Artist Tree file photo, 2022, by Frank Lopez

The Artist Tree cannabis dispensary announced Monday the launch of a “compassion program” that will provide free cannabis products to California medical cannabis patients suffering from serious medical conditions and patients who are military veterans.

The program will be available at three of The Artist Tree locations: Fresno near Palm and Nees avenues, West Hollywood and Laguna Woods. The Artist Tree anticipates serving 100 patients monthly per location.

The Artist Tree’s roots are in medicinal cannabis, according to a news release. The company’s founders started some of the first medicinal cannabis dispensaries in Los Angeles almost 20 years ago, driven by the need to help their ailing grandmother obtain medical cannabis as a treatment for stomach cancer.

All medicinal patients with a medical marijuana card or physician’s recommendation will be eligible for the compassion program. Patients will be able to receive free items geared toward medicinal use, including extracts, tinctures, flower, pre rolls, edibles and topicals from brands such as Care by Design, Papa & Barkley, LEVEL, Kanha, Coastal Sun, De La Bo, Bloom and Emerald Bay Extracts, according to the release.

“Through the years, we’ve been honored to serve a large number of medical patients and to help them dramatically improve their quality of life through cannabis. We know that many medical patients struggle to afford medication, so we are launching our Compassion Program with the goal of increasing medical access to cannabis to those most in need,” said Lauren Fontein, co-founder and chief compliance officer of The Artist Tree.

Eligible patients will be required to show ID and proof of medical status and can register for the at the Fresno, West Hollywood and Laguna Woods locations beginning in mid-February and pick up free items in store after registration.

The Artist Tree plans to extend the compassion program to their additional six retail locations throughout California, according to the release.