which means they do not need to account for what happened to every gram of merchandise.
- It says here you stocked X grams, but only sold half of it. Where's the rest?
- It evaporated!
Classic.
Re:I guess a stoner wouldn't know by hackerjoe · 2011-04-25 14:08 · Score: 2

Alright then, how about... a compounding pharmacy that deals with narcotics? I mean really. They're selling medicine compounded into different forms, this isn't some kind of strange, unique new business they're in. I can get compounded codeine lollipops for my kids from a pharmacy. Pot brownies aren't all that different.
Re:I guess a stoner wouldn't know by AvitarX · 2011-04-25 15:45 · Score: 1

I don't really know the specifics of their business, but plants can evaporate a massive amount when fresh.
If they are growing there own this could be an issue.

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Re:I guess a stoner wouldn't know by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 16:08 · Score: 0

Did you think the platitudes of modern commerce and economics didn't apply to the M.M. industry?
Perhaps you should check your stash or put down the pipe. That is, if subject introspection is something you normally ponder.
Re:I guess a stoner wouldn't know by twebb72 · 2011-04-25 16:36 · Score: 1

...not to mention the stuff the cook dropped on the floor and didn't put back in the bowl..
Industry analysts predict that observing the 5 second rule saves small business an estimated 17 billion a year.
Re:I guess a stoner wouldn't know by Pewpdaddy · 2011-04-25 18:01 · Score: 1

Spot on sir!!! Spot on!!
Re:I guess a stoner wouldn't know by ArsenneLupin · 2011-04-25 23:22 · Score: 2

not to mention the stuff the cook dropped on the floor and didn't put back in the bowl
A, those wasteful cooks... Hey, please could someone explain to this guy that you only throw away food from the floor if there's a guy from sanitary inspection who is watching...
Re:I guess a stoner wouldn't know by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 01:29 · Score: 0

No, you were wrong.
Re:I guess a stoner wouldn't know by pjp6259 · 2011-04-26 06:33 · Score: 1

IIRC, the laws in Colorado state that dispensaries have to grow 70% of the product they sell.

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Computers don't make mistakes. What they do, they do on purpose.

Packaging by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 12:13 · Score: 0

'there's no other product that is sold by weight that evaporates, dehydrates and [turns into] shake.'

The food packaging industry would like a word with you.

no other product, really? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 12:18 · Score: 0

There's no other product that is sold by weight that evaporates, dehydrates and [turns into] shake," or small, dusty particles.

Sounds like someone is totally new to agriculture in general. Name any plant that doesn't dry out and get lighter.

Re:no other product, really? by The+End+Of+Days · 2011-04-25 12:25 · Score: 0

To be fair, pot dealers legal or otherwise are basically stoned all the time, and not always the brightest spoons on the meat rack besides.
Re:no other product, really? by itsenrique · 2011-04-25 14:58 · Score: 1

But what other medical prescription loses weight and potency the same way? I think the quote was just taken out of context.

ERP CRM KISS WTF? by NoExQQ · 2011-04-25 12:30 · Score: 1

I happen to work with a few people who have "The Card". Getting them to fill in the blanks on a CRM is hard enough. The idea of resource management is not even in the picture! The technology won't help this industry. The quality of the product will result in "Right Pricing" and the consumer is already aware...

I call BS by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 12:33 · Score: 0

Its utter BS to think that any dispensary has product that goes bad over time. It sells very quickly. Only water evaporates and nothing "turns to shake" as the article so ignorantly states. The water weight is already taken into account long before it reaches the shelf or Ball jar.

there's no other product ... by Jane+Q.+Public · 2011-04-25 12:41 · Score: 1

"... there's no other product that is sold by weight that evaporates, dehydrates and [turns into] shake."

Uh... breakfast cereal? Wait... Well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad.

Re:there's no other product ... by Jane+Q.+Public · 2011-04-25 12:59 · Score: 1

Weedies...
Re:there's no other product ... by Ellis+D.+Tripp · 2011-04-25 13:17 · Score: 1

Cap'n Chronic FTW!
http://www.weedwisdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/capn_chronic_cereal.jpg

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Shake? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 12:41 · Score: 0

Shake is a term meaning the useless parts of the marijuana plant. A by product. Stems and seeds basically. There can be different amounts per weight meaning youre not getting the exact same amount of "medicine" per bag. I think that is what was meant by shake in the statement above.

Re:Shake? by itsenrique · 2011-04-25 15:00 · Score: 1

You were on the right track, but no dispensary medical marijuana has seeds in it.

Your doing it wrong... by sdguero · 2011-04-25 12:45 · Score: 1

If the weed is dehydrating and turning into shake, it isn't being stored correctly. A dispensary could use much less expensive and more practical means, like some mason jars, to fix that. I really don't see how an ERP system is better than a couple excel sheets and some common sense. Then again that could probably be said for 90% of ERP customers.

Re:Your doing it wrong... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 13:29 · Score: 0

Most do use jars for display and short-term storage but whenever a customer wants a whiff and/or a nug, the jar must open.
Re:Your doing it wrong... by itsenrique · 2011-04-25 15:01 · Score: 1

And indeed, as anyone who stores bud in a mason jar knows, it has a couple of weeks tops if its being opened a few times a day, before it becomes too dry to be palatable to most.
Re:Your doing it wrong... by nedlohs · 2011-04-26 02:26 · Score: 1

It's medical marijuana, right?
So who gives a shit if it is palatable. I'm pretty sure chemo therapy meds aren't very palatable either. Heck, cough syrup is not what I would call tasty.
Re:Your doing it wrong... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 03:32 · Score: 0

When buying cough syrup, there are certain flavors I prefer over others. Perhaps the same is true for cannabis consumers.

Big Business by NicknamesAreStupid · 2011-04-25 12:47 · Score: 1

Pot has been the largest "off the books" agriculture in America for decades For several states it is the largest cash crop.. It takes a lot to hide that kind of money. I suspect the big growers have ERP systems they could license in competition with Oracle, unless they are just using Oracle's. Ask Larry.

How do they handle... by rsilvergun · 2011-04-25 12:54 · Score: 1

the fact that it's not really legal (since Federal Law trumps state law)? On a side note, there's a goofy song about how easy it is to get medical marijuana, but it occurs to me that's only true if you've got health care. The current system of medical marijuana works great if you're wealthy. You get to smoke all you want, and you still get to call the cops of there's poor people in your neighborhood and have them arrested :(. Based on this I wonder if we'll ever see it made truly legal so long as it's safe for People That Matter...

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Re:How do they handle... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 13:11 · Score: 0

Paradox: in some states, its taxed. San Jose (not sure about the rest of Cali) just voted in something like 10% tax at point of sale.
Taxed and yet not legal?
*head asplodes*
Really hard to explain that. You cannot collect taxes on illegal things!
Can't be half pregnant, here.
Re:How do they handle... by The+Iconoclast · 2011-04-25 13:26 · Score: 1

Actually, you CAN tax illegal things. That's how they got Al Capone: tax evasion.

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Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati
Re:How do they handle... by SCPRedMage · 2011-04-25 14:20 · Score: 1

That's how they got Al Capone: income tax evasion.
FTFW
Seriously, though, they weren't taxing the moonshine he was running; it was the income (admittedly, that came from illegal activities) that he wasn't reporting that got him busted. It just happened to be a hell of a lot easier to prove he had the income than it was to prove where it came from.

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My sig can beat up your sig.
Re:How do they handle... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 14:21 · Score: 0

Really hard to explain that. You cannot collect taxes on illegal things!
You really have very little imagination.
I recall a quote on YouTube from a marijuana dealer, he said something like, "I don't mind taking my chances with the DEA, but I always pay my taxes on all my income. The IRS can make your life a living hell."
Re:How do they handle... by Mashiki · 2011-04-25 15:17 · Score: 1

Federal law trumps state law? Well there's your problem. What ever happened to a weak federal government and a strong state/local government down there in the US anyway...

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Om, nomnomnom...
Re:How do they handle... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 15:38 · Score: 0

It, as and idea, started dying in the 1790s, was crushed in the 1860s, and has been slowly bleeding out since. Not the end of the world though, if we had kept the Articles of Confederation we'd probably look a lot like the EU right now.
Re:How do they handle... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 17:41 · Score: 0

The way they handle the difference between state and federal laws is the fact that the feds have recently been not enforcing the federal law against these dispensaries. At some time in the future with a change of opinion or a change of the executive branch those laws may be cracked down on again. Although the longer the state laws sit un contested, the bigger the backlash that would occur if the feds got anal about it all.
Re:How do they handle... by JSBiff · 2011-04-25 23:57 · Score: 1

It's a little more complex than that. For areas that the Constitution grants authority to the Federal Government, Federal law has *always* (well, at least as long as the Constitution has been ratified) been the case that Federal law pre-empts State law.
However, the argument that Federal laws regulating drug related activities that occur entirely within a State's borders somehow fall under the constitutional authority of the federal government seems rather strange to me.
There's the concept, embodied in the Constitution, that any powers not explicitly granted to Congress by the Constitution are reserved to the States. Seems to many of us that the Federal government has, in many areas, overstepped the bounds of it's constitutional authority.
Re:How do they handle... by i.r.id10t · 2011-04-26 00:22 · Score: 1

That theory died around 1861...

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Re:How do they handle... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 00:33 · Score: 1

The part that always confused me is that when the Federal government wanted to ban a recreational drug back in 1919, they needed to pass a Constitutional amendment (XVIII) to do so. The Federal government didn't have the power to do it beforehand, so we passed an amendment; that's how the system works. (We later repealed that when it became clear that it was a terrible idea; another thing we sadly don't do anymore). Anyway, why is it that banning a recreational drug needed an amendment then but doesn't now?
Re:How do they handle... by phatcabbage · 2011-04-26 00:33 · Score: 1

I believe it caught a cold around 1861, but actually died in 1865.

What are they smoking? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 12:59 · Score: 0

Don't know how many times i've asked this question during ERP implementations. At least with these clients you know the answer...

I'm not too suprised... by jd2112 · 2011-04-25 13:04 · Score: 1

I got the impression that most ERP vendors are smoking something...

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Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.

Article doesn't even mention it by Toe,+The · 2011-04-25 13:09 · Score: 1

Interesting to note that the term "ERP" does not appear even once in the body of the article.

It's two pages, run searches on both... it ain't there.

Finally - a 'cloud' solution by AgentPhunk · 2011-04-25 13:20 · Score: 1

Yes, pun intended, but seriously: many dispensaries are still getting raided by the feds, who take their computers and customer lists. Maybe a cloud-based ERP solution would be a good way to get around this, assuming you could crypto the fuck out of it. Just figure out how to remember the password before you toke up, and don't write the password down on rolling papers.

Re:Finally - a 'cloud' solution by n3r0.m4dski11z · 2011-04-25 14:13 · Score: 1

How does the cloud site, based most likely in america, get around this? Seems like it would be much more legally opertune to go for a centralized offsite cloud site, than hundreds of small businesses.
Especially one which being a cloud, most likely crosses interstate lines? I could not think of a worse use for a "cloud" system than something federally illegal
Why keep a customer list in the first place? No one writes down your info if you buy cigarettes I am pretty sure. This article is just stupid.

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Re:Finally - a 'cloud' solution by currently_awake · 2011-04-25 14:44 · Score: 1

If you want security then you host your own data, else the gov cracks your server remotely. I suppose you could have a self destruct on your server, with password protection for access- I assume they (police) can't force you to testify (give password) legally. Of course your password would have to change with every single use to prevent key logging. You could use words from the US the constitution as your passwords, one word at a time in order- I don't expect they would figure out that one even if you post the constitution on your wall behind the computer with used words crossed out.
Re:Finally - a 'cloud' solution by JSBiff · 2011-04-25 23:50 · Score: 1

I think by "cloud" solution, the GP is intending something which is not owned and controlled by a single entity, but more of a massive peer-to-peer network. Something where your copies of your data are maintained all over the place, and where only small 'fragments' of your data are on any one computer.
Add encryption so that you are the only one who can re-assemble and decrypt those fragments, and the security of the data would be somewhat good (although, as you rightly point out, if the Feds really want your key, they can probably get it, either through keyloggers, hidden cameras, other high tech means, or. . . more conventional means).
Re:Finally - a 'cloud' solution by lasinge · 2011-04-26 16:51 · Score: 1

I have heard from a reasonably good source that crypto the federal government can't read is illegal. It has to be something they know about and have a backdoor key or can crack in a reasonable amount of time. haha to the last third of your comment, I'd mod you funny if I could.

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you are in a twisty maze of different passages.

any recent progress in sorting algorithms? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 13:52 · Score: 0

The last new development I'm aware of came from academia in the '70s, when it was discovered that 12 inch ZZ Top album covers provided the best color contrast and audio background for sorting out seeds.

Re:any recent progress in sorting algorithms? by TheGratefulNet · 2011-04-25 17:46 · Score: 1

mod the bloke up, please!

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ERP? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 14:04 · Score: 0

What does Erotic Role Play have to do with medical marijuana?

Check this Out by jackdub · 2011-04-25 14:53 · Score: 1

Check out EmeraldPOS.

It is a CRM/POS that uses PHP/MySQL and it is apparently open-source!

Old news... ? by Lexor · 2011-04-25 15:45 · Score: 1

It's already been done...

Dope Wars

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Regards, Lex

Amateurs by Animats · 2011-04-25 16:24 · Score: 2, Insightful

Many people running medical marijuana dispensaries aren't used to running legitimate businesses.

Right. We'd be better off if the stuff was just made a class II or III prescription drug and dispensed at real pharmacies. Some people have a medical need for it, but nowhere as many as the number of people wanting it.

Having lived near San Francisco for years, I'm not impressed with the stoner community. There are way too many burnout cases on the streets.

Re:Amateurs by fishbowl · 2011-04-25 18:01 · Score: 1

>There are way too many burnout cases on the streets.
And that's a result of marijuana use among people who are otherwise completely sober?

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Re:Amateurs by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 19:19 · Score: 0

..and how many burnout drunks/alcoholics?
Just checking...
Re:Amateurs by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 19:35 · Score: 3, Insightful

FYI the burnout cases on the streets aren't pot heads. They're likely heroin addicts or alcoholics. you probably don't know the difference. The burnouts are always going to be burnouts.
FYI I am a 4.0 university student who smokes weed.
It makes no sense to ban a substance from people like me because of a very small percentage of people who are not likely to achieve much in the first place. I'm in Denver, which is often talked about as the most weed friendly place in the US so YMMV, but I know more successful, driven overachievers who smoke weed than total losers who do.
Re:Amateurs by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 22:43 · Score: 1

The Dutch did. Turns out that the overhead of the medical system is so big, even those with prescriptions don't bother and just go to the local dealer.
(Medical marijuana typically isn't covered by insurances, so patients pay either way).
Re:Amateurs by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 01:34 · Score: 0

who would be better off? who is the 'we' you refer to?
patients? tax payers? users? my mom?
Re:Amateurs by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 02:06 · Score: 0

I know more successful, driven overachievers who smoke weed than total losers who do.
So do I (and incidentally, I'm in Denver, too), but you probably just know more successful people than total losers. Drug use seems to be pretty common among total losers. I don't think it's the cause of them being losers and I don't think it makes their situation much worse, though. Perhaps it's just a reaction to being a total loser; it doesn't sound like much fun.
Re:Amateurs by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 02:25 · Score: 0

Thanks for subjecting me to your arbitrary judgement. Let us examine your proclivities so that we may determine which are present among some underachievers. Then we'll make you a criminal. How about it? ~stoner rocket scientist.http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/04/25/2222219/ERP-Vendors-Get-Into-Medical-Marijuana-Business#
Re:Amateurs by pak9rabid · 2011-04-26 02:33 · Score: 1

FYI I am a 4.0 university student who smokes weed.
Oh, no! Don't tell me you're one of those.
Re:Amateurs by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 02:47 · Score: 0

People don't turn into "burnout cases" just by smoking weed.
Re:Amateurs by King_TJ · 2011-04-26 03:30 · Score: 1

Let's get real though..... Yes, it's a valid drug to treat a number of issues, but unlike most prescription drugs, it's ALSO a relatively safe drug to use recreationally. The only reason we see the concern over it being handled via dispensaries and requiring a prescription at all is because that's the easiest "baby step" to take towards total legalization. If you want to release the government's grip on it, it's not really effective to complain that "I can't go out and get stoned with my buddies!" Govt. doesn't really care. If you start having real medical doctors arguing that their patients are being deprived of potential solutions to their problems because they can't legally prescribe marijuana to them, THEN you have something a court will really consider.
But I don't have any illusions about any of this. The "dispensaries" are only a temporary construct, as we continue inching towards the eventual legalization of marijuana without ANY restrictions on growing it. It only makes sense because government stands to gain a LOT of money in taxes, once it can be legally sold on an open market, AND they're going to need some sort of replacement to placate the masses, as they head ever closer to making cigarettes completely illegal.
Re:Amateurs by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 04:49 · Score: 0

Having lived near San Francisco for years, I'm not impressed with the stoner community. There are way too many burnout cases on the streets.
How do you know the "burnout cases" on the streets are part of the "stoner" community? What a pretentious ass you are.

Reminds me of a Star Wars quote by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-25 21:07 · Score: 0

HAN: Aren't you afraid the Empire's going to find out about this little operation and shut you down?

LANDO: That's always been a danger looming like a shadow over everything we've built here. But things have developed that will insure security. I've just made a deal that will keep the Empire out of here forever.

They never heard... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 00:07 · Score: 0

... of vacuum sealing? Whiners.

silly questions by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 01:44 · Score: 0

why isn't it just sold in drugstores?
another matter, why isnt it sold as THC tablet/or just as a resin?

When I registered my username by slashpot · 2011-04-26 02:19 · Score: -1

I never in a million years thought I'd see a story like this posted on /. Cool lol.

Go ask Carl Sagan by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 04:19 · Score: 0

Why don't you go ask Carl Sagan if he ever worked in the food service industry?

I certainly hope the mods have the insight to mod you back down, you ignorant fucking troll.

and the buzzword bingo continues by BitterAndDrunk · 2011-04-26 04:57 · Score: 1

We used to call that sort of thing an Accounting System.

I imagine we call them ERPs to jack up the price and set up a business model where there's continuous fucking^W servicing of the customer.

Honestly, after working within them for the past decade, I can't imagine anyone would want to calcify their business with such a tightly coupled morass requiring continuous upgrades.

Just terrible

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well then you're naive by Anonymous Coward · 2011-04-26 09:09 · Score: 0

because when half my friends got their medical marijuana cards, i said forget paying for mine. i just ask my buddy to pick me up something from the pharmacy. southern california living. health care has nothing to do with easy access. and you really don't understand stoners if you think they're all huddled around a bong with 9-1-1 on the line trying to round up all the people who are more broke than they are after buying it. since it's obvious you don't know shit about marijuana or the culture, should probably sit this one out and let the grown ups talk.

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ERP Vendors Get Into Medical Marijuana Business

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