Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
While a big focus of the marijuana industry is on the legalization of recreational use in Colorado and Washington, Connecticut currently has its own medical marijuana policy and has six medical marijuana dispensaries.
South Windsor's Prime Wellness of Connecticut, the first approved medical marijuana dispensary in the state, has been serving patients since September.
Co-founder and CEO Thomas Nicholas said that while the dispensary initially started out slower than anticipated, it now serves almost 500 patients.
But Nicholas doesn't intend to stop at serving up the edible and inhalable cannabis products, which include cookies, crackers, butters, "vapes," extracts, flowers, and oils.
"Our mission is to educate the residents of the state to the state policy of marijuana and deliver a high-quality product at reasonable prices," he said.
Brett Sicklick, the director of operations at Prime Wellness, agrees.
"Beyond providing a safe and compassionate place for patients to get medical cannabis, we're huge proponents for education," he said. "We want to empower patients to better manage their health care and their symptoms."
Nicholas and Sicklick believe that increased education and knowledge of how marijuana can be used as medicine has been a big factor in the increased number of registered patients in the state.
Sicklick said that about 600 new patients are processed weekly in Connecticut, and that the South Windsor dispensary is gaining 20 to 30 patients a week.
"The success stories of the patients that we have here have been pretty remarkable," Sicklick said. "We're doing our job to the best of our ability, and our patients are on the right path and it's going to get better from here."
Both men say there is "no question" there are negative stereotypes linked to marijuana, but they also say it is their goal to teach people the positive contributions of the substance.
"The hope is that every day we can break down those negative connotations and help people see the plant for what it is. It's such a dynamic plant and can do so many amazing things," Sicklick said.
While research is something they look forward to conducting because it can show the positive medicinal contributions of marijuana, the federal government still considers marijuana an illegal substance.
"The biggest handcuff is that tons and tons of universities want to do research on marijuana but can't because it is illegal at the federal level," said Nicholas. "At some point the federal government has to recognize that there's a real benefit for this product as medicine."
Connecticut also has a marijuana testing facility in Willington, known as "the CRO," for Cannabis Research Organization, which began testing late last year. The lab performs tests on medical marijuana to ensure patients' safety.
Sicklick said he hopes the state can have an effect on the spread of awareness of the medical benefits of marijuana.
"Our hope is that Connecticut can help spur research and make sure patients, physicians, and the general population are looking at this and seeing that it can do so many incredible things that many people are privy to," he said.
As of April 15 there are 3,635 registered patients in Connecticut. Patients can expect to pay a $100 fee to register with the Department of Consumer Protection and a $25 fee for the card, along with whatever their private physician charges.
According to the menu listed on Prime Wellness' website, patients can then expect to pay from $16 for a 2-gram pack of ready-to-roll pot, to $145 for a tincture containing just under 500 mg of THC - the active ingredient in marijuana - suspended in 15 ml of solution. A half-cup of roasted almond butter will set a patient back $50, while a package of three cinnamon sugar cookies costs $26 and delivers 23 mg of THC per cookie.
The conditions recognized by the state for medical marijuana treatment are cancer, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, neurodegenerative disease, HIV/AIDS, cachexia, post-traumatic stress disorder, epilepsy, wasting syndrome, and glaucoma.
The other dispensaries in the state are in Hartford, Branford, Bristol, and Uncasville.
Sicklick said anyone interested in any aspect of medical marijuana can contact Prime Wellness of Connecticut, and he or Nichols will answer any questions.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: After slow start, marijuana dispensary numbers soar - Journal Inquirer: Page One
Author: Kyle Penn
Contact: news@journalinquirer.com
Photo Credit: Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters
Website: www.journalinquirer
South Windsor's Prime Wellness of Connecticut, the first approved medical marijuana dispensary in the state, has been serving patients since September.
Co-founder and CEO Thomas Nicholas said that while the dispensary initially started out slower than anticipated, it now serves almost 500 patients.
But Nicholas doesn't intend to stop at serving up the edible and inhalable cannabis products, which include cookies, crackers, butters, "vapes," extracts, flowers, and oils.
"Our mission is to educate the residents of the state to the state policy of marijuana and deliver a high-quality product at reasonable prices," he said.
Brett Sicklick, the director of operations at Prime Wellness, agrees.
"Beyond providing a safe and compassionate place for patients to get medical cannabis, we're huge proponents for education," he said. "We want to empower patients to better manage their health care and their symptoms."
Nicholas and Sicklick believe that increased education and knowledge of how marijuana can be used as medicine has been a big factor in the increased number of registered patients in the state.
Sicklick said that about 600 new patients are processed weekly in Connecticut, and that the South Windsor dispensary is gaining 20 to 30 patients a week.
"The success stories of the patients that we have here have been pretty remarkable," Sicklick said. "We're doing our job to the best of our ability, and our patients are on the right path and it's going to get better from here."
Both men say there is "no question" there are negative stereotypes linked to marijuana, but they also say it is their goal to teach people the positive contributions of the substance.
"The hope is that every day we can break down those negative connotations and help people see the plant for what it is. It's such a dynamic plant and can do so many amazing things," Sicklick said.
While research is something they look forward to conducting because it can show the positive medicinal contributions of marijuana, the federal government still considers marijuana an illegal substance.
"The biggest handcuff is that tons and tons of universities want to do research on marijuana but can't because it is illegal at the federal level," said Nicholas. "At some point the federal government has to recognize that there's a real benefit for this product as medicine."
Connecticut also has a marijuana testing facility in Willington, known as "the CRO," for Cannabis Research Organization, which began testing late last year. The lab performs tests on medical marijuana to ensure patients' safety.
Sicklick said he hopes the state can have an effect on the spread of awareness of the medical benefits of marijuana.
"Our hope is that Connecticut can help spur research and make sure patients, physicians, and the general population are looking at this and seeing that it can do so many incredible things that many people are privy to," he said.
As of April 15 there are 3,635 registered patients in Connecticut. Patients can expect to pay a $100 fee to register with the Department of Consumer Protection and a $25 fee for the card, along with whatever their private physician charges.
According to the menu listed on Prime Wellness' website, patients can then expect to pay from $16 for a 2-gram pack of ready-to-roll pot, to $145 for a tincture containing just under 500 mg of THC - the active ingredient in marijuana - suspended in 15 ml of solution. A half-cup of roasted almond butter will set a patient back $50, while a package of three cinnamon sugar cookies costs $26 and delivers 23 mg of THC per cookie.
The conditions recognized by the state for medical marijuana treatment are cancer, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, neurodegenerative disease, HIV/AIDS, cachexia, post-traumatic stress disorder, epilepsy, wasting syndrome, and glaucoma.
The other dispensaries in the state are in Hartford, Branford, Bristol, and Uncasville.
Sicklick said anyone interested in any aspect of medical marijuana can contact Prime Wellness of Connecticut, and he or Nichols will answer any questions.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: After slow start, marijuana dispensary numbers soar - Journal Inquirer: Page One
Author: Kyle Penn
Contact: news@journalinquirer.com
Photo Credit: Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters
Website: www.journalinquirer
