In our last article I wrote about the government’s clout using RICO going after claims by businesses claiming wild and unsubstantiated health benefits using cannabis. The pace has picked up, so we are urging readers to re-read that article. There is even a Chinese owned company with corporations established here claiming to have a CBD medicinal that clears up COPD. It is a matter of time before they are shut down despite having what seems like an endless supply of money and an attempt at obtaining a patent for this product.

Going forward here are couple of more tips:

1) Pick a retail location that will be acceptable to your neighbors.

2) BE a good neighbor by participating in local events like fairs, crime stopper activities and MOST importantly install air sanitation units in your flower rooms and a best-in market HVAC. There is a dispensary in Chicago next to a famous burger chain that smells of terpenes while in the restaurant or even its drive through. Lawsuits are being prepared against this cannabis business for all sorts of claims that they say has negatively affected the food company’s business. Make sure that your insurer knows about these claims, and you have coverage.

3) Hopefully, RICO will not be with us after medical cannabis is removed from the Federal Controlled Substances Act. Banking reform would also help to reduce the plaintiff lawyer’s cases.

On a different note there have been many worker compensation cases filed against cannabis businesses coming in the wake of COVID-related claims and shutdowns. Some employees have filed because they believe, or their attorneys will say, that working in retail caused people to become infected: and many workers just stayed home living off workers comp money and the attached federal stimulus funds. One of the ways insurance companies have dealt with these stay-at-homers is tele-health. Medical personnel can triage patients this way, provide follow-up as needed and identify future care and attention. But what about the cannabis worker who is a user, may have sustained an injury and needs to be seen? Because of this disruption, traditional methods for service delivery have been forgone and workers can safely stay home until the in-person care system returns to normal.

There are many ways that remote care can be delivered, such as strategically placed kiosks in pharmacies, which might check blood pressure, temperature and other vitals. Nurses are the primary gatekeepers/interpreters using this methodology, and for the most part they are well-suited for this. But…

What about off-work employees who need physical therapy, or injections? The truth is there is no single replacement for touch medical care. And what are the insurance companies willing to accept as verifiable treatment that they will pay for? Please ask your insurers about tele-health payments.

Lastly, cannabis workers may not be tech-equipped when home and could need psychiatric care. It’s not easy to know if they are honestly injured or ill, because it is easy to fabricate on a screen. This last issue tells us to verify that your work comp carrier will react favorably, and KRM suggests that you talk to them before too long as we move out of the COVID stay-at home workplace. Other injuries and illnesses will present themselves in the not too distant future.

See you next time …

Michael B