Robert Celt
New Member
While a Toronto-based medical marijuana clinic prepares to expand into Edmonton, an existing clinic is already quietly serving 2,500 patients.
Steve Fader is part-owner of Natural Health Services (NHS), which opened its local operation in late February at a temporary spot on Jasper Avenue. It first opened a Calgary clinic last year that treats roughly the same number of patients.
Natural Health differs from Toronto-based Cannabinoid Medical Clinic (CMC) in that it will treat patients without a referral from another doctor. All four of its Edmonton physicians are registered psychiatrists and can access medical records on a patient's behalf.
"When we're successful accommodating this exact specialty, and opening up a fully operational specialty clinic, there really will be no need for doctors to write prescriptions because patients will have an alternative," Fader said.
Fader said CMC actually attempted to buy him out several months ago, but he turned down the offer. Metro contacted CMC but officials did not return calls.
Fader said his clinic deals in a wide range of ailments and its largest age demographic is over 81 years old. He expects the patient list to grow once NHS moves into a permanent home, which is currently under construction.
Federal laws require patients with prescriptions to have orders shipped to them by licensed producers. Some have criticized clinics for potentially high costs of going through certain companies, but Fader said he deals with every licensed producer in Canada to find the right prices for patients.
"There are quite a few [producers], actually, that accommodate both financial assistance programs as well as lower priced products," he said. "So anybody debating the fact that they're able to get cheaper product on the street is 100 per cent incorrect."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Edmonton Clinic Serving 2,500 Medical Cannabis Users
Author: Kevin Maimann
Contact: Metro Edmonton
Photo Credit: AP
Website: Metro Edmonton
Steve Fader is part-owner of Natural Health Services (NHS), which opened its local operation in late February at a temporary spot on Jasper Avenue. It first opened a Calgary clinic last year that treats roughly the same number of patients.
Natural Health differs from Toronto-based Cannabinoid Medical Clinic (CMC) in that it will treat patients without a referral from another doctor. All four of its Edmonton physicians are registered psychiatrists and can access medical records on a patient's behalf.
"When we're successful accommodating this exact specialty, and opening up a fully operational specialty clinic, there really will be no need for doctors to write prescriptions because patients will have an alternative," Fader said.
Fader said CMC actually attempted to buy him out several months ago, but he turned down the offer. Metro contacted CMC but officials did not return calls.
Fader said his clinic deals in a wide range of ailments and its largest age demographic is over 81 years old. He expects the patient list to grow once NHS moves into a permanent home, which is currently under construction.
Federal laws require patients with prescriptions to have orders shipped to them by licensed producers. Some have criticized clinics for potentially high costs of going through certain companies, but Fader said he deals with every licensed producer in Canada to find the right prices for patients.
"There are quite a few [producers], actually, that accommodate both financial assistance programs as well as lower priced products," he said. "So anybody debating the fact that they're able to get cheaper product on the street is 100 per cent incorrect."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Edmonton Clinic Serving 2,500 Medical Cannabis Users
Author: Kevin Maimann
Contact: Metro Edmonton
Photo Credit: AP
Website: Metro Edmonton
