LIVE Magazine #252 February 10 2017

LIVEMAGAZINE
by Levvy Carriker
Juli Ragsdale
About 7 years ago Juli and I met Julie Montante through her aunt,
Phyllis Silver and our longtime friend, award-winning author,George
Newberry. Phyllis is quite the business lady owning strips of buildings
with leased businesses along Santa Monica Boulevard in Los
Angeles.
It is not surprising that entrepreneur Juliette Montante and her
brother Lenny inherited this genius of business and business development.
One year ago at the opening of PSA Organica, City Councilwoman,
Ginny Foat, Jeff Hocker, tv crews, LIVE Magazine, Chamber of Commerce
and well over 100 supporters attended the Ribbon Cutting
Ceremony.
on their web site, “Do not put yourself or others at risk! Only become
members and conduct transactions with permitted medical cannabis collectives.”
Community Compassion
It is a very exciting time in the world of medicine. New and ground-breaking
research is bringing to light the multiple medicinal properties of cannabis
in the treatment and cure of diseases. With each passing month there
are discoveries of new cures, treatments and medicines.
In keeping up with the latest modalities, the integrity and expertise of
the cannabis dispensaries increasingly comes into play to counsel and
dispense the newly identified and sometimes intricate treatments. Further,
an ideal collective would provide wellness services and educational
programs. An ideal dispensary would give back to the community with
compassion and charity.
Enter the new, Palm Springs ‘Dispensary That Cares’, Palm Springs
Associated Organica. It is located just south of downtown in the ‘Sunny
Dunes Antique District’, on E. Sunny Dunes Road and Industrial Place,
just off Palm Canyon Dr. Open for clients 7 days a week from 9am - 7pm.
At PSA Organica they intend to raise the bar and become the model for
what a collective in Palm Springs should be. From the quality of their
meds to the dedicated service, PSA Organica truly strives to be the best
at what they do. To them, every detail definitely matters.
This is reflected from the moment you walk in their door; in the thoughtfully
selected decor, comfortably furnished waiting room, and complimentary
snacks they offer. At PSA Organica they put the patient’s comfort first,
making a point to always treat the patients with warm welcoming respect.
“Volunteers at PSA Organica are here to assist in the patients’ medicinal
needs so the quality of their lives can be increased. Our goal is to supply
compassion to those in need- All the while embracing their wish to treat
themselves with a natural alternative. Here at PSA Organica, we provide
a safe, comfortable environment, off of the streets where our patients can
obtain their medicine from a trusted source. There is no greater reward
than that which you obtain from assisting those in need. Our only wish is
to be able to provide that much needed help to our patients and our community,”
said Juliette.-
PSA Organics is the newest of the only five City of Palm Springs permitted
medical cannabis collectives and cooperatives. The City contracts
with an independent medical cannabis testing laboratory to perform random
sampling and testing of various products at each collective. This is
important to maintain a standard of quality and integrity. The city advises
One of the major determining factors for the City was PSA Organica’s
commitment to the community. “This is the kind of thing that I always
envisioned the collective to be.” said Palm Springs City Councilwoman
Ginny Foat, in her support for PSA Organica. “Not just a business selling
medicine.”
PSA Organica donates 5 percent of after-tax receipts each month to local
charities. “My promise is to open and run a facility that will benefit the
merchants and residents of Palm Springs.”, said Julie. “Medical marijuana
will be made available for free to terminally ill patients. I want to open
and run a facility that will benefit the merchants and residents of Palm
Springs.”
Julie Montante and her brother, General Manager, Leonard (Lenny),
make the effort to attend all Medical Cannabis industrial shows and
events to bring home the best products for their patients. When asked
how she got into this industry, Julie replied, “Our mother developed Stage
4 breast cancer at the age of 45. This spurred our personal interests in
finding alternatives to chemo, radiation and surgery without stripping her
of her dignity.” This was the beginning of an extensive and compassionate
journey which has led Julie and Lenny to their pursuit of helping those
in need.
“We have discovered products such as Rick Simpson Oil, and Morongo
Seed. There are many alternatives items on the market being researched.
We turn no venders away who might have that one item which provides
comfort and possible remission for even one patient.
As part of effort to give back to the community, the collective offers incentives
for the patients to give back as well. Bring in 3 canned goods or
non-perishible food items and receive $5 off your purchase. Food items
go to organizations as Well in the Desert, Desert AIDS Project, Martha’s
Kitchen, and AIDS Assistance Program. They have an animal program
as well. If patients bring a 5 pound bag of food for cats or dogs, they get
$5 off their purchase.
Check www.weedmaps.com for current daily and weekly specials and
giveaways. The sign-up is easy. Just bring your doctor’s ‘rec’ and driver’s
license. Visit the collective’s Facebook page at:
www.facebook.com/psaorganica