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Back Cover Story: Tips for Physicians
E-mail your Cannabis news to: Considering the Cannabis Opportunity

carol@ccannabisnewsflorida.com Continued from page 44 any doctor seeing a patient with a serious

condition should do, become knowl-
colleagues will, indeed, think of you a
pusher or racketeer. You may have to dis- edgeable. Know the distinction between
cuss this with family and friends. You hemp and marijuana. Know the distinc-
will have to discuss these issues with tion between THC and CBD, and know
staff. Some of your “regular” patients about the entourage effect. Know your
Cannabis News Florida may think negatively about your efforts. ratios and their effects. Know “delivery
devices”. Learn as much as possible
If you decide to become a QP then you
Hummer Wrap COURTESY OF have other business issues to decide. about cannabis. Remember, you are pro-
viding a great service to suffering
Should you open a separate office and
what hours should you be open to patients who are ready and willing to pay
expand the QP business? Should there be for relief. Provide great value to your
any stigma about this healing plant? Of patients. Gain knowledge. Attend semi-
course not. Is there any stigma remaining nars. Join practitioner peer groups.
to cannabis. The short and long answer These patients pay cash and visit often,
is “Yes”. they deserve your best.
3) Understand real estate documents 5) Understand your patients’ knowl-
and title issues. Do not feel comfortable edge. Most likely, you did not learn about
simply because you are, or will be, oper- cannabis in medical school. The federal
ating under a valid commercial lease. government will not allow validated
There are state and federal issues which studies. There is no U.S. medical litera-
may impact your QP business. First, ture that will provide you with informa-
many commercial leases have clauses tion necessary to start a QP business and
which require compliance with all laws, which will permit you to provide value
which include compliance with federal to your patients. There are only two
law. Also, even if you are in an outparcel guaranteed ways to gain that knowledge;
or a single lot, the underlying real prop- either learn from your patients or from
erty may be subject to, and bound by, your experience, because you are a
deed restrictions You should discuss with patient, yourself. Your experienced
counsel these issues to determine patients will tell you more than you will
whether you need to obtain your land- ever need (or want), to know. This may
lord’s permission to operate as a QP feel awkward because it may feel like a
before you execute a lease, or to secure role reversal. Since any cannabis use is
an addendum expressly permitting the idiosyncratic to not only that patient, but
operation if you’re planning to qualify that patient on a given day, the best
patients from within your existing prac- knowledge you can impart to your
tice. Counsel will also review with you patients will be from receiving significant
any deed restrictions, to negate the pos- and copious patient feedback beyond
sibility of an adjoining property owner your personal experience and using their
filing suit against you and your landlord experiences to help guide other patients.
and obtaining an injunction to close Hopefully, considering these tips will
down your medical practice. Avoid a trap assist those physicians considering the
and discuss these considerations with cannabis opportunity.
your attorney.
4) Understand Cannabis. You are a Michael Liss, Esq.,
physician and patients are paying a pre- ml@integritycounselpa.com,
mium cost, out of pocket, for relief from located in Boca Raton.
some miserable disease or condition. As

Florida’s Resource for CONSULTANT
Medical & Business Cannabis Developments Andrew Felix

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36 November 2019 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News