HEALTH AND WELLNESS MEDICINE HOPES TO EDUCATE ON MARIJUANA AS
ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT

LINCOLN PARK - Medical marijuana is a hot topic in Michigan, and one
company is making an effort to educate Downriver residents about the
benefits and effects of marijuana as an alternative treatment for a
variety of ailments.

Health and Wellness Medicine has been in southeastern Michigan for
about two years, and it is adding a site at 2355 Fort St.

The medical center eventually will be a fully functional family
practice clinic; but until all of its certifications are complete, it
will just offer medical marijuana certifications for qualified
patients and caregivers.

Detailed qualifications are at www.painfreemichigan.com, or stop by
the office and speak to one of the employees.

Among the qualifying diseases are glaucoma, hepatitis C, amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) and Crohn's disease.
Patients must bring medical records into the office for proof when
signing up for medical marijuana certifications.

A caregiver is someone who meets the qualifications to help a patient
grow and maintain a medical marijuana supply. Caregivers must be at
least 21 years old and have no drug-related felony convictions.
Interested people can visit the office or the website to learn more
about the process.

Health and Wellness's owner, William Runco, said the organization's
goal is not only to help patients get certified for the use of
medical marijuana, but also to educate the public.

"We really want to give back to the community," he said. "That's one
of the main reasons we're here. We want to teach people about this
alternative form of medicine that has basically been ignored for the
past 70 years."

To go along with its goal of giving back to the community, the clinic
will offer specials to uninsured or underinsured patients once all of
its certifications are complete.

"Sometimes when people just have a cold or something, they won't go
to the doctor because they can't afford it," Runco said. "We want to
offer them an inexpensive place to go if they just need a simple
prescription or consultation."

Health and Wellness Medicine also has a research facility on John
Papalas Drive in Lincoln Park, where it is learning about the
potential of marijuana as medicine and where it will experiment with
the medicine to attempt to improve its form and capabilities.

The law surrounding medical marijuana use can seem complicated, but
Runco and the staff at Health and Wellness said they are dedicated to
teaching residents about the use of this medicine and the laws
surrounding it. In fact, Runco hosts a talk show about medical
marijuana on WGPR (107.5 FM) at 9 p.m. Sundays.

Health and Wellness Medicine's other location is in Farmington Hills.
To learn more, call 1-313-381-9107 or visit www.painfreemichigan.com.