First medical marijuana site could open next week; mtg. will include consultant

By Brian Gilliland Associate Editor

(Jan. 18, 2018) With all signs pointing toward an opening next week, Worcester County’s first medical marijuana dispensary, Positive Energy, is set to hold an information session for prospective patients in Ocean Pines on Saturday.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity to let the community get to know us,” Lyndsey Odachowski, general manager, said. “It’s one thing to read about us, but it’s another thing to be able to approach us in a way that can be easily absorbed. That way people can understand what it is we’re doing here and can maybe support us.”

The meeting is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. in the Assateague Room of the Ocean Pines Community Center at 235 Ocean Parkway.

“I’m calling it ‘New Year, New Medicine,’ and it’s going to explain what the medicine can and can’t do for you, and how you can get it,” she said.

During the presentation, expected to last between 30 and 45 minutes, Odachowski said she would explain, in depth, the merits of medical marijuana. Following her presentation is a question-and-answer period.

“You’ll be able to learn about the different benefits and the different ways to consume the medicine,” she said. “I’ve talked to people who don’t like the smell or don’t want to smoke — and that’s totally fair. We have things, like lotions and balms, that you would never know contained marijuana unless you looked at the label.”

The dispensary’s clinical director, Nurse Practitioner Vanessa Adams, and Dr. William “Eddie” Gunn of Shore Wellness and Med Spa, a certifying practitioner, will be on hand to answer questions.

The process for obtaining medical cannabis in Maryland is somewhat inverted from the traditional doctor-patient relationship, where a patient brings a complaint and the doctor prescribes medicine. A patient, having registered with the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, schedules an appointment for certification from a provider, also registered with the state.

The patient describes the result they would like to achieve to the provider, and if that matches with one of the state’s qualifying conditions, a certification is issued. That certification is taken to the dispensary by the patient, who determines, with assistance from the dispensary staff, what product best suits their needs.

“We’re going to provide the simple intake forms we need at the meeting, so if you’re issued a certification we can take you right into the back where the products are,” Odachowski said. “There’s also a state-mandated form we need to certify the patient will use the products responsibly by promising not to drive, etc.”

Registration for medical marijuana is open in the state and Odachowski noticed something about the people first in line for treatment.

“They’re all over 40,” she said.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/PositiveEnergyOC.