What benefits do you see for patients throughout Florida within this space?
Cannabis as a plant has ALWAYS been medicinal. We are simply living in an era of big pharma and big government control over our healthcare choices. The benefits of Medical Cannabis in Florida should be clear; to utilize it in a SAFE, LEGAL, and EDUCATED manner! The medical program, IF your doctor respects both the plant and the patient with the APPROPRIATE EDUCATION, allows this to happen.
What motivates you to be a part of the cannabis Industry?
The motivation behind being a part of the cannabis industry is easy; It’s all about being a 2022 Physician and utilizing my 40 years of healthcare experience to the BEST benefit to modern society and my individual patients. I need to be one of those who lead the way toward the appropriate understanding of cannabis as a medicinal agent. Very few western conventionally trained are willing to carry the ball forward. For me, it’s a daily passion.
What field are you in within the cannabis space?
I have been the owner and Chief Medical Officer of The Compassionate Cannabis Clinic in Venice since January 2017, with our Fort Myers office opening shortly thereafter. We are one of the largest and most advocative practices in the state and believe that EDUCATION, PATIENT CARE, and CUSTOMER SERVICE are our daily mission. I am proud to be active in many aspects of the Medical Cannabis world and currently serve as a member of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee. I am also involved as a leader in Florida’s Medical Cannabis Physicians Group. We are actively involved with the OMMU, and our Legislative leaders as we move forward with needed improvements to the program.
How can people in Florida benefit from the company you represent?
The benefits come from working with a Medical Cannabis practice that EDUCATES you on the BEST use of cannabis. Once again, the hashtag is #RespectThePatient, #RespectThePlant. If your medical card visit doesn’t contain education about ALL the cannabinoids, the ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM, and ALL the different routes of administration, then it’s just about getting your dollars. Patients need to demand better of their cannabis practice. We are proud of what we do and how we do it.
How did you get started within the cannabis industry?
My 34 years as an Emergency Medicine provider in busy Ohio ERs taught me many things. One of the most obvious was what was destroying the lives of American citizens was NEVER cannabis! The disaster of excess alcohol use (acute and chronic), along with the increased abuse of opiates and benzodiazepines had resulted in countless lives impaired and lost throughout my career. Never once did I have to intubate a cannabis overdose, no one ever will, and I also knew that I had never cared for a domestic couple who had “beaten up their partner” after smoking a joint together. Additionally, the CHRONIC effects of alcohol and tobacco are seen in EVERY hospital ER daily! SUBSTANCES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL! Thus, I started this part of my career in medicine as a social warrior, so to speak; the truth needed to be told. However, since I have now seen literally thousands of medical cannabis patients, I speak to the fantastic MEDICAL BENEFITS of the cannabis plant. It only takes a few hours in my clinic to witness what a huge difference the use of cannabis, along with the EDUCATION on how best to use it, can make to patients. This wide base of patient care experience has made me an even more vocal proponent of cannabis as medicine.
Are you personally a MJ card holder?
Yes, of course. It’s important to know that physicians in Florida can have their card as long as there is no evidence of impairment or risk to patients. I have many other doctors in my practice, as well as many nurses, paramedics and other healthcare professionals. They are often at risk of their positions of employment. EVERYONE should have licensure and job protections, and it’s my pledge to stay on that soapbox until it happens here in Florida. It won’t be easy, but it can happen if we keep the pressure on over the next few years. Medical cannabis needs to be treated exactly like every other medicine, with due respect to the patient that has taken the time and effort to get their card.
Do you see Florida moving forward with recreational Marijuana/cannabis and how will that affect your business?
Legal Adult-Use will come to Florida; when exactly is difficult to predict. The only thing that is certain is that it will be heavily taxed. I am often asked about the viability of my practice when “pot goes legal.”I respond with confidence that because of the EDUCATIONAL model of my clinic, we will thrive. There are many patients who have thought of using cannabis as medicine but because of the ILLEGALITY of it, would never take that step. Free of that fear, many will desire the KNOWLEDGE of how to use it best and will come for that expert advice. Keeping MEDICAL cannabis TAX FREE, the in-hospital and nursing home use of cannabis, JOB PROTECTIONS for cardholders and other concerns we fight for will maintain the importance of holding a medical card. There may also be products available to only medical cardholders, not Adult Use purchasers. We will be busy, that I know!
