The 4th of July is arguably the best party day of the year for reasons that require no explanation. At Revolutionary Clinics, Independence Day gets us feeling both festive and nostalgic. When Keith Cooper and Ryan Ansin started our business, they did so with similar intentions as the Founding Fathers of our country. They called their medical marijuana dispensary business Revolutionary Clinics to represent their deep desire to destigmatize cannabis and radically change the way the citizens of Massachusetts think about wellness.
Eight years later, we’re two dispensaries strong with plans to open a third location soon. According to the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance, there are 50 medical marijuana dispensaries across the state. The first recreational marijuana shops in Massachusetts opened for business in November, 2018 and according to Boston.com, there are a total of 19 shops open statewide with more on the way.
According to Procon.org, Massachusetts is one of 33 states where medical marijuana is legal and one of 10 states where recreational marijuana is legal. This makes Massachusetts one of the more progressive states in the country regarding the overall acceptance of cannabis but there’s still a lot of education and outreach to be done on some key misconceptions about medical marijuana.
Here on the Revolutionary Clinics blog, we do our best to keep you informed of the latest news and updates that can impact your life as a medical marijuana patient. Now that we’re halfway through the year, it’s a good time to recap some key questions and issues that are good for you to know about.
A Massachusetts medical marijuana card is still a good thing to have
The new year began with a lot of excitement about the first recreational marijuana dispensaries opening in Massachusetts. In the weeks that followed, we received a lot of calls and questions from patients asking us if they still needed a medical marijuana card. In true “revolutionary” style, we let our patients know that they’re free to shop wherever they wish but we also never shy away from a fight for their business and the privilege of calling them our customers. Of the five reasons why a medical marijuana card is still a good thing to have and why it makes sense to purchase cannabis from a medical marijuana dispensary, saving the 10.75% state excise tax and up to 3% local sales tax on top of the 6.25% Massachusetts state sales tax made a lot of our patients very happy. Purchasing your medical marijuana from Revolutionary Clinics is up to 20% cheaper than a recreational shop and that’s before we apply any discounts or cash back points from our loyalty program.
You can’t be fired for being a medical marijuana patient but you still have to be careful
One of the biggest issues on the minds of people who are thinking about using medical marijuana is how their legal use of cannabis conforms with their employer’s drug policy. In a February blog post, we shared some details about a landmark case here in Massachusetts where a medical marijuana cardholder received unspecified damages after she was fired for failing a drug test at her new workplace. That post was so popular, we followed it up with advice on how to talk to your boss about your medical marijuana use and how your Massachusetts medical marijuana card offers you protection in the work place that recreational users don’t have.
You still can’t pay for medical marijuana with a credit card but we’re hoping that will change soon
Believe us when we tell you, we WISH we could take credit cards at our dispensaries and make purchasing your medical marijuana as convenient as possible for you. Unfortunately, our federal government still considers cannabis to be a controlled substance which means any bank or financial institution that facilitates the sale of cannabis is at risk for federal prosecution. To date, that’s a risk no credit card company is willing to take. Earlier this year, Congress introduced the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act (SAFE) which has given us hope that we may someday be able to process credit payments at our dispensaries. For now, we wait for this bill to have its day in the House or Senate while doing everything we can to garner support for its passing.
Whether you realize it or not, a lot of smart people are working hard to make medical marijuana “normal”
When it comes to rallying support for the SAFE bill we just mentioned and advancing the rights of people in states where medical marijuana is still illegal, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws is a friend to medical marijuana patients all over the country. NORML’s mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to legalize the responsible use of marijuana by adults, and to serve as an advocate for consumers to assure they have access to high quality marijuana that is safe, convenient and affordable. We live in the greatest country in the world, but our federal government’s misunderstanding of the healing powers of cannabis has caused pain to millions of people while denying relief to millions more. At Revolutionary Clinics, we’re grateful to NORML for going to bat for us at the federal level so medical marijuana can continue its progress from illegal drug to accepted medicine.
Massachusetts military veterans deserve our help and support
The physical and emotional needs of military veterans and the unique challenges they deal with every day are some of the most regular topics we discuss here on the Revolutionary Clinics blog. We do this not only to connect veterans with the support they need to lead happy, productive lives after completing their service but to educate the rest of our patients about how lucky they are. In complicated and divided times like these, we enjoy doing what we can to bring people together.
The Revolutionary Clinics special event calendar continues to grow
Speaking of bringing people together, at Revolutionary Clinics, we’re proud to offer fun social events at our dispensaries along with a schedule of classes on everything from how yoga and cannabis are a great fit to how cannabis impact’s men’s health. Be sure to check our Facebook page and the events calendar on our website to discover our next event where you can meet other people who share your belief in cannabis as medicine and stay informed on all the latest news and developments.
As always, thanks for taking the time to read our blog. If you have on anything we’ve covered or suggestions for our next topic, please fill out the form on our website and we’ll get right back to you!
2 Responses
Will you offer medical patients a discount to get re-certified? I am not a veteran, but still could use the help. Paying some doctor $150 each year just to sign a piece of paper is expensive and, frankly, nothing but a racket. Please say something is in the works in terms of the cost of medical cards.
Hi there. Rev Clinics is committed to supporting all of our patients in the best ways we possibly can. We have one of the best first patient discounts in MA, as well as weekly specials and other discount offers. We are working on a possible re-certification program to help ease the cost of having to get re-certified every year. This has not be finalized yet but we are hoping to have something soon. Thanks again for sharing.