How recreational marijuana changes medical marijuana, manufacturers

BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) – Legalizing marijuana for recreational use will have a massive impact on companies already using cannabis, both medicinally and at manufacturers.

MEDICAL:
Dr. Laszlo Mechtler, director of the DENT Institute’s cannabis clinic, says there is a big difference between medical marijuana and recreational marijuana. Medical marijuana is high in CBD, which has no psychoactive component, while recreational marijuana is typically high in THC, which has psychoactive components and gives the “high” feeling.

These differences are the reason why Dr. Mechtler fears that people will seek marijuana for medical treatment when it may not be the right form of cannabis.

“Talk to a doctor who has experience with this,” said Dr. Mechtler, “who can then specifically recommend the type of marijuana, the ratio, the dosage and, at the end of the day, how it interacts with his medication.”

Dr. Mechtler sees recreational marijuana changing the use of medical marijuana because of its price.

“Recreational marijuana will be cheaper than medical marijuana that medical marijuana wants to make,” said Dr. Mechtler.

Dr. Mechtler believes doctors should have been part of the decision to legalize recreational marijuana before the law was published.

MANUFACTURER:
For Justin Schultz, owner of Bison Botanics, they expect their business to change from being a manufacturer of cannabis products to much more.

“The bill includes a license for micro-bills that allow us to grow cannabis, process it, manufacture products, have a retail location and even a consumption lounge,” said Schultz.

This, as Schultz said, will take a while to complete. His company and everyone else won’t be able to sell recreational marijuana until April 1, 2022, when the tax structure of the Marijuana Act goes into effect. In advance, Schultz sees an ability for his company to grow immensely.

“It’s going to change our product offering and instantly change our workforce four to six times (which it is now),” said Schultz.

For more information on Bison Botanics, visit the website Here.