Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
For the several hundred medical marijuana patients in Taos County, what used to be the onerous task of getting their prescription just got easier.
NewMexiCann Natural Medicine, a licensed producer and distributor of medical marijuana, opened a Taos pharmacy Friday (Feb. 13). The store is the second location for the company that opened the “first functional medical marijuana pharmacy” in Santa Fe in 2009, according to Roni Stephenson, the Taos store’s general manager.
Taos was without a marijuana pharmacy for six years of the medical marijuana program, which is administered through the New Mexico Department of Health. That left patients in the far northern part of the state fewer options to get their medicine - they could become licensed to grow marijuana themselves, get it from Santa Fe or off the black market.
If a patient was unable to go to Santa Fe to pick up their prescription, NewMexiCann Natural Medicine could deliver it their door for a $20 fee. But having a local, legal source for cannabis ensures people get more of the medicine they need rather than paying for delivery costs, Stephenson said.
“There’s a big difference between getting what you can get from your buddy and actually dosing appropriately for your symptoms and ailments,” Stephenson told The Taos News.
When a patient purchases marijuana from a licensed producer, they have the ability to target their specific medical needs, such as improving sleep or reducing stress while staying focused, Stephenson said.
“Raspberry Kush,” “Train Wreck” and “Super Silver Haze” are just some of varieties of cannabis available at the store. While the names are certainly more colorful than prescriptions from traditional pharmacies, all the products - including flowers and bud, hash oil, capsules, tinctures, salves and a wide selection of edibles - are dosed down to the milligram. When used correctly, Stephenson said, “marijuana is a medicine, not a drug.”
Taoseños who elect to get their medicine from NewMexiCann Natural Medicine will have to register their contact information at the store, which uses HIPAA regulations to protect provider-patient confidentiality.
NewMexiCann Natural Medicine estimates a little more than 250 medical marijuana patients live in Taos County. The exact numbers are classified within the Department of Health.
Stephenson said licensed commercial producers around the state are struggling to keep up with patient demand as more people enroll in the program while rules restricting the number of plants a producer can raise remain the same.
Stephenson said customers can expect the same professional standards they’d see at a traditional pharmacy — a sterile environment, knowledgeable staff and tested, approved products.
More than just providing the medicine, the store will promote education among customers and the community.
“We want this to be a place you can bring your family. Some people are skeptical or they aren’t sure if [marijuana] could help,” Stephenson said.
Not only can they speak about their products and using them appropriately, staff will also be on hand to teach people the basics of growing cannabis and processing it into useful medicine themselves.
The store will also host a doctor twice a month for customer consultations on how obtain a medical marijuana card for the first time or how to renew it.
Marijuana sold at the store is grown organically and indoors in Santa Fe.
“It was a long process to get our doors open,” Stephenson said.
The company spent over a year, she said, wrangling with the Department of Health about proving a need in Taos County and finding an appropriate and secure site for the store.
The Department of Health has also approved NewMexiCann Natural Medicine for pharmacies in Las Vegas and Española.
NewMexiCann Natural Medicine is located at 1033 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, Suite A, Taos. It is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and can be reached at (575) 201-2456.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana pharmacy opens doors in Taos - The Taos News: News
Author: Cody Hooks
Contact: editor@taosnews.com
Photo Credit: Austin Jenkins
Website: The Taos News
NewMexiCann Natural Medicine, a licensed producer and distributor of medical marijuana, opened a Taos pharmacy Friday (Feb. 13). The store is the second location for the company that opened the “first functional medical marijuana pharmacy” in Santa Fe in 2009, according to Roni Stephenson, the Taos store’s general manager.
Taos was without a marijuana pharmacy for six years of the medical marijuana program, which is administered through the New Mexico Department of Health. That left patients in the far northern part of the state fewer options to get their medicine - they could become licensed to grow marijuana themselves, get it from Santa Fe or off the black market.
If a patient was unable to go to Santa Fe to pick up their prescription, NewMexiCann Natural Medicine could deliver it their door for a $20 fee. But having a local, legal source for cannabis ensures people get more of the medicine they need rather than paying for delivery costs, Stephenson said.
“There’s a big difference between getting what you can get from your buddy and actually dosing appropriately for your symptoms and ailments,” Stephenson told The Taos News.
When a patient purchases marijuana from a licensed producer, they have the ability to target their specific medical needs, such as improving sleep or reducing stress while staying focused, Stephenson said.
“Raspberry Kush,” “Train Wreck” and “Super Silver Haze” are just some of varieties of cannabis available at the store. While the names are certainly more colorful than prescriptions from traditional pharmacies, all the products - including flowers and bud, hash oil, capsules, tinctures, salves and a wide selection of edibles - are dosed down to the milligram. When used correctly, Stephenson said, “marijuana is a medicine, not a drug.”
Taoseños who elect to get their medicine from NewMexiCann Natural Medicine will have to register their contact information at the store, which uses HIPAA regulations to protect provider-patient confidentiality.
NewMexiCann Natural Medicine estimates a little more than 250 medical marijuana patients live in Taos County. The exact numbers are classified within the Department of Health.
Stephenson said licensed commercial producers around the state are struggling to keep up with patient demand as more people enroll in the program while rules restricting the number of plants a producer can raise remain the same.
Stephenson said customers can expect the same professional standards they’d see at a traditional pharmacy — a sterile environment, knowledgeable staff and tested, approved products.
More than just providing the medicine, the store will promote education among customers and the community.
“We want this to be a place you can bring your family. Some people are skeptical or they aren’t sure if [marijuana] could help,” Stephenson said.
Not only can they speak about their products and using them appropriately, staff will also be on hand to teach people the basics of growing cannabis and processing it into useful medicine themselves.
The store will also host a doctor twice a month for customer consultations on how obtain a medical marijuana card for the first time or how to renew it.
Marijuana sold at the store is grown organically and indoors in Santa Fe.
“It was a long process to get our doors open,” Stephenson said.
The company spent over a year, she said, wrangling with the Department of Health about proving a need in Taos County and finding an appropriate and secure site for the store.
The Department of Health has also approved NewMexiCann Natural Medicine for pharmacies in Las Vegas and Española.
NewMexiCann Natural Medicine is located at 1033 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, Suite A, Taos. It is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and can be reached at (575) 201-2456.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana pharmacy opens doors in Taos - The Taos News: News
Author: Cody Hooks
Contact: editor@taosnews.com
Photo Credit: Austin Jenkins
Website: The Taos News
