The USA's all-cash marijuana shops as photographed by Morgan Levy

Date
26 March 2015

The “commissioned” tab on Colorado-based photographer Morgan Rachel Levy’s website is a pretty diverse place. It spans a project about public schools, a series made in Ferguson following the shooting of Michael Brown and one collection about a map maker for Monocle among others, and nestled happily into the mix is this absolute stonker. 

Cash & Pot is a series commissioned by Bloomberg Businessweek, which sent Morgan to photograph Kristi Kelly, the owner of two successful medical marijuana dispensaries in Denver. “The story focused on navigating legal marijuana’s all-cash economy,” Morgan explained to me. “In 2009 when Kelly opened her first dispensary she was able to bank like any small business owner. But in 2011 the US Department of Justice issued a memo reiterating that federal law prohibits helping businesses that sell marijuana, even if they’re legal under state law.

“One by one, Kelly’s bank accounts were closed," Morgan continues. "As a business owner, she is stuck in an all-cash economy, which has forced her to create elaborate ways to safely count and move cash. While some marijuana business owners have resorted to carrying concealed weapons for added protection, Kelly instead prefers to have her two dogs, Stringer Belle (named after the drug king-pin in The Wire) and Cecilia always at her side.”

Morgan’s photographs give an insight into this insular business, which sits in limbo between similar American companies operating legally and the Department of Justice’s oppressive restrictions. From thousands of dollars in cash laid out ready for Febreze-ing, to shots of the extensive security system in place and rows of plants growing under lamps, it’s an amazing and bizarre environment, and it makes for fascinating photographs by Morgan’s talented eye.

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Morgan Rachel Levy: Pot & Cash for Bloomberg Businessweek

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Morgan Rachel Levy: Pot & Cash for Bloomberg Businessweek

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Morgan Rachel Levy: Pot & Cash for Bloomberg Businessweek

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Morgan Rachel Levy: Pot & Cash for Bloomberg Businessweek

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Morgan Rachel Levy: Pot & Cash for Bloomberg Businessweek

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Morgan Rachel Levy: Pot & Cash for Bloomberg Businessweek

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Morgan Rachel Levy: Pot & Cash for Bloomberg Businessweek

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Morgan Rachel Levy: Pot & Cash for Bloomberg Businessweek

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About the Author

Maisie Skidmore

Maisie joined It’s Nice That fresh out of university in the summer of 2013 as an intern before joining full time as an Assistant Editor. Maisie left It’s Nice That in July 2015.

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