A medical marijuana clinic is coming to Freeport Road in Harrison.
Soon, potential patients will be able to consult with doctors from Compassionate Certification Centers at the existing offices of NP3 North Pittsburgh Pain Physicians, 2130 Freeport Road.
Dr. Randall Barrett, an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist, will be the lead physician, according to Dr. Bryan Doner, the network’s co-founder and CEO.
This office will open to patients in April, Doner said Thursday.
“We will be taking patient inquiries for scheduling appointments at that location starting over the next week,” he said.
Compassionate Certification Centers plans to open 25 patient centers across the state.
Other offices are planned for Irwin, North Huntington and Kittanning. A Downtown Pittsburgh office opened last year along with a clinic in Butler.
As of Thursday, more than 21,000 Pennsylvania residents had registered for Pennsylvania’s program and about 6,000 were certified to receive medical marijuana. The state has approved 433 doctors to certify patients for the medical marijuana program, and an additional 361 doctors have registered to undergo the four-hour training course required for certification, state Health Department officials said.
Under state law, patients can apply for a state-issued medical marijuana card if a doctor certifies they have one of 17 qualified medical conditions, including epilepsy, cancer, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis and seizure disorders.
Qualified patients with a doctor’s recommendation will receive a Pennsylvania medical marijuana identification card, allowing the purchase of medical marijuana from an authorized state-licensed medical marijuana dispensary.
Dispensaries are also allowed to sell equipment, such as vaping devices for liquid forms, to administer medical marijuana.
So far, six dispensaries have opened in Pennsylvania, including locations in Butler and Squirrel Hill.
Marijuana remains classified federally as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, the same category as heroin, meaning dispensaries cannot be reimbursed by Medicare or Medicaid. Because of the federal classification, the Pennsylvania market operates on a cash basis, without insurance.
Source: Ben Schmitt, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
