Pubdate: Mon, 18 May 2015 Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON) Copyright: 2015 Canoe Limited Partnership Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/letter-to-editor Website: http://www.ottawasun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329 Author: Aedan Helmer Page: 5 THE BUZZ ABOUT THE BUD Whether you consider marijuana an illicit drug or a prescription medicine -- or something in between -- there's no denying the buzz the bud is creating. And while police and city officials play political hot potato with the presence of vape lounges operating on the outskirts of the law, some new major pot players are entering the fray. National Access Cannabis will open a satellite office on Wellington St. in June and Canadian Cannabis Clinics (CCC) will open its fourth Ontario location in a Montreal Rd. medical office building Tuesday. CCC director Ronan Levy explains the fully legal and government-sanctioned side of the pot trade. Q: What is Canadian Cannabis Clinics all about? A: It is through and through a doctor's office, staffed by doctors, nurses, medical office assistants, and we see patients and we assess them for their suitability for medical cannabis. Typically most patients come to us as referrals from their GPs, and we really exist to help out GPs and specialists. Q: What is the genesis of cannabis clinics? A: In 2014, doctors got the responsibility for figuring out medical cannabis and most didn't appreciate it, and most don't want anything to do with it. So we ultimately exist to help patients out, but we (also) help other doctors out who have patients inquiring about medical cannabis. Q: How does that differ from National Access Cannabis? A: That's more of a membership club, that will help you find a physician, and it's usually a paid visit with a doctor through Skype. We don't think that's good medicine, not to say anything negative about the doctors who are doing the assessments. There are no fees associated with our clinics, the appointments are all covered by OHIP, there is no fee for after-patient (care). We truly are a medical clinic. We exist to make (cannabis) an accessible and truly medical option for patients who are in need. Q: What is your motivation? A: Being entrepreneurs, we thought here's a huge opportunity to push something forward. None of us are by any stretch pro-marijuana activists. We just saw an opportunity, and we realize it does help a lot of patients. Just like any walk-in clinic, the doctor bills OHIP on a per-visit basis, and we do a revenue split with the doctor. Q: How does this differ from a marijuana dispensary? A: Those are often naturopaths writing prescriptions and then you're buying cannabis from the dispensary. We have no cannabis onsite and we don't touch it. The counsellor sits down with the patient and helps register with a licensed producer and order the cannabis, as you would under the (Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations). We are completely MMPR-compliant and we exist within the spirit of the MMPR and want to help push that program forward and make cannabis an accessible and affordable option for people. Q: What kind of clients do you see? A: The people who come to us are typically in a lot of pain and suffering, and they haven't found satisfaction with other medication. And we screen out the recreational drug users (50 to 60% of inquiries) who are just looking for a legal path to buy marijuana. [sidebar] Pot biz growing across the region National Access Cannabis 1111 Wellington St. West The Victoria, B.C.-based company announced expansion plans, including a clinic in Ottawa, where patients pay a fee for access to doctors who will consult with a patient, typically via Skype, and prescribe medicinal marijuana when appropriate. The clinic offers education, consultation and physician services, but does not dispense cannabis. Canadian Cannabis Clinics 595 Montreal Rd. The Toronto-based company will have four locations open by June, with three more affiliate offices in the GTA. The Ottawa clinic will be staffed by three doctors who consult with patients, primarily on a referral basis. If the patient qualifies for a prescription, a consultant will help the patient register with a licensed producer for mail order medical marijuana. There is no cannabis onsite. BuzzOn 29 Montreal Rd. Recently shut down by city officials over building code violations, co-owner Wayne Robillard vows to reopen following renovations. The Mayor has called on police to enforce the law, while police have declined comment while the lounge remains under active investigation. Smoke Signalz 600 Rideau St. Opening without the fanfare or media glare of BuzzOn, Francois Charlebois has quietly been operating a small vapour lounge in a section of his head shop just a few hundred metres down the street. He's had no hassles from cops or city officials, and claims his clientele all possess medical licences to possess pot. Hydropothecary Masson, Que. Brothers-in-law Adam Miron and Sebastien St-Louis operate Quebec's only Health Canada-approved medical marijuana production facility, with a 35,000 sq. ft. facility opening in July, and already about 100 kg of dried marijuana ready to ship across the country to medical users. Their customer base target is 7,500 Canadians by 2017. Tweed 1 Hershey Dr. Smiths Falls Occupying the former site of the Hershey chocolate factory, Tweed is a licensed producer of medical marijuana, fully sanctioned under the federal Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations. Sister company Tweed Farms houses 350,000 sq. ft. of growing space in "as far as we know" the largest marijuana greenhouse in the world. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom