While cannabis is legal in California for medicinal and adult-use, and companies produce it in large quantities, the market has yet to reach a point where it is reasonably affordable.
Price can be especially troublesome for medical cannabis patients who rely on the plant’s compounds for daily relief from things like chronic pain, asthma, and PTSD.
Paying $70 or even $40 for one gram of cannabis oil is not cost-effective for many medicinal users.
And without federal legalization, prescriptions and insurance coverage are not options in 2022.
Some companies, such as Moxie, have released more budget-friendly lines that sell for around $16 a gram without sacrificing quality, something that not all brands do.
But depending on the manufacturer, the line between quality and price can be a bit more distinct.
While a consumer may find one brand has a clean, flavorful product at a reasonable price, another brand may sell them poop soup for the same price, which disturbingly still happens in California’s legal marketplace.
But since 2019, a partnership between the Eaze delivery service, nonprofit groups, and cannabis brands has helped provide quality products to patients in need at no cost.
Eaze says that, since it began, the program has delivered more than 100,000 THC-infused products to struggling patients.
The Eaze Compassion program currently delivers products to patients in the Bay Area, San Jose, Sacramento, and the greater Los Angeles area.
Eaze says program eligibility depends on medical diagnosis, need, income, and other factors.
“Many compassion programs folded in the early green rush, leaving behind the very people cannabis was legalized to help,” said Eaze CEO Ro Choy in 2021. “Eaze Compassion gives companies an easy way to donate and distribute products they’d otherwise have to destroy, so I hope even more brands will join the program.”
Among the groups involved in Eaze Compassion are the Weed for Warriors Project (WFWP), Operation EVAC (Educating Veterans About Cannabis), and Bay Area Americans for Safe Access.
WFWP CEO Sean Kiernan says medical cannabis can save lives, noting how it has helped veterans drink less and reduce suicides.
Medical cannabis patients who wish to join the Eaze Compassion program can contact the participating programs listed in this L.A. Times article.
