Due to inflation and rising costs of living, Leaf411 resumed its affordability program to address the needs of patients seeking medical cannabis.
Recently, the nation’s first cannabis-trained nurse guidance service, Leaf411, announced the resumption of their affordability program for patients in need of cannabis products (1). Leaf411 was founded in 2019 with a mission to provide education and directional support to the general public about the safe and effective use of cannabis (1). Their affordability program connects participating patients with free or low-cost cannabis products donated from business partners.
“We recently accepted a very generous donation of product from Elixinol, a long-time vetted Leaf411 member,” Katherine Golden, CEO of Leaf411, said in a press release (1). “It could not have come at a better time because we have seen such a large increase in need from the Leaf411 community. We are receiving more requests for affordable medicine than ever in the history of the organization.”
Enrollment in the program reportedly quadrupled in recent weeks to a current total of 600 participants.
The typical donation process involves dispensaries or manufacturers, who are vetted Leaf411 business members, providing donations when their products are nearing their expiration date. The products enter Leaf411’s Affordability Program, which then assigns a program participant to the donated product that is then picked up at a participating dispensary or shipped directly if it is a hemp product. Products are distributed on a first come, first served basis, which means a patient’s preferred product might not be readily available. Leaf411 is reportedly working to grow its partnerships to continue to gain access to more products and connect them with patients.
“Affordable access to medical cannabis can often be critical for many patients who are undergoing financial hardship,” Golden continued (1). “This program helps to fill in the gaps to safe, affordable access while organizations like Americans for Safe Access and Norml work to find policy solutions to ensure that no patient is without safe access.”
Patients interested in participating in the Leaf411 Affordability Program can complete an Affordability Program application here.
Cannabis businesses interested in donating products to the program should contact Leaf411 at affordability@leaf411.org.
To learn more about the program, visit the Leaf411 website.
Reference
Medical Cannabis Campaigning with Americans for Safe Access
September 4th 2024As discussions about the federal scheduling of cannabis continue, efforts by medical cannabis advocates are intensifying. One such advocate is Americans for Safe Access (ASA), a nonprofit organization founded by patients for patients. Since 2002, ASA has been championing the rights of medical cannabis patients and has recently launched new campaigns and strategies to refocus attention on patient needs. In this interview, Steph Sherer, founder and president of ASA, reflects on past successes in medical cannabis advocacy, shares her perspective on recent cannabis and hemp policymaking, and outlines the next steps for advancing a unified medical cannabis message on Capitol Hill—a message that could bring about the changes patients have long awaited.