Vermont MMJ Dispensaries Expecting Big Jump in Patient Counts
By Omar Sacirbey
Vermonts small medical marijuana industry could see its patient count more than double after the state added chronic pain to the list ofconditions treatable with MMJ.
As a result, cannabis businesses are now weighing how best to ramp up production to meet the increased demand.
In addition to chronic pain, a new law signed byGov. Peter Shumlin on June 6 adds glaucoma as well as hospice care patients to the list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis.The state has three MMJ license holders operating four dispensaries and four cultivation sites.
We are definitely expecting an increase in patients, said Shane Lynn, who owns two dispensaries and cultivation sites in Vermont serving nearly 1,500 patients or more than half the states patients.
He consulted with dispensary owners in Maine, where chronic pain already is on the list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis. They told him he could expect patient numbers to double or triple.
In other states where MMJ can be used for chronic pain, the total patient counts can eventually hit 1.5%-2% of the states population. In Vermont, where some626,000 people live, that would amount to about 9,400-12,500 patients.
As of the end of April, Vermont counted 2,762 registered medical cannabis patients, including about 300 patients who grow their own medical cannabis or have a caregiver do so for them. Vermontspatient count is lower than most states, both in terms of sheer numbers and the average per capita.
Other Changes in New Law
In addition to the three conditions, the new law makes other changes that should boost dispensary sales. Among other things, it:
- Reduces to three months from six the bona fide relationship necessary before a health care professional can issue an MMJ certification for a patient
- Creates exceptions to the three-month requirement in certain cases, such as when a patient is in hospice care
The lawalso requires labeling and child-resistant packaging for edibles sold at dispensaries, and allows the transport and transfer of marijuana to research institutions.
The medical cannabis law was one piece of good news for Vermonts cannabis industry. In May, lawmakers in the state House of Representativeskilled a bill that would have legalized recreational cannabis.
Alex Ford (pictured) executive director of Grassroots Vermont said the additional MMJ conditions are huge for her business. We are elated that weve got some kind of expansion, added Ford, owner of a dispensary and a cultivation site in Brandon, in western Vermont.
Ford who is also a partner in iAnthus Capital Management, which operates marijuana businesses in New Mexico and other states said her forecasters predicted the addition of chronic pain to the qualifying conditions list would make about 24,000 Vermonters eligible for MMJ cards although not all would register for medical cannabis.
Jeffrey Wallin, director of the Vermont Crime Information Center, which manages the states medical cannabis patient registry, is also expecting an MMJ patient increase. But he said predicting the increase is impossible.
Its ultimately up to the doctors, because theyre the ones registering patients, Wallin said.
According to the Marijuana Business Factbook 2016, Vermonts MMJ sales through dispensaries are expected to total $6 million-$10 million this year. Thats up ...
