For medical marijuana
dispensary owner Cathy Mead, opening up Cathy’s Compassion Center in December 2012 wasn’t just a business decision.
Mead’s father died from lung cancer, but Mead saw first-hand how his passing was made more bearable through the use of marijuana.
“It changed the quality of his life,” said Mead. “He could drink, he could eat, he could sleep.”
So, when Mead—who is a cancer survivor—had the opportunity to pass on the benefits of medical marijuana to others, it was a no-brainer.
“I’ve seen both sides of the issue, so I figured I could offer some value and education to the people who otherwise might have been apprehensive of trying it,” said Mead. “It was a lot about helping people in overcoming the stigma that comes with marijuana.”
Cathy’s is looking to reverse the negative connotations that come with medical marijuana by offering an environment that is welcoming and professional, and which offers an educational and informative experience for patients who may be unfamiliar with the benefits of the medicine.
As a partner of two major cancer centers in Arizona, Mead says it is rewarding to help those who experienced the same trials as she and her father did battling the disease.
“I’ve always been in a service-oriented business, but this is by far the greatest service experience of my life,” she said. “For so many people, this is the last chance for relief. We’ve had people walking in, shaking in their boots because they’d never smoked, but we made it such a welcoming and warm experience.”
Cathy’s is just as focused on providing top-notch product.
Having established its own grow, Cathy’s is able to offer a large number of strains, all of which are tested for mold and pesticides. Because of the flexibility that comes with its own harvest, Cathy’s is also able to experiment with new strains, giving patients a wider variety to choose from, important since some prefer the “high” feeling while others are simply after pain relief or sleep aid.
Patients preferring the edible route will have a broad selection as well. Cathy’s offers it all—from candy bars and brownies to oils, waxes and vaporizers.
“We try to keep all of our products’ prices the lowest in the state,” said Mead. “We are a boutique. We are a small dispensary, but we care a lot, and we want every customer experience to be a positive experience.”
Located at 1825 W. Dragoon Road near Willcox, Cathy’s offers delivery services throughout Arizona.
For more information on Cathy’s Compassion Center, visit their Facebook page or view their website at www.cathyscompassioncenter.com.
The dispensary can be reached at 866-291-8797.
This article appears in Nov 13-19, 2014.
Blah, blah, blah. Why is it that people in the marijuana business (dispensary license) have to go to great lengths to explain why they are in the biz. Cannabis is benign, legal and does not ever cause any deaths by overdose. Get over it Tucson Weekly and stop with the endless stories about the pot stores being Mother Teresa in dispensing weed at a very high price. If patients could grow their own again (it’s coming people) the cost of cannabis (now at 15-30 bucks per gram at the State licensed drug cartels) will go down to $3.00 a gram and that will be a good thing.
This is the way government has gone! We have policies derived strictly for income and nothing else Non-profit merely means the cost to dispense is all used up in operating costs. So why would a dispensary want to lower prices that would mean they had to come into line with other comparable business. Dispensary set themselves up entirely for income and Tax collection? Using the regulatory statutes that the citizens don’t see or vote for to enforce with tax dollars their market. The whole idea of medical marijuana was to help those with debilitating ailments so now it is said then if you can afford the doctors and the state license then you can have some relief just as long as you pay the tax collector. I see the transient population growing as this is the way going for so many Americans. Ever since Kennedy by-partisan means nothing more than how the dollar is split and put the power of government behind collection. This is SAD a gravely ill society that rewards those that work in government will be taken care of at the expense of the sick and ailing. God Bless America
We just watched a man choked, tackled and ultimately died for selling loosies in NYC. Cigs are so valuable because of the greedy govt tax on them.
Just like the IRS, govt hates competition.