Healthcare Investors: Here’s What You Need to Know About Medical Marijuana

When the cannabidiol-based drug Epidiolex from GW Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: GWPH) hit the pharmaceutical scene, cannabis investors were delighted. Jazz Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: JAZZ) recently announced plans to acquire GW Pharma and add its seizure treatment to a larger portfolio of drugs. Epidiolex is just one example of how marijuana can be used to treat serious medical conditions. It is clear that the healthcare industry and its investors are realizing the potential of cannabis as a medicinal solution.

But what can cannabis companies offer investors that players in the existing healthcare industry cannot? Dr. Chanda Macias is a medical cannabis lawyer, researcher, and pharmacy owner. She joined Olivia Zitkus and Corinne Cardina on a March 19 episode of Fool Live on the benefits cannabis companies could bring to patients and to the portfolios of healthcare investors.

Corinne Cardina: Why should investors who are already interested in healthcare choose traditional pharmaceuticals, innovative biotech companies, medical devices and health technology? If you are invested in this area, why should you invest in the cannabis sector, particularly the medical marijuana sector?

Dr. Chanda Macias: Corinne, that’s such a good question. I think sometimes when we are trapped in our daily life we ​​don’t see the big picture. I myself saw how we in the cannabis room focused on drugs that are intended for different elements and conditions. For me, this is the health narrative that I started from the start. We are also thinking of metered dose inhalers and affordable healthcare. If you take these three ideas that I brought to your mind, in the broader sense of what healthcare might look like today. The first healthcare provider to choose to insure medical cannabis will be explosive. When I say explosive, I mean a mass exodus from their traditional suppliers to go to that one or more companies that subsidize their drugs, and it will actually do the most positively. Many people do not know how many patients are actually using medicinal cannabis. I say this, if you look at state-to-state surveys with over 75% support for cannabis use, whether medical or recreational, you will get an idea of ​​how many people are genuinely interested in using cannabis for use use the health solution.

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