Medical marijuana kickbacks
Posted Jun 3, 2015 06:32:36 AM.
Last Updated Jun 3, 2015 08:12:13 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A major producer of medical marijuana says doctors and specialized clinics are taking kickbacks from some licensed pot producers in exchange for sending them patients
Nanaimo, B-C-based Tilray says that’s unethical and a violation of professional medical standards.
C-E-O Greg Engel says his company recently resigned from the Canadian Medical Cannabis Industry Association after unsuccessfully pushing for the organization to adopt a code of ethics that would outlaw the practice.
In a statement, association executive director Neil Belot says the organization agrees on the need for a high level of ethical conduct among producers, but more agreement had not been reached on the wording of such a code.
Engel said his company has never and will never compensate a doctor for a referral or for writing a prescription for medical cannabis.
Yet the company provided copies of invoices it had received from two doctors, three clinics and two patient groups that work with health practitioners.
The unsolicited bills seek direct payment, most for 50-dollars each, or a percentage of cannabis sales.
