Above, clinic in Uganda where the Capital Region’s Dr. Ted Hausler sees patients

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These are exciting times for the cannabis industry in New York and Dr. Ted Hausler has been on the ride from the beginning. Products of his company, Juniper Jill Cannabis Co., are on the shelves in retail cannabis dispensaries in New York.

Dr. Hausler graduated from Niskayuna High School, studying at New York Institute of Technology and West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine.  With his D.O. degree, he completed his residency at Albany Medical Center and joined the Center for Family Practice in Latham with his father, Dr. Gerald Hausler. His mother, Karen Hausler, is an insurance agent and former president of Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York.

During his education Dr. Hausler indulged passions for travel and helping others, working in Israel on Kibbutz Ketura, and in Haifa with Magen David Adom.  He worked in the mountains of Ecuador for several months at remote clinics, where he began learning about herbal remedies.

Clinic in Africa

After graduating from medical school Dr. Hausler worked at medical clinics in Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Mozambique.  He befriended a local practitioner with whom he helped set up a clinic in rural Uganda.  This became Taasa Health, which has been providing health care and resources to underserved communities. Taasa, in Swahili, means “many good hands to sustain life.”

After a recent trip to the Taasa clinic in Kalungu to provide assistance and medical care, he noted that this was one of the most remote locations he has ever been to, with no power and no running water. The community was kind and welcoming and eager for medical help. Dr. Hausler said many patients came to the clinic requesting that the American doctor touch them that they might be healed.

Dr. Hausler said education is his biggest contribution; he tries to teach the staff and patients ways to improve their health without relying on him or medications, which are hard to obtain. On his last day of the trip, they triumphantly obtained electricity at the clinic, only to lose power in the whole village that night.

For photos and news about TAASA, and to help support this project, readers may visit taasahealth.org

Alternatives for pain

After seeing pain management patients suffer from treatment with addictive opioids, Dr. Hausler began exploring alternative therapies.  He became one of the few physicians in the area certified to prescribe medical cannabis, and he began to lecture on the topic. When he saw signs of legalization coming, Dr. Hausler saw opportunity. With life-long Hebrew School friend Eric Larkin, son of Niskayuna real estate agent Brenda Larkin, they formed a partnership with local farmers Jenny and Michael Scarpulla to found Juniper Jill Cannabis Co., now in its second year.

Juniper Jill cannabis is grown, according to Dr. Hausler, with the finest quality product in mind. They use top-tier seeds, food grade fertilizers, natural pest-mitigation, and other techniques that help them stand out, he said.  When they found that harvesting plants at night made for the best cannabinoid profile, they only harvested when it was dark.

When 50,000 lady bugs arrived in the mail, Dr. Hausler drove them to the farm’s hoop houses, like greenhouses, joyously releasing them. They are natural predators of aphids, which can injure and destroy cannabis plants.

Dr. Hausler recommends for novice users the crowd favorite, Girl Scout Cookies, for its light and smooth flavor and illuminating effect.

Juniper Jill Cannabis Co. products are available throughout the state including at Upstate Canna in Schenectady, Legacy Dispensary in Albany, and Royale Flower in Latham.  They plan to launch new products including gummies, vaporizers, tinctures, and topicals. More info at JuniperJill.com.

Dr. Hausler lives in Schenectady with his wife, Jessica, who chairs Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy, their daughter, Aviva, two dogs, one cat, and six ducks. He is a lifelong member of Congregation Agudat Achim, United Jewish Federation, and the Jewish Community Center.

The Jewish World has a commercial relationship with Dr. Ted Hausler.