What was happening seemed to
be a confluence of many different
factors. Dr. Grove noted the never
before-seen increase in the baby
boomer population hitting their 6th
and 7th decade and having the arthritic
ravages of daily living
catch up. The “comfortability” of
prescribing opioids fueled by over
a decade of heavy pharmaceutical
push for more prescriptions and
larger profits and, lastly, the lack
of approval or authorization complementary
therapies for pain
from an increasingly narrow paradigm
of treatments the insurance
companies approve (i.e. physical
therapy, acupuncture, injections).
Opioids remained the “easy”
choice for healthcare providers,
Percocet, Vicodin and other even
more potent opioid formulations
of oxymorphone, fentanyl, and
hydromorphone simply and amazingly
required less insurance
oversight, less prior authorizations
forms, and less staff time to
get a patient some relief.
The thought process and transition
of opioids to more natural
based medications started a few
years ago, as Arizona moved into
a medical marijuana legal status
after legislature approval in 2016.
“With years now of opioid regulation
and restriction, patients
seemed much more open to possibly
more natural alternatives, noted
Dr. Grove”
As the opioid regulations from
Medicare, Medicaid and all commercial
insurances progressed,
Dr. Kubitz had a chance discussion
with one of his patients, Aubrey
Bradley. Mr. Bradley was
well entrenched in the cannabis
world, he was the current owner
of grow-lite industries, one of the
biggest suppliers of LED lighting
for cannabis harvesting facilities.
The discussion centered around
creating a physician created form
of CBD with both agreeing that
the niche of creating a brand that
caters to true chronic pain (nerve
pain, inflammatory pain, migraine
etc.) had not been explored to a
great degree. At the end of clinic,
Dr. Kubitz mentioned the visit
with Mr. Bradley to Dr. Grove
and it was a moment neither will
forget. This idea answered so
many of the questions that people
in chronic pain were having. It
was timely, in the ongoing opioid
crisis Dr’s Kubitz and Grove (and
(Connued from page 41)
44—iPain Living Magazine