Virginia father, son connect patients with medical marijuana through telehealth

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A father and son in Chesterfield are helping patients connect to regulated, medical-grade marijuana through telehealth.

Scott Fiore and his father, Dr. Steven Fiore, started CannabisMD Telemed in January.

Their brick-and-mortar office is located at 1230 Alverser Drive in Midlothian, but their staff conducts nearly all their appointments virtually.

“Most of our patients are actually not what people would expect,” Scott explained. “They’re people at their wits end that are just looking for some type of treatment that just want to enjoy life like everyone else.”

The company offers telehealth appointments to assist Virginia residents with applying for a medical marijuana card through the Virginia Department of Health.

Scott Fiore told CBS 6 that they’ve helped patients suffering from a wide range of ailments from anxiety to chronic pain.

“The vast majority of our patients have severe medical conditions. Many times, they’ve tried all forms of standard treatment and some of these stories will bring tears to your eyes. It’s really emotional some of the side effects these people have had, how poor their quality of their life is,” he recalled.

Medical marijuana can help those prescribed opioids find an alternative to living with their illness.

“There’s this huge discouragement from doctors prescribing opioids because of the side effects and the addiction potential,” Scott stated. “Many of these patients are finding out they can reduce or even stop their opioid medication and take cannabis instead and they’re having far fewer side effects and it works even better.”

Dr. Steven Fiore, MD is registered with the Virginia Board of Pharmacy to certify patients for medical cannabis treatment.

The cost of an appointment is $99 and you must be a Virginia resident to qualify.