When James West saw a gap in the information available to physicians who prescribe medical cannabis, he knew he had to find a way to help. So he founded Arfinn Med, a Dallas-based ‘Electronic Medical Record program’ that provides full-service education on the emerging medical cannabis industry.

“We believe there’s momentum here for medical use, which would be amazing given the size and population of Texas.”
James West

There are currently only three licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in Texas with state law allowing for “low THC, high CBD” products, according to an article published this January in The Texas Tribune. But, as Texas Legislature begins its first session since the three were opened, advocates told the Tribune they’re hopeful lawmakers are gearing up to drastically expand the program.

It might seem odd that West, founder and CEO of Arfinn Med, decided to headquarter a medical cannabis platform in a state that rarely prescribes medical marijuana, but he’s looking to the future.

“We believe there’s momentum here for medical use, which would be amazing given the size and population of Texas,” West told Dallas Innovates.

Arfinn Med’s free portal allows medical professionals to track, report, and share data for prescribing medical cannabis to patients. Only licensed medical professionals can access all of the portal, but it does allow patients to communicate with their physicians through a section of the platform.

Arfinn Med says the portal is the first-of-its-kind for physicians that use medical cannabis treatments. The company hopes to enhance practices and results in the industry through its numerous social aspects.

“We are pleased to launch Arfinn Med as the first collaborative and insight-driven medical marijuana portal for medical professionals,” West said in a statement. “Our goal is to provide physicians with access to benchmark data, industry news and relevant, peer-to-peer discussions as a tool to further enhance their practices.”

[Photo: Courtesy Arfinn]

There are four main areas of the site: Reports, Community, Industry News, and Resources. Not only does this system help physicians keep up with their own records, it also lets them view non-identifying details such as the dosing and efficacy of treatment from other clinicians, which can help with the identification of trends.

After releasing the portal to select physicians last October, Arfinn Med decided it was time to do a full launch just a few months later. The release has been received very well so far, according to West.

“The scope of what we’re trying to do is pretty large, but we’ve found that there’s also a large demand for some sort of standardization or benchmarking regarding medical marijuana treatments,” West writes.

Although the portal is officially open to all medical professionals, Arfinn Med will still continue to improve their platform. Updates are already on the way, including prescription drug abuse monitoring in certain states and an appointment booking function.