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Nearly three years after Arizona voters narrowly approved the concept, medical marijuana has come to Mesa.
Giving Tree Wellness Center opened in late June at 938 E. Juanita Ave., just the sort of industrial-park setting that the City Council envisioned two years ago when it approved zoning restrictions for such businesses.
It is Giving Tree's second facility in the Valley; the other is in north Phoenix.
Both are under the medical direction of Dr. Gina Berman, an emergency-room physician who believes traditional Western medicine can go only so far in helping some patients.
"I see a lot of patients ... who have had organs removed or they have chronic pain, they're on patches and ... they're on all these different things and they're not getting any better and they're going down the rabbit hole of narcotics," Berman said. "So I thought it would be interesting to try to open people's eyes to other alternative therapies."
She was especially interested in acupuncture and acupressure massage.
"I thought it would be nice to have a whole center where patients could come and really try out those other modalities," Berman said. But one problem with that is chronically ill patients may not have the money to experiment with therapies that may or may not help them.
Berman said approval of Proposition 203 in November 2010 opened her eyes to the possibility that a medical-marijuana facility could financially support those other services.
Finding a location in Mesa was tough, however.
Early plans for a site near Country Club Drive and Baseline Road fell through, as did Berman's first choice in the industrial park just east of Horne Street and south of U.S. 60.
The lobby looks like any medical office. Patients must pass a security check before they're allowed into the locked dispensary, where they can inspect and smell samples displayed in petri dishes.
There's a microscope so customers can look at the marijuana plant's tiny "trichomes," the appendages that contain the active ingredients. Blowups of microscopic marijuana photos adorn the walls, looking in some cases like impressionist paintings.
The dispensary has some vacant rooms that Berman hopes will someday accommodate a yoga studio, a naturopathic physician and other forms of therapy.
Paul Morris, a Mesa resident who manages the facility, said about 50 patients came through during its first week. Morris said he got interested in the business because several family members have suffered chronic illnesses, including an uncle whose doctor told him to use marijuana for cancer-induced nausea.
"I'm kind of sympathetic to the cause," Morris said.
Patients must have state-issued cards before they can patronize a medical-marijuana shop. The limit is 21/2 ounces every two weeks. Berman said the most common purchase is a bag containing an eighth of an ounce, about a quarter- or half-cup in volume.
It's not a cheap alternative, medicine-wise. Giving Tree's website lists five strains of marijuana, ranging from $390 to $430 an ounce. The drug must be grown in Arizona because transportation across state lines violates federal law.
The material in her shop is tested for contaminants and strength, Berman said. The same would apply to any marijuana donated to the store for free distribution, although Berman said no such donations have come in.
When asked directly whether as a physician she is convinced marijuana is a valid treatment for some conditions, Berman said, "I am."
"I can't see how anybody who's looked at the research and the evidence can say otherwise," she added. "I'm not saying it's a panacea. And I'm not saying it's the best thing for everything. That's ridiculous."
But, she said, the mostly middle-aged patients who come to her center deserve an opportunity to find a treatment that works.
"They are ill people," she said. "They're not potheads that are looking to have fun. The people that come in here really do have medical issues. ... You can't treat the patients automatically like they're criminals. They're trying to make their lives better."
She said marijuana must be treated as carefully as anything else people consume.
"Everything you put in your body can have a downside," she said. "Caffeine, sugar, alcohol, tobacco, fat, high-fructose corn syrup. You name it, if you put it in your body you need to know what its effects are and what the bad things are about it. And then moderation is the key."
Patients, she said, will be responsible for making sure they don't violate the law after they use marijuana.
"I know there's a lot of concern about people smoking and driving," Berman said. But she said the same level of concern should apply to people who drive after drinking, or when they're tired or on medication.
Berman said she'd eventually like to move to a more visible location, something she thinks is possible as Mesa gets used to medical-marijuana facilities and as zoning laws evolve.
"I think it's wise to take it slow and then we can open things up as people become more comfortable," Berman said.
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: azcentral.com
Author: Gary Nelson
Giving Tree Wellness Center opened in late June at 938 E. Juanita Ave., just the sort of industrial-park setting that the City Council envisioned two years ago when it approved zoning restrictions for such businesses.
It is Giving Tree's second facility in the Valley; the other is in north Phoenix.
Both are under the medical direction of Dr. Gina Berman, an emergency-room physician who believes traditional Western medicine can go only so far in helping some patients.
"I see a lot of patients ... who have had organs removed or they have chronic pain, they're on patches and ... they're on all these different things and they're not getting any better and they're going down the rabbit hole of narcotics," Berman said. "So I thought it would be interesting to try to open people's eyes to other alternative therapies."
She was especially interested in acupuncture and acupressure massage.
"I thought it would be nice to have a whole center where patients could come and really try out those other modalities," Berman said. But one problem with that is chronically ill patients may not have the money to experiment with therapies that may or may not help them.
Berman said approval of Proposition 203 in November 2010 opened her eyes to the possibility that a medical-marijuana facility could financially support those other services.
Finding a location in Mesa was tough, however.
Early plans for a site near Country Club Drive and Baseline Road fell through, as did Berman's first choice in the industrial park just east of Horne Street and south of U.S. 60.
The lobby looks like any medical office. Patients must pass a security check before they're allowed into the locked dispensary, where they can inspect and smell samples displayed in petri dishes.
There's a microscope so customers can look at the marijuana plant's tiny "trichomes," the appendages that contain the active ingredients. Blowups of microscopic marijuana photos adorn the walls, looking in some cases like impressionist paintings.
The dispensary has some vacant rooms that Berman hopes will someday accommodate a yoga studio, a naturopathic physician and other forms of therapy.
Paul Morris, a Mesa resident who manages the facility, said about 50 patients came through during its first week. Morris said he got interested in the business because several family members have suffered chronic illnesses, including an uncle whose doctor told him to use marijuana for cancer-induced nausea.
"I'm kind of sympathetic to the cause," Morris said.
Patients must have state-issued cards before they can patronize a medical-marijuana shop. The limit is 21/2 ounces every two weeks. Berman said the most common purchase is a bag containing an eighth of an ounce, about a quarter- or half-cup in volume.
It's not a cheap alternative, medicine-wise. Giving Tree's website lists five strains of marijuana, ranging from $390 to $430 an ounce. The drug must be grown in Arizona because transportation across state lines violates federal law.
The material in her shop is tested for contaminants and strength, Berman said. The same would apply to any marijuana donated to the store for free distribution, although Berman said no such donations have come in.
When asked directly whether as a physician she is convinced marijuana is a valid treatment for some conditions, Berman said, "I am."
"I can't see how anybody who's looked at the research and the evidence can say otherwise," she added. "I'm not saying it's a panacea. And I'm not saying it's the best thing for everything. That's ridiculous."
But, she said, the mostly middle-aged patients who come to her center deserve an opportunity to find a treatment that works.
"They are ill people," she said. "They're not potheads that are looking to have fun. The people that come in here really do have medical issues. ... You can't treat the patients automatically like they're criminals. They're trying to make their lives better."
She said marijuana must be treated as carefully as anything else people consume.
"Everything you put in your body can have a downside," she said. "Caffeine, sugar, alcohol, tobacco, fat, high-fructose corn syrup. You name it, if you put it in your body you need to know what its effects are and what the bad things are about it. And then moderation is the key."
Patients, she said, will be responsible for making sure they don't violate the law after they use marijuana.
"I know there's a lot of concern about people smoking and driving," Berman said. But she said the same level of concern should apply to people who drive after drinking, or when they're tired or on medication.
Berman said she'd eventually like to move to a more visible location, something she thinks is possible as Mesa gets used to medical-marijuana facilities and as zoning laws evolve.
"I think it's wise to take it slow and then we can open things up as people become more comfortable," Berman said.
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: azcentral.com
Author: Gary Nelson
