Clinical Directors in Maryland will have the opportunity to work with peers to collaborate on patient care, standards and best practices

June 1, 2021, LINTHICUM, Maryland  When the first medical cannabis dispensary licenses were issued in Maryland, clinical directors, primarily in the form of a provider or pharmacist, were required. By the time the first dispensaries opened in late 2017 and early 2018, the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission (MMCC) had updated the requirement from “shall” have to “may” have a clinical director. Then, in May of 2020, the MMCC updated this section of COMAR once again to “require” medical cannabis dispensaries to have a clinical director who shall be registered with the state.

With this, we announce the launch of the Clinical Director Consortium. This is a professional non-profit organization with a focus on establishing patient care standards for medical cannabis patients, improving dispensary staff education, and working with the governing bodies, MMCC in Maryland, to collaborate on guidelines and requirements related to patient care and information sharing. “For a patient new to legal medical cannabis, having a medical professional available to bridge the gap between traditional medicine and plant based medicinal options can pave the way for the best possible therapeutic relief,” said Laura Barrett-Nutting, President and Executive Director of the Clinical Director Consortium.

It is the belief of this group that every patient deserves an educated, compassionate medical professional who can skillfully assess, and recommend the medicine that is most likely to alleviate or reduce each of their symptoms. This includes follow up care management as they work together to find the lowest dose in the least invasive route to gain the most benefit.

Further, Barabra Ochester, Vice President of the Consortium, shared that as nurses they learned assessment and educational skills from day one in school. She adds, “we are the eyes and ears of the healthcare profession and can use these skills to identify what kinds of information our patients need and how to help them find their “sweet spot”.”

This group brings together nurses, doctors and pharmacists working as Clinical Directors to collaborate on best practices and outcomes for our patients.

Maryland is a unique state with its requirement that a bona fide Clinical Director be in place in every dispensary. The goal of the CDC is to establish the best program in the country for our patients. We also want to be the model for other states. Establishing the correct program in Maryland sets the example.

For more information:

Laura Barrett-Nutting MBA, BSN, RN • CDC President • EMAIL • 443 620 4171

www.clinicaldirectorconsortium.wildapricot.org

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