A national medical cannabis healthcare network has opened a location in downtown Butler.
Compassionate Certification Centers is located on East Cunningham Street. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Friday but CEO Melanie Kotchey said the office is already seeing patients.
“It’s been wonderful,” Kotchey said. “A lot of people are suffering and they’ve run out of options. This is a nice alternative. It’s legal in 29 states- over half of the country has embraced medical marijuana. We need something like this.”
Patients can come to the center to meet with doctors and discuss if medical marijuana could work for them. The center is not a dispensary, which means the office will not sell medical marijuana.
“But they can purchase CBD,” Kotchey said. “You don’t need a medical card for it so patients can leave here with product in hand.”
CBD- short for cannabidiol- is a cannabis compound that does not possess any of the psychoactive properties of THC. Supporters say it has significant health benefits, but does not make people feel “stoned.”
Before becoming the CEO of Compassionate Certification Centers Butler office, Kotchey was first a medical marijuana patient herself.
“I’m a big believer in medical marijuana. I was a patient first when I lived in Arizona and I wanted to bring this service to Butler,” she said. Kotchey grew up in the North Hills of Pittsburgh.
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Several members of local government attended the Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony at Compassionate Certification Centers on Friday.
“We want to help people who are in pain have options,” State Rep. Brian Ellis, who represents the 11th district, said Friday. “To have a company like CCC locate here…it will present a good pathway for folks to get into the program. Navigating the healthcare system is not always an easy task.”
Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche agreed.
“When I listen to the patients- whether it’s about their own personal pain or their children’s- I think we would be remiss in the United States if we didn’t pursue every possible avenue to improve peoples’ quality of life,” Osche said Friday. “This is just another option.”
Osche also has a personal connection. Her grand-nephew was born with Miller-Dieker syndrome, which is a congenital gene disorder that affects several parts of the body including the brain, hearts, lungs, liver and bones.
“He could potentially be helped by the oils,” she said. “There is a personal connect for me.”
It’s estimated that nearly 200,000 patients in Pennsylvania are able to qualify for medical marijuana cards.
Compassionate Certification Centers does not sell medical marijuana but it does sell CBD, which is a cannabis compound that does not possess any of the psychoactive properties of THC.
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