Page 1 - CANNABIS NEWS FLORIDA JUNE 2021

CANNABIS Plants Over Pills:
Nature’s Stash
BUSINESS Delivers
Best of Mother
DIRECTORY Nature and Science

page 28 page 31

June 2021

2019 Cannabis Business Award’s Publication of the Year

Americanna Labs Paying It Forward

BY BARBARA R. FALLON

Stories of the devastating impact of
COVID-19 on personal and professional
lives throughout the world have domi-
nated the headlines this past year. This is
an inspiring best practice scenario of a
forward-thinking survival strategy.
With a 30-year history of collaboration
with ADPEN Laboratories, a global
leader of Agrochemical, Nutraceutical, Peter Gallagher
Pharmaceutical and Food Safety testing,
Americanna Laboratories is a family-
operated division formed in 2018 to INSA Ready to
advance the science of cannabis relief for
cancer patients. Americanna strives to Provide High-
bring good science to the cannabis test-
ing industry and ensure the safety of
products for consumers. quality Product,
Based on their analytical testing expe-
rience in the above industries and Americanna Laboratories (l-r) Maria Cardona, Eric O’Melia, Ma Blesilda Miller, Low-stress
cannabis testing from flowers to oils and Veronica Colon, Steven Perez, David Perez, Wyman Dickey, Alex Pecci
tinctures to edibles, co-founders Steven
Perez and David Perez along with the ices and add targeted expertise to their management team to Experience to
Americanna executive team decided to navigate the pandemic continue their mission of applying scientific testing expertise
with a two-pronged approach. to a broader client base. Florida Market
First, supporting their nationwide client base through the At one end of the spectrum were clients already well-estab-
peaks and valleys of consumer demand in a pandemic induced lished in the nutritional supplements market who needed to
economy-in-flux; and second, simultaneously examining their quickly amp up manufacturing and testing of products blended BY VANESSA ORR
own business plan to determine a future-oriented growth strat-
egy. Their strategy included steps to expand their scope of serv- Continued on page 32 Opening a new medical marijuana
treatment center (MMTC) in Florida can
be challenging. Yet the biggest obstacle
Cannabis Spotlight that INSA faces, according to CEO and
cofounder Peter Gallagher, is the amount
of time it takes to get everything opera-
Dr. Michelle Beasley scriptions without much say-so in their health tional in order to provide patients with
its high-quality product.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA CLINICS care regimen. “We’re very excited to serve patients in
OF FLORIDA What motivates you to be a part of the Florida market; in every market we’ve
the cannabis Industry? come into, we’ve quickly won the loyalty
What benefits do you see for patients I don’t think anyone who sees firsthand the and patronage of customers,” he said of
throughout Florida within this space? huge differences this plant makes in so many the company that already operates in
I love how customizable cannabis medicine people’s lives could stay away. My favorite feed- Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. “We’re
regimens can be for patients. I see my role to help back is when the patient’s spouse tells me “I got very grateful for the opportunity to build
educate patients about their medication options the person I married back” or the patient tells me our business out here and get it opera-
(dosing, routes of delivery, cultivar selections), “I got my life back”. Cannabis seems to be the tional—the hardest part of getting the
then help the patients figure out what works best thermostat in our bodies, helping reset body sys- license is waiting the year it will take to
and fits best in their lives. It is never a one size fits tems that have gotten out of balance. It is so do that.”
all like the traditional pharmaceutical market so rewarding to help people in need learn to find As part of the state’s vertically integrat-
often is. Symptoms, whether pain, anxiety, or Dr. Michelle Beasley this balance again. ed industry, INSA, named for two domi-
nausea are rarely the same every day, why should Over the last few months, I have been more nant strains (Indica and Sativa) of the
medication be the same? Patients once educated have the free- politically motivated that I was when initially entering the plant, will soon be growing, manufactur-
dom to adjust doses or routes as needed. With no physical addic- cannabis space. Florida has come a long way, but still has a long ing and selling medical cannabis to
tion like opioids or benzodiazepines induce, patients can also way to go. So many of my patients are disabled, on fixed incomes, patients. The company acquired its
abstain from cannabis if life situations require it. Cannabis offers or otherwise not always able to advocate for themselves. Even license in December of 2020, and is oper-
more flexibility for patients, which allows the patients to have though I am naturally quite introverted, I have been able to speak ating out of a temporary facility in south-
more control over their own health. I believe this fosters a better in Tallahassee and with local news outlets to help advocate for my ern Florida. Construction was recently
doctor/patient relationship. Patients are actively participating in patients in the Florida legislature. started on its permanent facility, which
their treatment choices instead of being force-fed multiple pre- Continued on page 35 Continued on page 34