Why Physicians Founded Vireo Health

Winter 2019 Print Article

For Dr. Kyle Kingsley, a trained emergency medical doctor in Minnesota, his perspective on the use of medical cannabis evolved after meeting a Gulf War veteran who had suffered a gunshot wound resulting in a spinal cord injury. For years, the veteran was experiencing debilitating pain and found no relief from the large amounts of prescribed opiates. Finally, he chose to try medical cannabis, which provided him significant relief with little to no side effects and helped pave the way for him to lead a normal and pain-free life.

Experiences like this inspired Dr. Kingsley to create Vireo Health, a physician-led company dedicated to providing patients with best-in-class cannabis-based products and high-quality care.

Vireo’s Minnesota operation scored first out of a dozen applicants in the highly competitive, merit-based Minnesota medical cannabis licensing process. Vireo then launched Vireo Health of New York, winning one of only five available medical cannabis licenses in the Empire State, with more than 40 applicants. In 2018, Vireo Health was awarded a license to grow and manufacture medical cannabis products in Pennsylvania.

Today, the Vireo Health team is comprised of physicians, scientists, pharmacists and horticulturists that have a wealth of experience and knowledge. Vireo Health’s subsidiaries – Vireo Health of New York, Minnesota Medical Solutions and Pennsylvania Medical Solutions – cultivate cannabis in their environmentally friendly greenhouses and manufacture pharmaceutical-grade cannabis extracts in their state-of-the-art labs.

Vireo Health’s “Spectrum” of products range from THC-dominate to CBD-dominate and come in a variety of applications including vape cartridges, oral solutions, and capsules. Many of these items are now available to dispensaries and patients across Pennsylvania, all produced locally at their facilities in Scranton, PA.

As Pennsylvania Medical Solutions continues to grow, its mission of “seed to sale” or “plant to patient” is coming to life across the state. Vireo products are now available in 80 percent of Pennsylvania dispensaries, and currently, Vireo is the only medical marijuana grower and processor in the state to offer 1000mg vaporizer cartridges. Vireo is greatly expanding their greenhouse and operating facilities in Scranton, PA and expanding their workforce and product lines to ensure their high-quality products are accessible to patients throughout the Keystone State.

Vireo Health also places a strong focus on increasing education and awareness about the efficacy and safety of medical cannabis. Vireo Health partners with many local and national research organizations ranging from educational institutes like the University of Minnesota and the University of Iowa to medical research groups like Montefiore Medical Center and the MMJ.org initiative run by Thomas Jefferson University.

To learn more about Vireo Health’s commitment to best-in-class product formulations and commitment to patient care via medical cannabis, please visit www.vireohealth.com/pa.