KARL KEICH



Karl Keich is the Executive Director of Seattle-based Canna Consulting Group and owner of the Seattle Medical Marijuana Association. He has positioned himself as one of the most trusted cannabis industry experts out there having formed relationships with the industry’s top processors and producers, and continuously striving to carry the highest quality medical marijuana for his customers. Karl knows a quality product when he sees it, with a keen insight to the characteristics that distinguish the exceptional. The Seattle Medical Marijuana Association has established a reputation as one of the industry’s ‘Top Shelf Dispensaries’ in the State of Washington according to reviews from customers on sites such as Weed Maps, Leafly, and Yelp. 

Karl understands the challenges in this industry and launched Canna Consulting Group to fill the knowledge gap in the industry between investors with money but little know-how when it comes to cannabis, and pot connoisseurs who need funding and guidance to set up successful business operations. With the industry still in its infancy and running on a rulebook that is not set in stone, Karl and the Canna Consulting Group are some of the rare few who have a bird’s eye view of where the industry is going and how investors and entrepreneurs can get ahead of the curve. Karl’s unsurpassed knowledge serves to help bypass and work through complications that arise, no matter the issue. 

Karl attributes his success to “refining best practices and having ethics in this industry”. Keich said: “not everyone is reliable or qualified to advise on an industrial scale. It’s a matter of managing processes, understanding margins, and looking at analytics, and getting results! There’s a lot more to consulting than being a cannabis expert. Success in this industry involves knowledge of zoning, policy, planning, licensing, architecture, HVAC, security, project build out, acquiring the appropriate genetics, production management, best practices for processing, inventory management, packaging, marketing, and point of sale integrations.” Karl’s knowledge of the cannabis industry comes with years of experience that can only be acquired by hands on collaborations within the cannabis industry. Karl’s feel for the pace of innovation in the industry is second to none, personally helping industry leaders develop and refine their products on an industrial scale. 

Keich said he is thankful for the State of Washington and the City of Seattle for “getting it” and moving policies forward to regulate the industry. Keich said: “We see the future, see the long term, and see the benefits of being involved in our communities. Marijuana is changing America. It is providing jobs, it is providing an alternative healthcare option that wasn’t available before, and it is generating huge tax revenues. It’s a win-win-win-win-win situation.” But the country as a whole still has a long road to travel before ending prohibition. Participating in paving that road, Keich said, has been one of the best parts of his job. “It’s about more than making money, it’s about being part of a nation-wide movement toward positive change. I’ve never worked so hard and done so many cool things and helped so many people,” Keich said. “It is so rewarding.”