Regardless of discussion of recreational or adult use marijuana coming soon, it is a relief to see companies like Columbia Care staying focused on the availability and research of medical marijuana. Columbia Care now has multiple locations in New York, Massachusetts, Arizona and Washington DC. Nick Vita, the CEO of Columbia Care was interviewed last week regarding the company’s new Rochester, New York dispensary.
CEO Nicholas Vita said he expects a reasonable ramp-up for patients.
The clusters of chairs and small tables in the waiting area bring to mind a hotel lobby. The counters and islands in the pharmacy make the well-lit, airy space look more like the interior of a high-end jewelry store than a place to buy medication.
Unlike other areas where it took days or weeks for patients to arrive, Columbia Care of New York officials said patients arrived at its medical marijuana dispensary at Eastman Business Park within hours of Thursday’s opening.
The company did not release a figure, but the turnout bested opening days in other locations.
“Just to give you a little background, we managed the first dispensary that opened in Washington, D.C.,” Columbia Care chief executive officer Nicholas Vita said Thursday morning. “We were open for a month before we saw our first patient. That’s not unexpected.”
The Rochester dispensary, the third of Columbia Care’s four in the state, officially opened in Building 28, (Theatre on the Ridge) by appointment only on Thursday afternoon. The pharmacy is accessible only to patients who are registered with the state, and patients will be accompanied by a staff person once they are in the dispensing area.
Columbia Care also operates in Arizona and Massachusetts. Vita addressed the political climate in New York surrounding medical marijuana , the potential for research and the cautious approach of the area’s medical establishment and other topics before the pharmacy opened, which was three weeks after the state launched the medical marijuana program.
Dr. Len Vilensky, who runs Vilensky Upstate Medicine, a private practice in Pittsford, is debating whether to stay listed on marijuanadoctors.com.In the first few days his name was on the site, he said his office received about a dozen calls.“You cannot be too cautious,” said Vilensky, who is aware that some patients may shop around for a doctor to certify that they qualify. “We need proof of every diagnosis.”
Vilensky, who has practiced pain management for about 10 years, said he plans to discuss medical marijuana with the 30 percent to 40 percent of his existing patients could qualify for the treatment.
Asked about the seeming secrecy surrounding the program, Vita said, “When you’re looking at a traditional industry, that may be a reasonable conclusion. But the reality is this is a brand new program, it is a brand new product, it’s a different area of health care than anyone has seen in New York state before.”
Vita said there still is a stigma that medical marijuana is a “gateway to a recreational program and that’s just not the case. Everything we do is designed around the idea that we are treating patients as part of health care solution.”
Now that the dispensary is open, Columbia Care’s next goal is to finalize a research partnership with URMC that focuses on how effective marijuana is at helping patients.
Read the full article and see video of the interview with Nick from the Source: Rochester’s medical marijuana dispensary, Columbia Care, opens at Eastman Business Park, Democrat and Chronicle. 1/28/16
