by Brittney Graham
So, you are in need of a Medical Marijuana Patient License, but need a physician’s recommendation first. There are a ton of patient drives and physician office options to get this accomplished, which is amazing. However, the thought of having to find where you need to be and when, if you need to call to make an appointment, what medical paperwork needs to be there with you, and how much money you will need start running through your mind. Not to mention the amount of time that will need to be set aside and amount of people that will be there just seems daunting.
Kevin Webster, the owner of Ride to Wellness, heard these pleas and came up with a business model that essentially gets rid of all the above-mentioned worries with just an internet connection. It all started for Kevin when he was running a shuttle service to and from patient drives for the residents of Oklahoma. What he found was more and more patients that had a hard time standing for long periods of time, did not have enough time to set aside in their day, or had anxiety about being around so many other people at these drives.
That is when Ride to Wellness was born! Being able to schedule, see the doctor, and get your physicians recommendation all with the click of a mouse is the most convenient way to get a medical marijuana card. The response from the patients have been overwhelming to say the least. “We probably do somewhere upwards of 70 to 80 a day and we schedule every day of the week,” Kevin excitedly told me during our discussion. That number is three times the number of patients that were being shuttled to and from patient drives.
To get started, all that is needed to get the recommendation is any computer, tablet, or smart phone and an internet connection. Then head over to www.ridetowellness.com and click on the schedule appointment link. From there, the patient will receive a call from the card consultants that will walk them through the process. First, any questions the patient might have are answered. Next, the appointment will be scheduled with one of the OMMA certified doctors. After that, the patient will receive all the instructions and assistance needed to log into the video appointment. Last, the staff will help upload the recommendation to the OMMA website.
Let’s talk money honey! The cost for the same day video consultation with a certified OMMA doctor is $154.95. There is a $10 discount offered for scheduling early, so in this case the early bird really does get the worm! There is also a veteran’s discount of $100.00 making the total $54.95. There is also a $104.00 charge that is paid directly to OMMA for the card fee. Since this is all done virtually, no cash is accepted, but Visa and Mastercard are welcome!
Kevin has brought convenience and even privacy to the medical marijuana patients of Oklahoma, but he didn’t stop at the doctor recommendations. The sister company of Ride to Wellness called Grow Home has launched this month. “It is a thing for patients where we go out and set up their grow tents to help them get started on their first grow. Of course, of their 6 plants they can legally grow from home, “Kevin excitedly explained to me during our call. It is the same concept of wanting to help those in the community that have a hard time getting out to grow stores or dispensaries for one reason or another.
Affordability has been at the forefront of the Grow Home Concept from the beginning. “Even though these people are getting their meds, a lot of them did not realize how expensive it is to buy the meds. This gives them a way to affordably grow their own medicine, have what they need, be within the law, and not have to over extend themselves trying to get their medication,” Kevin stated. Bringing the supplies needed to start a home grow as well as the instruction on maintaining it are all a part of this program. The future of the Cannabis industry especially in the mobile and virtual space seems to be sparking up in Oklahoma, are you ready?