Pubdate: Mon, 04 Apr 2016
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.ottawasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Jenny Yuen
Page: 7

GROWING POPULARITY

More patients seeking out pot

While the concentration of medicinal marijuana dispensaries is mainly
in downtown Toronto, access to the drug isn't just exclusively for
those living in the 416 area code.

Canadian Cannabis Clinics has sparked up 11 locations throughout the
GTA - including one recently in Mississauga - and Southern Ontario
since September 2014.

The clinics hook up people who suffer from legitimate ailments with
prescriptions for medicinal pot. Patients rely on licensed growers -
approved by Health Canada - for their weed.

Ronan Levy, director and general consul for the clinics, speaks about
how the business is expanding to the 'burbs.

HOW DID THE IDEA OF THESE CLINICS COME ABOUT?

"Almost all the doctors we spoke to told us they had patients who
wanted medical cannabis but those particular doctors were not going to
prescribe medical cannabis because they weren't comfortable about it,
didn't know enough about it, believe in it - whatever the case may be.
But they were happy to refer patients to doctors that were comfortable
with this. After hearing that enough times, we thought, 'what about
trying to make a medical clinic for this particular niche and help
doctors who have these patients they can't help and patients who can't
get help from their own doctors.'"

YOU OPENED YOUR FIRST LOCATION IN ST. CATHARINES. WHY IS THERE A NEED 
FOR YOUR CLINICS IN PLACES OTHER THAN DOWNTOWN TORONTO?

"It's known that wherever you go in Canada, either people are
self-medicating or they're finding challenges with the available
options to them. When you start to get into the suburbs, you have less
density of doctors, you generally have attitudes and mindsets that
tend to be more socially conservative than in major urban centres, so
doctors are probably more hesitant (to prescribe) than in Toronto. No,
it's not surprising there's a strong demand in suburban communities,
because you have demand that's not being fulfilled. That's why clinics
like us open in these areas."

WHAT ARE COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT YOUR CLINICS?

"We are not a dispensary, there's no cannabis onsite, you can't leave
our clinics with cannabis. The second thing is a lot of people expect
there to be fees, whether it's an education or monitoring fee. There
are no fees associated with anything, except a $60 cancellation fee
(for no-shows). It's covered by OHIP. The only cost they incur is the
fee for the cannabis, which they pay to the licensed producer."

HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE PATIENTS GO TO A LICENSED PRODUCER INSTEAD OF 
ILLEGAL DISPENSARIES?

"We try to make it as easy as possible for patients to work with one
of the licensed producers. In addition to providing education, what
the counsellors will also do is ... the paperwork that needs to be
done can be done on-site and quickly. We send it off on the patient's
behalf. All patients sign a 'treatment agreement,' similar to what you
see in methadone practice, to make sure patients are actually adhering
to what they're being prescribed. They will only get their cannabis
from a licensed producer ... you know the quality that comes with that."

IS THE NUMBER OF YOUR PATIENTS EXPANDING? THERE ARE FOUR NEW LOCATIONS 
SET TO OPEN IN MARKHAM, KINGSTON, HAMILTON AND SUDBURY.

"It's definitely accelerating. Most indicative of that is looking at our 
oldest clinics ... The number of referrals we're getting at our oldest 
clinics are actually accelerating the fastest. So you see the attitudes 
start to change. Physicians in local communities start to get more 
comfortable with it." n Number of "licensed producer" licences issued by 
Health Canada: 30 (17 of which are in Ontario). n Number of doctors 
working with Canadian Cannabis Clinics in Ontario: 25. n Client base in 
the Canadian Cannabis Clinics: About 5060% of patients approach the 
clinic with pain-based ailments. Other reasons include post-traumatic 
stress disorders, depression, motor control issues, epilepsy and seizure 
disorders, cancer, and digestive conditions.
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MAP posted-by: Matt