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2020 12 People: Jamie Tillman

Cannabis Crusader

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Jamie Tillman knows how to turn on a dime. At just 36 years old, she’s already launched and sold a successful preschool franchise, bought and revitalized a beauty spa, and rolled out a chain of CBD oil stores across the Ozarks. Now, she’s on the brink of launching multiple medical marijuana dispensaries.

Maybe it’s in the blood for Tillman, whose father, James Tillman, owns property across Springfield and has a history of launching successful franchises, including Springfield’s two First Watch restaurants.

But it’s not all high times for James Tillman’s daughter; her business goals are in limbo until January 2020, when the state officially announces dispensary license application approvals. Having already invested tens of thousands of dollars to apply through her business Canna Bliss LLC, she’s on pins and needles waiting for the results.

“I’m optimistic but also realistic,” she says. “A lot of out-of-state interests have descended on Missouri. They have established dispensaries in other states already, that could give them a leg up.”

Tillman notes she’s far from the only local to apply for licensure, noting ex-NFL player Grant Wistrom’s announcement earlier this year. But true to form for Tillman, she’s already got another idea in the works – after all, it’s not often an entirely new business frontier presents itself.

“We’re going to launch a growing supply business,” she says, noting she plans to start her fourth venture, Canna Grow LLC, in late 2019. “This will be new to people, they’ll need a one-stop-shop for all things growing, like lights, soil and just advice. This is something I want to do either way, if we get a dispensary license or not.”

The shop is planned at the Glenstone Avenue Canna Bliss location.

If everything goes according to plan, Tillman thinks she can have her first dispensary up and running by April. She says without a doubt, the excitement surrounding medical marijuana will take away from the CBD buzz, but she believes in the product’s healing properties so much she expects it will bounce back.

“I had a family member diagnosed with a brain tumor and I started researching the benefits of CBD,” she says, noting not everybody will want to smoke cannabis.

“I see it every day in our customers. People come in to test it and come back time and again because they realize they don’t have to live in constant pain anymore.”

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