BY ED MURRIETA
Abatin Wellness Center in Sacramento made headlines in June when TV personality and pitchman Montel Williams signed on as a consultant with what looks to be the most progressive and medically minded dispensary I’ve encountered in the 14 years I’ve been a medical marijuana patient in California and Washington.
Abatin and Williams are back in the news with pretty much the same headline again this week. In Washington, DC., the Post newspaper notes that Williams, who uses marijuana to ease the painful effects of MS, and Abatin expressed preliminary interest in opening medical marijuana businesses” in the nation’s capital.
While every story about Williams and Abatin mention the upscale, medically minded approach — not every pot dispensary has an executive arsenal of doctors, researchers and big-money, star-power types — what’s missing in the coverage I’ve seen is exactly how Abatin operates.
From what I gather by speaking in person with someone at Abatin’s front desk and by gleaning information from a photo-copied flyer she gave me, Abatin is run as a cooperatve. Patients pay $45 to join. Patients are required to be evaluated by Abatin’s counselors regarding their medical conditions, use of marijuana and the efficacy of their medicine. Patients are re-evaluated and tracked each time they visit so that counselors can help patients tailor their medications.
Montel Williams uses medical marijuana to ease the painful effects of MS. He's a consultant with Abatin Wellness in Sacramento.
Abatin says marijuana is provided at cost — $17 for 5 grams of lab-tested pot (the maximum per visit). The counseling fee is $40 per visit, so that makes each visit $57.40 maximum, tax included.
Patients can choose to be evaluated by their personal physicians and not pay the $40-per-visit counseling fee after their initial visits.
I checked in at Abatin Wellness today but I didn’t join Montel’s joint. No tours available for the curious, and as I was unshaven, I didn’t want to play the media card. Since Abatin says the $45 joining fee is refundable at any time — and since the market rate for 5 grams of top-self, lab-tested medical pot is roughly $60 — I plan to join Abatin and report on my medical pot experience at this unique dispensary as soon as I can juggle expenses.
Meantime, here is an interview with Michael Backes of Abatin. He’s a medical marijuana researcher who’s also done Hollywood special effects.
Medical Marijuana Primer with Michael Backes from DANGEROUS MINDS on Vimeo.
SPONSORED ADVERTISEMENT 
