Etain to the Rescue One New York medical marijuana company is owned and operated by women: Amy, Hillary and Keeley Peckham. By Matt Chelsea Etain Health, one of only five medical cannabis providers in New York State, is praising fresh moves by state health officials to increase patient access and expand their client base. On Nov. 30, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) added chronic pain as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana, as cannabis gains legal traction in the fight against opioid abuse. In another big milestone, the state is also allowing nurse practitioners to prescribe cannabis (see “Practitioners Make Perfect” on page 56). “Every step toward patient access, and recognizing where this product has its greater value, is positive,” Amy Peckham, CEO of Etain Health, a family-run, women-owned company, tells Freedom Leaf. “It will increase our patient base. We need to have a sustainable business.” The past 12 months have been a challenge for Etain, as the Katonah, N.Y.-based medical marijuana business got its four dispensaries and a growing
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facility up and running despite high startup costs. They’ve served about 1,500 patients to date at their stores in Yonkers, Kingston, Albany and Syracuse. “The medicine is mostly being used for endof-life treatment,” sighs Peckham. “It’s heart-wrenching.” The company has yet to go into the black, partly because the base of patients remain small while the potential remains small. While the potential market in New York—the second-most populous state—is huge, at press time only 750 doctors and 10,730 patients had registered since dispensaries began to open around the Empire State last January. “The medical community is hesitant,” Peckham points out. “But, as doctors participate, they’re learning the benefits. In time, there will be more support.” Etain Health now employs about 30 people, and Peckham hopes to add more employees in 2017. “We have a good team,” she notes. “We’ve tried to be as lean as possible because we knew it would be slow progress in New York.” While it may seek capital from institutional investors in the future, Etain
december 2016