DENVER — Leaf411, the nation’s first affordable cannabis nurse guidance call service, recently resumed its Affordability Program for patients in economic need, as inflation drives up prices for everything from food to gas to energy. The program provides participants with low-cost or free cannabis products provided through generous donations from Leaf411 business members. In a sign of the economic times, enrollment in the program quadrupled in recent weeks to nearly 600 participants.
“We recently accepted a very generous donation of product from Elixinol, a long-time vetted Leaf411 member,” said Katherine Golden, CEO of Leaf411. “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.”
Access to medical cannabis can often be a life-or-death issue for many patients. The Leaf411 Affordability Program provides donated cannabis products to low-income medical cannabis patients, relying on donations from the cannabis business community in order to serve program participants. Typically, dispensaries or manufacturers who are vetted Leaf411 business members provide donations when products are nearing their expiration date. Rather than disposing of these products, members donate them to Leaf411’s Affordability Program where they can quickly be utilized by patients in need. Products are distributed on a first come, first served basis and a patient’s preferred medication might not always be available.
“Obviously, we would love to meet every patient’s needs all of the time and provide hemp products along with dispensary products,” Golden said. “But unfortunately the Affordability Program can only provide what has been made available from our generous members. Today the need is greater than ever, and we are always grateful for the incredible donations made by our members.”
The Leaf411 Affordability Program does not handle products or store them. The Leaf411 team simply connects the dots of assigning a program participant to the donated product, that is then picked up at a participating dispensary or is directly shipped from a vetted CBD hemp member to the participant if it is a hemp product. Leaf411 will work diligently to grow its partnerships and continue to gain access to more products that can be put in the hands of people in need. This program will help fill in gaps in safe, affordable medicine to ensure that no patient is without the resources to access discounted quality medicine.
Patients interested in participating in the Leaf411 Affordability Program can complete an Affordability Program application at this link. Cannabis businesses interested in donating products to the program should contact Leaf411 at [email protected]. To learn more about the program, visit the Leaf411 website.
“Affordable access to medical cannabis can often be critical for many patients who are undergoing financial hardship,” Golden said. “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.”
About Leaf411Leaf411 is the first cannabis-trained nurse guidance service. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, 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 (marijuana and hemp). Leaf411’s team of cannabis-trained nurses are passionate about helping the community access balanced education about their cannabis use while also improving public perception of the cannabis industry. For more information visit leaf411.org or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
