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Cannabis Spotlight

“Bill” How can people in Florida benefit

from the company you represent?
Monroe Businesses benefit when their operations are
documented, developed upon best practices, and
President, Advocate, Inc. run efficiently. This is what I do. Evaluate, docu-
ment, report, create efficiencies, and identify ben-
What benefits do you see for patients eficial business relationships and secure those
throughout Florida within this space? assets. These efficiencies drive down prices for
My goals for patients are education, answers provid- patients, and lower expenses for businesses,
ed to their questions, and quality medical products, which are passed down to the patient. A win-win
which have been developed by professionals within a for all parties.
regulated environment. Competition and a free market,
developed over time, will drive prices down and create How did you get started within
innovation. The medical program has not rolled out as the cannabis industry?
fast as advocates desire, but we do have a program, It started with my son who exited the
while other states are struggling to just pass a basic William Monroe University of Florida with a degree in horticul-
program. In Florida we are blessed to have advo- ture. I wanted to start a father and son medical
cates, from around the state, working together to create change. Yes, there are ups marijuana business in Florida. I was a bit naïve thinking that licenses would be
and downs, three steps forward and two steps back, but it is progress just the obtainable. I created a 165-page business plan, visited various states, but had to
same. I see this as a benefit for patients. They now have additional options, which abandon this plan when I realized the game was rigged. My son left for Colorado,
are plant based and safe. and I started blogging on medical marijuana, politics, advocated for change, net-
worked, and clawed my way into the program. The process is ongoing, and can be
What motivates you to be a part of the Cannabis Industry? a grind, but I persist. Why? I feel like I am making a difference in my life and other
My parents were educators — my father a high school teacher and my mother lives in Florida.
an elementary school teacher. Every summer we would load up the old four door
Fury with sleeping bags, tents, Coleman stove in the trunk, and off we would go Are you personally a MJ card holder?
across the country staying the night at KOA campgrounds. Dad would pull over No, not yet. I have spoken with Dr. Barry Gordon, but work seems to get in the
and read every historical roadside sign, which would drive my mother crazy. The way with my drive over to Venice. Cannabis would certainly be safer than the
cannabis industry is brand new. There are no college courses, text books, legacy NSAIDs. Have I used cannabis? Absolutely.
information, to draw upon in creating this vertical license structure and opera-
tions. This excites me and drives me to develop materials, educate, self-learn, Do you see Florida moving forward with
enter into the discovery process, and share with others. I have two children who recreational Marijuana/Cannabis and how will
are horticulture graduates from the University of Florida, and two more waiting that affect your business?
on their UF admittance. My desire is to develop a sound medical marijuana pro- Recreational is a program. Creating a free market or a horizontal limited license
gram that includes patient education, support, and guidance. market would create more opportunity, demand, create jobs, and a requirement for
executives. Currently, we have 14 license holders, seven or eight have really
What field are you in within the Cannabis space? moved forward. A few license holders seem to be lagging way behind in last place.
Good question. First I was with a license holder, but resigned and moved on. I Putting restrictions on licenses, throttling back free enterprise, creates high prices
am currently a cannabis consultant with Advocate, Inc., developing reports for the for patients, does not create innovation and new products, and tends to mimic a
Florida cannabis industry, supporting medical marijuana doctor clinic operations, state system, which is not efficient or fair to patients. Recreational would create
providing supply chain logistics and instructional systems design development of opportunities, taxes, and demand for services.
educational materials, and developing standard operating procedures and support-
ing documentation. In addition, I source packaging materials, automatic medical
fill equipment, facilitate business relationships, and act as a cannabis outcome
provider. My niche is logistics.

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