Connecticut’s cannabis professionals hope that education of the state’s medical professionals will be the key to jump-starting the state’s medical marijuana industry.
Pharmacists and physicians from across Connecticut met with dispensary representatives and cannabis experts on Wednesday. The event marks a positive step forward for Connecticut’s medical marijuana program, which has been slow to materialize since lawmakers approved the plan in 2012.
The state has licensed four growers and six dispensaries, however the businesses will only survive if medical professionals are willing to prescribe the plant.
Speakers discussed the importance of establishing relationships with medical marijuana patients, reviewing medical histories and assuring patients that the use of the plant does not interfere with medical protocols.
Cannabis experts also presented on a variety of marijuana-specific topics, such as clinical trials of cannabinoids and the potency of various chemicals found in the plant.
Margherita R. Giuliano, the executive vice president of the Connecticut Pharmacists Association, said medical professionals need to “get up to speed” with medical marijuana.
“It’s like any new drug that comes out,” she said.