A compassionate access scheme more than two years in the making is edging towards a formal launch after an encouraging trial run.
A number of issues still need to be clarified, but the scheme, called Compass, is aiming to support up to 1,000 patients by this time next year.
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If I’m reading this right at $40 the pharmacy and the Cannabis Warehouse take the money and the product cultivator/ manufacturer in all tiers provides free product. Is that right? I’m all for compassionate schemes but this seems extraordinarily unsustainable, and a grossly unfair scheme given the cost to grow, irradiate test and I assume pack the product all for free whilst the distribution arms get paid, and they looking for more funding! No wonder the scheme is getting offered expired stock. Am I missing something….charity is either universal or not at all surely?
It is critical that any effort producers take to make medical cannabis more affordable, particularly for lower income patients, are supported by distribution and dispensers. The efforts have to be evenly split to be sustainable.
Our aim is not for anyone to be making money out of this program. It has been designed for all participants to be generously donating stock, time and effort for patients in need. It is completely voluntary. No one needs to participate if they do not wish to do so, but we have been very pleasantly surprised by the generosity of all of the participating partners so far, who have enabled more than 100 patients, to date, to benefit from the program.
Dear Nan,
I am sorry that you have misunderstood the scheme which relies on the generosity of everyone who is choosing to participate in it. Just to clarify, there are 3 tiers. The top two tiers are completely free, and in the 3rd tier, the $40 charge is a voluntary level to cover any pharmacy dispensing fees and postage or courier costs. We leave it to the patient’s prescriber to decide if the patient can afford tier 3 or not. Cannabis Warehouse receive absolutely no payment whatsoever for supporting COMPASS. They are providing all of the software, portal, storage and process for free. They get nothing out of the program except our grateful thanks for their generosity. If you would like more details of the scheme, for which donation of product is completely voluntary, please view this webinar: https://vimeo.com/977059850?share=copy