Page 1 - Cannabis News Florida August 2021

CANNABIS Trulieve Expands Patient
Access to Medical
BUSINESS Cannabis With New

DIRECTORY Winter Haven Location

page 26 page 28

August 2021

2019 Cannabis Business Award’s Publication of the Year

Cannabis Cresco Labs Gearing Up

Spotlight to Scale One Plant Dispensaries,

Improve Operational Flow

BY VANESSA ORR

Customers visiting One Plant Florida cannabis dispen-
saries will soon notice a change in those locations as part
of Cresco Labs’ strategic plan to improve operations and
the customer experience since acquiring Bluma Wellness
Inc., the parent company of One Plant Florida. Summer Westerbur
In addition to rebranding the stores with Cresco Labs’
Sunnyside brand, changes will include an expanded prod- Kairos: Offering
uct portfolio, a more streamlined and user-friendly web-
site, and the opportunity for those who are already familiar Specialized
with products to have a faster shopping experience. What
Erik Range customers will not see is a change in the personalized, car- Cris Rivera
ing service they’ve come to expect. Insurance for
Erik Range “I like to say that it will stay the same, but be different in all the right ways,” said Cris
Chairman of the Board Rivera, Florida region president. “We want to keep the customer service component the Cannabis
same because it is already really strong. What we want to improve is the operational cus-
Minorities For Medical Marijuana,
tomer experience from beginning to end.”
Inc. As one of the largest vertically integrated, multistate cannabis operators in the U.S., Companies
Chicago-based Cresco Labs has the tools to streamline One Plant’s operations, similar to
What benefits do you see for what they’ve already accomplished in more than 25 different operations in 11 states. BY DANIEL CASCIATO
patients throughout Florida with- “Part of our strategic push is to make the e-commerce system one of the best in the
in this space? industry,” said Rivera. “We’ll also be working through the operational flow; right now, it Although legalization of cannabis has
I think Florida patients benefit from Continued on page 28 spread across the country, a major void
access to a medical marijuana program. remains in the industry: insurance for
Although that program is still limited and cannabis companies. If you have a
flawed it provides greater access than some Cannabis Physician Spotlight cannabis dispensary, grow facility, or pro-
states currently have. And as the program cessing facility you’re going to need
matures, access has increased to include insurance, whether it’s health insurance
things like smokable flower and edibles. for your employees or product liability
So while the program continues to be Bart Hershfield, MD insurance.
threatened I remain optimistic that we will MEDICAL CANNABIS PHYSICIANS Summer Westerbur, founder of Kairos
continue to stave off those threats and OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Insurance Group, expanded her compa-
increase access to more of the plant for ny by establishing a Cannabis Division to
more of the people. I believe we do that by What benefits do you see for patients address the unique challenges facing the
creating more competition which ulti- throughout Florida within this space? cannabis industry's efforts to provide
mately impacts affordability and drives Cannabis has minimal side effects compared to many quality insurance options to its workers
quality which is of most benefit to prescription medications. Cannabis is also much safer— while operating in a changing legal and
patients. not only because it doesn’t cause the potentially deadly regulatory environment. Her company
respiratory depression caused by opioids and benzodi- offers products tailored to the cannabis
What motivates you to be a part azepines, but it doesn’t damage the stomach or kidneys market, with comprehensive coverage
of the cannabis Industry? like NSAID’s do. Most importantly, patients can control and services designed for those indus-
When I began in this industry, I saw the their dose and means of administration to obtain maxi- Dr. Bart Hershfield tries’ unique needs and risks—all at
opportunity in two distinct lights. I saw it mum symptom reduction at the lowest dose and cost, and with the least side effects. extremely competitive premiums.
as the civil rights movement of our time, in “We specialize in employee benefits
which we have an opportunity to address What motivates you to be a part packages, which include health insur-
the devastation and harm caused by the of the cannabis Industry? ance, payroll, disability, life, vision, den-
‘War on Drugs’ in communities of color Cannabis medicine is currently where Emergency Medicine was in the 1960’s. tal,” she explains. “We also provide prod-
and communities of poverty (the latter not There was a need, but it wasn’t a recognized specialty yet, and often the least qualified uct liability, general liability, professional
to be conflated with the former). I also see and least experienced physicians who were moonlighting in “emergency rooms” liability, and building insurance, and we
this industry as the ‘Dot Com Boom’ of our were taking care of the most seriously ill and injured patients. can also cover companies for crop insur-
generation with the ability to offer social In Florida, a physician can have virtually no knowledge of cannabis medicine yet ance for cannabis growth.”
and economic mobility for individuals like can become approved as a qualified physician to certify patients to use medical Crop insurance is important because it
myself, while at the same time repairing cannabis. Florida law does not require a physician to demonstrate any level of can protect your investment, from seed
Continued on page 27 Continued on page 31 Continued on page 30