Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Notching your third year is a big milestone for any small business, but it's especially gratifying to Gina Berman and Lilach Power because of the hurdles and stigma they had to overcome just to get their medical marijuana dispensary up and running.
A former emergency room doctor, Berman serves as medical director of The Giving Tree Wellness Center, which has locations in Mesa and Phoenix. With a background in business and marketing, Power monitors legislative issues, industry trends and the latest research on medical marijuana.
Outside of business, they're good friends and moms who pack school lunches and carpool to after-school activities.
Berman said she grew increasingly frustrated as a physician to see patients struggle with chronic pain and sometimes fall into opiate dependency.
"I was just continuing the problem. It was a lose-lose situation," she said. "Now, I have a less-addictive alternative. I feel I'm part of the solution."
She and Power began exploring therapies such as meditation, yoga, massage and acupuncture about seven years ago with an eye toward opening an alternative wellness center. Proposition 203, which legalized the use of medical marijuana in Arizona in 2010, pushed them in a new direction.
Berman said 70 percent of her clients buy medical marijuana for chronic pain. Others find it helpful for Crohn's disease and the nausea that often results from cancer chemotherapy. Medical marijuana has also proven to be a lifesaver for those with post-traumatic stress disorder, she said.
Although glaucoma is an approved condition for medical marijuana, Berman said the drug isn't as effective as most people think, because it only provides temporary relief. Patients have found some success with marijuana-laced drops, if they can tolerate them, she added.
Power said she knows the plant has medical benefits, but a lack of research makes that difficult to prove.
"We are eagerly learning what they are doing and hopefully can find a way to cooperate and be a part of it," Power said from her native Israel, which has become an important center of medical marijuana research.
Berman said a lot of the marijuana that The Giving Tree grows at the Phoenix location is extracted and turned into capsules, tinctures and edibles. That results in very precise dosage amounts, she said. The Giving Tree even provides a powder that can be sprinkled on food for pets that suffer from joint pain, seizures and allergies.
Of course, people want the buds, too, although Berman tries to discourage clients from smoking it. Vaporizing is safer than smoking, she said.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, nearly 98,000 residents qualify for medical marijuana. Of those, nearly 61,000 live in Maricopa County; Pima County has a little more than 13,000.
To qualify for medical marijuana, patients have to be diagnosed with one or more of the approved debilitating conditions and receive written certification from a doctor (or osteopath, naturopath or homeopath) licensed to practice in Arizona. The patient can then apply online for a registry identification card, which costs $150 yearly, or $75 if a patient qualifies for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's SNAP program.
The department keeps very close tabs on dispensaries and how much they sell per month. For example, dispensaries sold a total of 75,958.22 ounces of medical marijuana in April.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Dispensary Overcomes Marijuana Stigma, Celebrates Third Anniversary
Author: Mike Butler
Contact: (480) 898-6500
Photo Credit: Will Powers
Website: East Valley Tribune
A former emergency room doctor, Berman serves as medical director of The Giving Tree Wellness Center, which has locations in Mesa and Phoenix. With a background in business and marketing, Power monitors legislative issues, industry trends and the latest research on medical marijuana.
Outside of business, they're good friends and moms who pack school lunches and carpool to after-school activities.
Berman said she grew increasingly frustrated as a physician to see patients struggle with chronic pain and sometimes fall into opiate dependency.
"I was just continuing the problem. It was a lose-lose situation," she said. "Now, I have a less-addictive alternative. I feel I'm part of the solution."
She and Power began exploring therapies such as meditation, yoga, massage and acupuncture about seven years ago with an eye toward opening an alternative wellness center. Proposition 203, which legalized the use of medical marijuana in Arizona in 2010, pushed them in a new direction.
Berman said 70 percent of her clients buy medical marijuana for chronic pain. Others find it helpful for Crohn's disease and the nausea that often results from cancer chemotherapy. Medical marijuana has also proven to be a lifesaver for those with post-traumatic stress disorder, she said.
Although glaucoma is an approved condition for medical marijuana, Berman said the drug isn't as effective as most people think, because it only provides temporary relief. Patients have found some success with marijuana-laced drops, if they can tolerate them, she added.
Power said she knows the plant has medical benefits, but a lack of research makes that difficult to prove.
"We are eagerly learning what they are doing and hopefully can find a way to cooperate and be a part of it," Power said from her native Israel, which has become an important center of medical marijuana research.
Berman said a lot of the marijuana that The Giving Tree grows at the Phoenix location is extracted and turned into capsules, tinctures and edibles. That results in very precise dosage amounts, she said. The Giving Tree even provides a powder that can be sprinkled on food for pets that suffer from joint pain, seizures and allergies.
Of course, people want the buds, too, although Berman tries to discourage clients from smoking it. Vaporizing is safer than smoking, she said.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, nearly 98,000 residents qualify for medical marijuana. Of those, nearly 61,000 live in Maricopa County; Pima County has a little more than 13,000.
To qualify for medical marijuana, patients have to be diagnosed with one or more of the approved debilitating conditions and receive written certification from a doctor (or osteopath, naturopath or homeopath) licensed to practice in Arizona. The patient can then apply online for a registry identification card, which costs $150 yearly, or $75 if a patient qualifies for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's SNAP program.
The department keeps very close tabs on dispensaries and how much they sell per month. For example, dispensaries sold a total of 75,958.22 ounces of medical marijuana in April.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Dispensary Overcomes Marijuana Stigma, Celebrates Third Anniversary
Author: Mike Butler
Contact: (480) 898-6500
Photo Credit: Will Powers
Website: East Valley Tribune
