Connecticut Cannabis Conundrums
After seeing the process of medical cannabis production licensing streamlined in Canada, it makes me think about the way Connecticut does things. As of now, Connecticut only has four major cannabis producers and they are; Advanced Grow Labs (AGL), Theraplant, Connecticut Pharmaceutical Solutions (CPS) and Curaleaf. The amount of patients registering in the medical program goes up and up every month. The amount of dispensaries open in Connecticut jumped to 10 recently and honestly it makes me happy to see the program grow. More people constantly turning to a safe healthy alternative treatment for their ailment, it’s fantastic. My concern with the program starts with, how are four producers planning to keep up to the demand of almost eighteen thousand patients?
There are already issues of strains running out before most patients are able to try them. Without the help of more medical cannabis producers or home grow collectives, it’s soon going to be nearly impossible for them to keep up with the patient demands. I understand not wanting patients to share medicine because of a “pharmaceutical model” (the cannabis industry should not be set up like a pharmacy, but that’s for another time). However, people share things they grow, like fruits and vegetables, all the time. Sharing meds leads to things like, discovering new strains and how the strains benefit you. Plus cannabis brings patients closer together.
Where is the compassion?
All the availability problems aside, prices at the dispensary are consistently too high. The people who need the “compassion” most rarely ever receive it, because of the high price points. Its truly unfortunate that other legal states are ready to welcome you in and treat you better than the people in your own state will. Nearly all of the conditions on the qualifying condition list are things that will stick with patients forever. Patients need strong medicine at a reasonable price point to keep up with the amount of relief they need. If I could afford to buy all my meds from the dispensary, I don’t even think my limit would carry me through. The state program instituted a conversion equivalency process that makes one gram of concentrate equal to nearly three and a half to five grams of flower. I dab A LOT, when I’m in serious pain I can rip through a gram a day with no problem. It helps with my pain management and alleviates my nausea from related pain.
Patient needs
I’m unbelievably happy that Connecticut is one of the states that came to it senses and made medical cannabis legal. The program has had a few years to evolve and definitely needs some more work to really be a program that is welcoming to all patients. It’s good that we have the foundation. Realistically, we NEED grow rights, we NEED real compassion in CT and we absolutely positively NEED patient collectives. Once we have those things, I think the program will see an even bigger uptick of enrolled patients and overall satisfaction.
What are your thoughts?
