A medical marijuana dispensary is possible in Danville, but don’t expect groups of recreational users to be hanging out trying to score weed there.
Such facilities, and the use, dispensing and purchase of their products, come with rules and regulations imposed by the state.
A person who wants to buy and use medical marijuana products must have certification from a medical practitioner registered with the Virginia Board of Pharmacy as a practitioner for cannabis oil, said Diane Powers, spokesperson with the board.
But before the patient gets certification, their practitioner, who could be a doctor of medicine or osteopathy, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner, must determine that the person could benefit from the use of cannabis.
The patient must then become registered with the state board of pharmacy, Powers said.
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“After receiving a written certification from the prescriber, the patient must submit application to the board for a board registration,” Powers said. “Proof of identification and residency, a copy of the written certification form, along with the registration fee must be submitted to the board with the application.”
If the patient is a minor or an incapacitated adult, an application for the parent or other legal guardian must also be submitted, Powers said.
After getting registration, the patient can visit a dispensary and consult with a pharmacist to determine the appropriate cannabis oil product if the prescriber did not specify which. The patient can receive up to a 90-day supply, Powers said.
“The board registration is valid for one year and must be renewed annually to remain valid,” she said. “The written certificate is also valid for one year, unless the practitioner indicates a shorter period of time.”
The registration for patients is $50 (for a parent or legal guardian, it’s $25), with a $25 annual renewal fee, according to the Virginia Board of Pharmacy web site.
Medical marijuana became legal in Virginia last July and is used to treat pain, nausea and other symptoms. It is used by patients with Alzheimer’s disease, HIV/AIDS, cancer, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy and seizures, glaucoma and other conditions.
There are currently four medical marijuana processors in Virginia, with facilities in Richmond, Manassas, Portsmouth and Abingdon, according to the website for the Virginia affiliate of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Cannabis products sold at the Dharma Pharmaceuticals medical marijuana dispensary in Abingdon include muscle rubs, oils, candy, suppositories and vape products, according to the company’s website.
Dharma has expressed interest in opening a dispensary in Danville, but has not proposed bringing one here, said Danville Planning Director Doug Plachcinski.
But, “by putting zoning rules in place, it’s pretty reasonable to anticipate that we’ll get a proposal,” Plachcinski said.
Zoning
Zoning that would allow medical marijuana dispensaries got recommendation from the Danville Planning Commission by a 6-0 vote during its meeting June 7. The matter will be on the Danville City Council agenda at its July 6 meeting, Plachcinski said.
The commission’s vote recommends that the city’s zoning ordinance include a definition for a cannabis dispensing facility and amend the neighborhood retail commercial district to add cannabis dispensing facilities as a permitted use.
The city currently has no provisions in its zoning ordinance for cannabis dispensing facilities. A cannabis dispensary would not offer recreational marijuana.
“These facilities provide specific products to medical patients,” Plachcinski wrote in a staff report to the commission. “Cannabis dispensing facilities are not adult-use cannabis stores.”
State code defines a cannabis dispensing facility as one that:
Has obtained a permit from the Virginia Board of Pharmacy;
Is owned, at least in part, by a pharmaceutical processor;
Dispenses cannabis oil produced by a pharmaceutical processor to a registered patient, their registered agent, or, if such patient is a minor or an incapacitated adult, such patient’s parent or legal guardian.
In 2015, the Virginia General Assembly approved the use of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THC-A) oil for the treatment of intractable epilepsy.
The next year, and in 2017, the General Assembly authorized the establishment of five pharmaceutical processor permits, one in each of the state’s five health service areas for the cultivation, manufacture and dispensing of CBD/THC-A oil.
Each permitted pharmaceutical processor may open five cannabis dispensing facilities within their health service area, Powers said. One service area in the state remains vacant.
State law allows for only five pharmaceutical processors, she said.
The application fee for getting a pharmaceutical processor permit is $10,000, and the permit fee is $60,000. The annual renewal fee is $10,000, according to the Virginia Board of Pharmacy.
Uses
As for licenses for practitioners to prescribe medical marijuana, the necessity of obtaining them is determined by individual employers and providers, said Summer Olinger, a nurse practitioner with Sovah Internal Medicine-Danville.
Though medical marijuana can be beneficial for a variety of conditions including anxiety, depression, appetite stimulation, pain, headaches and other conditions, Olinger said, she would not recommend relying only on cannabis.
“I would caution against [patients] getting rid of all of their medications and beginning solely using medical cannabis,” said Olinger, who is not licensed to prescribe the drug.
As for whether any of her patients could benefit from medical marijuana, “many of my patients are older and I am skeptical about whether they will be open to using medical cannabis,” she said.
Dr. Gary Miller, a cardiologist who serves on City Council as the city’s vice mayor, said a few of his patients could benefit from using medical marijuana, especially those with terminal heart disease.
“We do have terminal heart patients who need relief from pain,” Miller said.
He said he sees the potential of possibly prescribing it for three or four of his patients a year, or possibly up to one a month. Though he is not licensed to prescribe medical marijuana, he said he may look into obtaining licensure.
Plachcinski said the city is setting up the process to allow medical marijuana dispensaries “because we believe this will benefit the citizens in our community who need compassionate care, for those who can’t find relief from other medications.”
As for recreational marijuana, possession of up to an ounce of marijuana in Virginia will be legal for people 21 and older beginning July 1.