Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Most of the medical marijuana patients in Connecticut are being seen by a handful of doctors, whose role is to certify patients' eligibility and send them to one of the state's six dispensaries.
That's the case even as state Consumer Protection Commissioner Jonathan Harris has launched a public service campaign to increase the number of doctors registered in the medical marijuana program.
Only 239 doctors have signed up as of July 23, Harris said, up 17 from the beginning of the campaign of radio and print public service announcements, although Harris said he couldn't determine any connection between the increase and the campaign itself.
"There's been incremental growth for a while," he said. "We would like to keep expanding so it meets the expanding patient base."
Of his doctor-recruitment campaign, Harris said, "We want to let them know to be aware that there is potentially another tool in their toolkit."
But of those 239 doctors, only about eight certify the vast majority of medical marijuana patients, according to John Nicolazzo, co-owner of a referral website.*edit*
The number of registered patients who are eligible to get medical marijuana stands at 4,914, according to the Department of Consumer Protection's website. Nicolazzo said more than 4,000 of those are seen by the doctors registered with his company. One has registered more than 1,000, he said.
Nicolazzo, a Connecticut native, said, "The reason we exist (is) there is a very low amount of physicians that are participating in the cannabis program, whether Connecticut, New York or anywhere else," he said. A recent campaign to sign up doctors for New York's medical marijuana program yielded one willing physician out of 500 contacted, he said.
Nicolazzo said patients contact his group through the website and are pre-screened to be sure they meet Connecticut's conditions: that they're over 18 and have one of the 11 approved conditions. (Six more are pending legislative regulatory review.) "Once they're educated, we then check with the physician to see which one would want to see the patients."
Nicolazzo said the doctors he has referred to include Dr. Judith Major in Monroe and Dr. Stephen Brown in Guilford. Major was one of the first doctors to agree to see medical cannabis patients and said she no longer relies on Nicolazzo's website but has one of her own.*edit*
Colin Souney of Guilford, who uses marijuana for post-traumatic stress disorder, said the number of doctors is increasing and that Major is "a good doctor. She has no problem recommending people if you suffer from a qualifying condition. ... It's not California; there's no doctor sitting in the dispensary waiting."
The Internet is a major way patients find doctors who will certify them to buy cannabis. Harris said many others are referred by one of the six medical marijuana dispensaries in the state, which are all staffed by registered pharmacists. His department recently posted a request for application to increase the number of dispensaries, especially in New Haven and Fairfield counties, which have the most registered patients.
According to the DCP website, New Haven County has 1,298 patients, Fairfield 1,196 and Hartford County 1,054.
Even so, "There's still a lot of people out there, surprisingly enough, that don't even know that Connecticut has a medical marijuana program. There's still a lot of uncertainty about it among physicians and patients," Harris said.
But he added that doctors "can decide whether or not this is good for their patient. We're not trying to tell doctors that they have to do something."
Medical cannabis first became available in September 2014 at the six state dispensaries, including Bluepoint Wellness of Connecticut in Branford. Patients, who pay $100 to register with the state, then $150 to $300 for a doctor's appointment, can be prescribed the drug for 11 conditions, including epilepsy, PTSD, cancer, glaucoma and Crohn's disease.
While the federal government is not enforcing its law that classifies marijuana as a schedule 1 narcotic, like heroin or cocaine, many doctors are hesitant to participate in the program. However, the doctor's role is not as a prescriber but is limited to certifying a patient to buy up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis per month.
While any doctor with a federal narcotics license can certify patients, "The doctors are not ordering the drug, which is nice because federally it's illegal," said Laurie Zrenda, pharmacist and owner of Thames Valley Alternative Relief, a dispensary in Montville's Uncasville section.
"Pharmacists are helping them choose the drug," Zrenda said.
She said 630 patients are registered to visit her dispensary – each patient may patronize only one – and she said "there are some local neurologists and local oncologists that are doing it for their patients and there are some that aren't. I'd say maybe 75 percent are coming from the six marijuana doctors that I know of."
Zrenda said all the dispensaries have mostly the same products and "The old-fashioned smoking bud is the most popular thing." Next is an oil used in a vaporizer, inhaled much like an e-cigarette. "They're still inhaling it but there's no odor," she said. Other forms include edibles, oils and strips that can be placed under the tongue.
Brown, a retired cosmetic surgeon, said he started seeing patients for marijuana out of medical curiosity. "I've just started doing the certifications. My goal is to follow up on my patients ... to find out – does this drug work? Does it really help people?"
"Most of what I've learned is from Canada," where the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids is based, said Brown, who said he's seen only seven patients so far, all of whom have come to him to renew their annual registration. "They're claiming they're better but I have no way of knowing," he said.
Brown said he's toured two dispensaries and plans to visit all six. While they're very professional-looking, he said, "It is interesting when you walk in; there's a very distinct odor in the air."
Major said she's seen improvement in patients. "It's fantastic," she said of the program. "Ninety percent of the patients are returning and we are seeing excellent progress." She said that, in addition to her website, she gets referrals from other patients.
The various strains of cannabis, which have differing levels of THC, CBD and other cannabinoids – the active ingredients in marijuana – help reduce nausea in patients with cancer and reduce the pressure in the eyes of glaucoma sufferers.
For PTSD patients, many of whom are veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the indica strain of cannabis helps with sleep while sativa reduces depression. "We have tons of people coming back from the war," Major said.
Other effects include reducing muscle spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis and tremors in those with Parkinson's disease. For HIV patients, marijuana helps reduce side effects and increases appetite.
Major said her patients are grateful to be able to use marijuana rather than other narcotics or pain medications. "We are happy to participate," she said. "These people are crying when they come to see me. They are hugging and kissing and crying. They are so thankful for this program."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical marijuana: Thousands of Connecticut patients, but few doctors participate
Author: Ed Stannard
Contact: Contact Us
Photo Credit: Steve Dipaola/Reuters
Website: New Haven Register: Breaking News, Sports, Business, Entertainment & New Haven News
That's the case even as state Consumer Protection Commissioner Jonathan Harris has launched a public service campaign to increase the number of doctors registered in the medical marijuana program.
Only 239 doctors have signed up as of July 23, Harris said, up 17 from the beginning of the campaign of radio and print public service announcements, although Harris said he couldn't determine any connection between the increase and the campaign itself.
"There's been incremental growth for a while," he said. "We would like to keep expanding so it meets the expanding patient base."
Of his doctor-recruitment campaign, Harris said, "We want to let them know to be aware that there is potentially another tool in their toolkit."
But of those 239 doctors, only about eight certify the vast majority of medical marijuana patients, according to John Nicolazzo, co-owner of a referral website.*edit*
The number of registered patients who are eligible to get medical marijuana stands at 4,914, according to the Department of Consumer Protection's website. Nicolazzo said more than 4,000 of those are seen by the doctors registered with his company. One has registered more than 1,000, he said.
Nicolazzo, a Connecticut native, said, "The reason we exist (is) there is a very low amount of physicians that are participating in the cannabis program, whether Connecticut, New York or anywhere else," he said. A recent campaign to sign up doctors for New York's medical marijuana program yielded one willing physician out of 500 contacted, he said.
Nicolazzo said patients contact his group through the website and are pre-screened to be sure they meet Connecticut's conditions: that they're over 18 and have one of the 11 approved conditions. (Six more are pending legislative regulatory review.) "Once they're educated, we then check with the physician to see which one would want to see the patients."
Nicolazzo said the doctors he has referred to include Dr. Judith Major in Monroe and Dr. Stephen Brown in Guilford. Major was one of the first doctors to agree to see medical cannabis patients and said she no longer relies on Nicolazzo's website but has one of her own.*edit*
Colin Souney of Guilford, who uses marijuana for post-traumatic stress disorder, said the number of doctors is increasing and that Major is "a good doctor. She has no problem recommending people if you suffer from a qualifying condition. ... It's not California; there's no doctor sitting in the dispensary waiting."
The Internet is a major way patients find doctors who will certify them to buy cannabis. Harris said many others are referred by one of the six medical marijuana dispensaries in the state, which are all staffed by registered pharmacists. His department recently posted a request for application to increase the number of dispensaries, especially in New Haven and Fairfield counties, which have the most registered patients.
According to the DCP website, New Haven County has 1,298 patients, Fairfield 1,196 and Hartford County 1,054.
Even so, "There's still a lot of people out there, surprisingly enough, that don't even know that Connecticut has a medical marijuana program. There's still a lot of uncertainty about it among physicians and patients," Harris said.
But he added that doctors "can decide whether or not this is good for their patient. We're not trying to tell doctors that they have to do something."
Medical cannabis first became available in September 2014 at the six state dispensaries, including Bluepoint Wellness of Connecticut in Branford. Patients, who pay $100 to register with the state, then $150 to $300 for a doctor's appointment, can be prescribed the drug for 11 conditions, including epilepsy, PTSD, cancer, glaucoma and Crohn's disease.
While the federal government is not enforcing its law that classifies marijuana as a schedule 1 narcotic, like heroin or cocaine, many doctors are hesitant to participate in the program. However, the doctor's role is not as a prescriber but is limited to certifying a patient to buy up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis per month.
While any doctor with a federal narcotics license can certify patients, "The doctors are not ordering the drug, which is nice because federally it's illegal," said Laurie Zrenda, pharmacist and owner of Thames Valley Alternative Relief, a dispensary in Montville's Uncasville section.
"Pharmacists are helping them choose the drug," Zrenda said.
She said 630 patients are registered to visit her dispensary – each patient may patronize only one – and she said "there are some local neurologists and local oncologists that are doing it for their patients and there are some that aren't. I'd say maybe 75 percent are coming from the six marijuana doctors that I know of."
Zrenda said all the dispensaries have mostly the same products and "The old-fashioned smoking bud is the most popular thing." Next is an oil used in a vaporizer, inhaled much like an e-cigarette. "They're still inhaling it but there's no odor," she said. Other forms include edibles, oils and strips that can be placed under the tongue.
Brown, a retired cosmetic surgeon, said he started seeing patients for marijuana out of medical curiosity. "I've just started doing the certifications. My goal is to follow up on my patients ... to find out – does this drug work? Does it really help people?"
"Most of what I've learned is from Canada," where the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids is based, said Brown, who said he's seen only seven patients so far, all of whom have come to him to renew their annual registration. "They're claiming they're better but I have no way of knowing," he said.
Brown said he's toured two dispensaries and plans to visit all six. While they're very professional-looking, he said, "It is interesting when you walk in; there's a very distinct odor in the air."
Major said she's seen improvement in patients. "It's fantastic," she said of the program. "Ninety percent of the patients are returning and we are seeing excellent progress." She said that, in addition to her website, she gets referrals from other patients.
The various strains of cannabis, which have differing levels of THC, CBD and other cannabinoids – the active ingredients in marijuana – help reduce nausea in patients with cancer and reduce the pressure in the eyes of glaucoma sufferers.
For PTSD patients, many of whom are veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the indica strain of cannabis helps with sleep while sativa reduces depression. "We have tons of people coming back from the war," Major said.
Other effects include reducing muscle spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis and tremors in those with Parkinson's disease. For HIV patients, marijuana helps reduce side effects and increases appetite.
Major said her patients are grateful to be able to use marijuana rather than other narcotics or pain medications. "We are happy to participate," she said. "These people are crying when they come to see me. They are hugging and kissing and crying. They are so thankful for this program."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical marijuana: Thousands of Connecticut patients, but few doctors participate
Author: Ed Stannard
Contact: Contact Us
Photo Credit: Steve Dipaola/Reuters
Website: New Haven Register: Breaking News, Sports, Business, Entertainment & New Haven News
