Robert Celt
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Named after an Irish goddess of transformation and healing, Etain LLC is opening its most western medical marijuana dispensary in Syracuse Wednesday. The company, run by Amy, Hillary and Keeley Peckham, owns and operates two other dispensaries in Kingston and Albany with a manufacturing site in Chestertown.
"We're very excited to be able to offer people this medication," said Hillary Peckham, the chief operating officer of Etain.
With no signage outside yet, the newest medical marijuana dispensary is located on 2140 Erie Boulevard East near an auto body shop. The dispensary will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
Etain will sell oil-based medical marijuana to patients with a recommendation from a doctor. Patients will enter the front room of the building where they will be asked to produce a driver's license, which may designate them as a medical marijuana patient, and the doctor's recommendation. Once they are cleared, the patient will enter the second half of the building to meet with a pharmacist.
Hillary said first-time users should expect a 30-minute appointment, where counsel will work out the best method for the patient to take the drug.
Currently Etain offers the oil in a few different ways. It can be used as drops, which go under the tongue or spread on a patient's gums. It can be inhaled as a vapor, taken as an oral spray or swallowed as liquid capsules. Hillary said patients take anywhere between 5 milligrams and 1 gram per day.
"We like to start slow and build up as they need," she said.
While there are no doctors on staff at Etain, the company works closely with patients' doctors to make sure other medications or conditions will not conflict.
Etain currently has 25 patients it serves among its two offices, and hopes to have more now that the Syracuse branch is completed. They expect to serve patients as far as Buffalo.
While the Peckhams are getting their business up and running, patients can expect to pay between $100 and $250 per product. They accept cash only, as the banking industry is not currently allowed to handle those kinds of transactions.
Hillary said she hopes the business will be able to lower prices in the future as the demand increases.
"I think the program will grow," Hillary said. "I hope people will recognize the benefits to patients."
Medical marijuana is considered by some doctors as a potential pain reliever or muscle relaxer for various conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, neuropathy and severe spinal chord injuries, to name a few. The state approved its medical use in a law passed in 2014. Hillary Peckham said there were about 50 patients approved for treatment in the state when the program first started, and she believes that number has increased to about 500.
Amy Peckham, Hillary's mother, said Etain is in constant contact with the state Department of Health to make sure the product and patients are all accounted for.
"It's a young program, and they're still making rules," Amy said. "We're trying to adapt and respond."
Hillary Peckham and her family got into the business because Hillary's grandmother had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It's a nervous system disease that weakens the muscles. Hillary's grandmother was on about 20 different medications, and the side effects were trying. At that time, medical marijuana was not an available option.
Hillary, herself, has encountered difficulties with prescription medications after a hip surgery went wrong. She lost the use of her right leg for two years. Doctors prescribed her Percocet for the pain and Adderall to keep her focused and awake. She, too, was not able to see if medical marijuana would have been a better option.
"It was not a fun time," Hillary said about her time on the prescription drugs. "I believe in it (medical marijuana). I think it really is a great option. I think it's a new program. It's just education, education, education on the patient's side and on the physician's side."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Etain's Third Medical Marijuana Dispensary In The State Opens In Syracuse
Author: Gwendolyn Craig
Photo Credit: Gwendolyn Craig
Website: auburnpub
"We're very excited to be able to offer people this medication," said Hillary Peckham, the chief operating officer of Etain.
With no signage outside yet, the newest medical marijuana dispensary is located on 2140 Erie Boulevard East near an auto body shop. The dispensary will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
Etain will sell oil-based medical marijuana to patients with a recommendation from a doctor. Patients will enter the front room of the building where they will be asked to produce a driver's license, which may designate them as a medical marijuana patient, and the doctor's recommendation. Once they are cleared, the patient will enter the second half of the building to meet with a pharmacist.
Hillary said first-time users should expect a 30-minute appointment, where counsel will work out the best method for the patient to take the drug.
Currently Etain offers the oil in a few different ways. It can be used as drops, which go under the tongue or spread on a patient's gums. It can be inhaled as a vapor, taken as an oral spray or swallowed as liquid capsules. Hillary said patients take anywhere between 5 milligrams and 1 gram per day.
"We like to start slow and build up as they need," she said.
While there are no doctors on staff at Etain, the company works closely with patients' doctors to make sure other medications or conditions will not conflict.
Etain currently has 25 patients it serves among its two offices, and hopes to have more now that the Syracuse branch is completed. They expect to serve patients as far as Buffalo.
While the Peckhams are getting their business up and running, patients can expect to pay between $100 and $250 per product. They accept cash only, as the banking industry is not currently allowed to handle those kinds of transactions.
Hillary said she hopes the business will be able to lower prices in the future as the demand increases.
"I think the program will grow," Hillary said. "I hope people will recognize the benefits to patients."
Medical marijuana is considered by some doctors as a potential pain reliever or muscle relaxer for various conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, neuropathy and severe spinal chord injuries, to name a few. The state approved its medical use in a law passed in 2014. Hillary Peckham said there were about 50 patients approved for treatment in the state when the program first started, and she believes that number has increased to about 500.
Amy Peckham, Hillary's mother, said Etain is in constant contact with the state Department of Health to make sure the product and patients are all accounted for.
"It's a young program, and they're still making rules," Amy said. "We're trying to adapt and respond."
Hillary Peckham and her family got into the business because Hillary's grandmother had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It's a nervous system disease that weakens the muscles. Hillary's grandmother was on about 20 different medications, and the side effects were trying. At that time, medical marijuana was not an available option.
Hillary, herself, has encountered difficulties with prescription medications after a hip surgery went wrong. She lost the use of her right leg for two years. Doctors prescribed her Percocet for the pain and Adderall to keep her focused and awake. She, too, was not able to see if medical marijuana would have been a better option.
"It was not a fun time," Hillary said about her time on the prescription drugs. "I believe in it (medical marijuana). I think it really is a great option. I think it's a new program. It's just education, education, education on the patient's side and on the physician's side."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Etain's Third Medical Marijuana Dispensary In The State Opens In Syracuse
Author: Gwendolyn Craig
Photo Credit: Gwendolyn Craig
Website: auburnpub
