Nature’s Way Medicine closes doors near Lewes
Just weeks after opening, the self-proclaimed marijuana doctor of Delaware has closed his office near Lewes.
Dr. Matthew Roman, owner of Nature’s Way Medicine, said he opted out of the office space in Nassau Commons for a variety of reasons, but ultimately, it was a financial decision.
“I’m a doctor, but I’m also an entrepreneur, and it was very hard to say, ‘No,’ to that office right after your article was published,” said Roman in a March 13 email referencing a Cape Gazette story published March 3 announcing the opening of the business. “I had to swallow my pride and back out with the whole state watching, but if I hadn’t, other possibilities may have been missed.”
The Nassau Commons office was to be Roman’s second location in Delaware, and it was planned to coincide with First State Compassion Center opening of its second location in The Vineyards just up the road on Route 9.
First State, the state’s first and to date only medical marijuana provider, has said in the past it intends to open in late March. A second provider, Columbia Care, is expected to open a Kent County location later in 2017.
Roman opened his original location in Wilmington in October 2015, about six months after First State opened its Wilmington compassion center.
Roman said the move has nothing to do with his licensing from the state.
According to the state’s online license verification service, Roman has two active licenses, both issued in August 2015, in Delaware – one allowing him to practice as a doctor, which expires March 31, 2019, and one allowing him to prescribe controlled substances, which expires May 30, 2017.
Roman hasn’t ruled out having an office in or near Lewes.
“I have a place on my mind, but I’m taking it one day at a time,” he wrote, adding that he will continue to make home visits for Sussex patients who need follow up. “That way I continue to follow through with those I started while seeking the next opportunity.”
Roman said he’s proud of himself for making the difficult decision to back out.
“Does it look bad? Yes,” he admitted. “Is it better for patients in the long run? Yes. Therefore, the choice was clear.”
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. Additionally, Flood moonlights as the company’s circulation manager, which primarily means fixing boxes that are jammed with coins during daylight hours, but sometimes means delivering papers in the middle of the night. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
