Jamen Shively, Former Microsoft Manager, To Launch 'Premium Marijuana' Business In Washington

Former Microsoft Manager To Open 'The Neiman Marcus Of Marijuana'

Jamen Shively is looking to cash in on the green.

The former Microsoft manager told Seattle's KIRO that he's planning on getting into the "premium marijuana" business now that weed is legal in Washington.

"By creating the category of premium marijuana, we want to position it similar to a fine cognac, a fine brandy, a fine cigar," Shively told KIRO's Amy Clancy. "Something to be savored and enjoyed, in small quantities by responsible adults."

Shively told The Huffington Post that he wants his business to appeal to baby boomers -- those with disposable income who may have smoked during their college years but took a 30-year break from the bong to raise a family.

"Think of us as the Neiman Marcus of marijuana," he told HuffPost. "Now that it's legal, and they're empty nesters, it's okay to inhale."

Before getting into the legal weed business, Shively was a corporate strategy manager at Microsoft for six years. He left the tech giant in 2009 and launched a specialty foods marketplace that is no longer in business.

Last month, Washington voters approved Initiative 502, which legalizes and regulates the sale of small amounts of marijuana to those 21 and older. The measure garnered 55.5 percent of the vote. The law doesn't go into effect until Thursday.

Voters in Colorado also approved a ballot measure legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

But when it comes to weed in Washington, Shively has high hopes.

"The buzz is in the air," Shively said during the KIRO interview, probably intending the pun. "This is a new industry in the making. And it's going to be a giant industry, and the state of Washington is going to lead the way."

While prices for the product have yet to be determined, Shively told HuffPost that he intends to work with the state and federal government throughout the next year and open up shop when it's "sufficiently legal."

Shively has a unique connection to pot that goes back generations. Watch the video at KIRO to find out why he's "got marijuana in [his] blood."

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