Leslie Bocskor: Advisor in unsettled market place

In many ways, the legal cannabis market is still in its wild, wild west stages, and Electrum Partners President and CEO Leslie Bocskor fits right in. He wears suit vests and suspenders. His facial hair is styled and unruly. His laugh is deep and loud.

Founded in 2014, Electrum Partners is a Las Vegas-based consulting firm for legal cannabis markets across the country. One of its clients is Delaware’s First State Compassion Center.

Bocskor’s job is to be knowledgeable on all things cannabis throughout the country and give advice to fledgling companies making a go of it in the emerging market. If he wore a cowboy hat and sported a toothpick, he could be cast as the banker lending to gold rush enthusiasts in a cowboy western.

But there’s no pocket watch with a gold nugget on its face. Instead, Bocskor wears a Rolex with a marijuana leaf. His cuff links feature marijuana leafs, and even his socks are covered in marijuana leaves.

Bocskor recently participated in a panel discussion on investing in California’s growing cannabis market during the 2017 Marijuana Business Conference and Expo at the Gaylord National Harbor Hotel outside of Washington, D.C.

Much of Bocskor’s advice – do the homework, have an exit strategy, examine the management team, figure out asset allocation – could be applied to nearly any industry, but many people in the cannabis market don’t have the business background associated with well-established industries.

“Patience is power,” he said. “Don’t rush in.”

After the panel, wedged in between another appointment, he sat down for an interview to give his thoughts on the cannabis industry in Delaware.

Bocskor said he is aware Delaware has a bill making its way through the General Assembly that would legalize and regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. He said he thinks whichever Mid-Atlantic state legalizes recreational use first will have a tremendous advantage over the surrounding states.

There’s enormous opportunity for Delaware, Bocskor said, if adult use is legalized before Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Realistically, the state could find itself serving people from many states when they come to the beaches.

Bocskor said if Delaware doesn’t legalize marijuana for adults, other states will, and then, he said, there will be all the problems associated with process, but none of the benefits. If Maryland legalizes first, he said, people from Delaware will drive to Maryland and then bring it back. It will turn out to be an economic drag, he said; cannabis will bring no new tax base, jobs or wealth.

As for Delaware’s medical marijuana program, Bocskor credits the state with with being fairly liberal in its application of the law and, he said, it’s a good thing to see legislators continuing to add more qualifying conditions.

Bocskor said he thinks some improvements could be made to the program. First, he said, Delaware should institute reciprocity for medical marijuana patients from other states. Second, the state’s law should allow for people with an opiate addiction to use medical marijuana to kick the habit, he said.

“Otherwise, the law is not doing all it can,” he said.

And like that the interview was over. Bocskor’s next appointment was waiting – like a gold panner seeking inside information on how to strike it rich.

SHOULD MARIJUANA BE LEGAL?
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