Popular Clinics Register Medical Marijuana Patients

[Weedpipe]

Jason Christ says he knew that medical marijuana could help ease the chronic pain that eventually prevented him, at age 35, from being able to work.

The problem was finding a doctor who would recommend him for a license.

“It took several months for me to find a doctor who would sign a physician’s statement,” Christ said. “People shouldn’t have to wait that long.”

Christ saw a void to be filled. About six months ago, he founded the Montana Caregivers Network, which helps people with certain medical conditions register for medical marijuana licenses though its Web site and weekend clinics, one of which was held in Bozeman Saturday.

About 200 people registered for the day-long clinic at the Best Western GranTree Inn. So far, Christ said, his network has registered about 1,700 new patients throughout the state.

At the event, participants met individually with a doctor, while “caregivers” -- those people registered with the state to provide medical marijuana to card-holding patients --displayed their product at booths set up throughout hotel ballrooms.

Onlookers wandered from table to table, checking out the assorted marijuana available. “Medicine Man,” “Mango,” “Bubblehash,” “Jock Horror” and “East Coast Sour Diesel” were but a few of the varieties being sold for $150 to $350 an ounce, all supposedly good for treating different symptoms of conditions like glaucoma, cancer, AIDS and chronic pain.

A voter-approved initiative in 2004 made it legal for those with certain illnesses, who must be diagnosed by a physician as having a “debilitating medical condition,” to grow and use marijuana in Montana.

Earlier this week, the Obama administration also loosened guidelines on federal prosecution of medical marijuana. Though using marijuana for medicinal purposes is not legal under federal law, those in strict compliance with the law should have less to fear from federal agents, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

A local producer named Chris, who didn’t want to provide his last name, said he expects the demand for his product to increase tremendously with the new policy. Not only is it easier to sell it legally, “it produces better medicine than the black market could ever provide,” he said.

Fellow supplier Rob Dobrowski, who was drumming up interest at the clinic, disagreed, saying that by already operating within the limits of state law, his business is booming.

“There’s hundreds of people waiting to be seen here,” he said.

Part of the law means no one can handle the product unless they are a registered user, and caregivers take a “100 percent non-approach” sales method, Christ said. After being kicked out of several hotels for the smell, Christ has made it mandatory that the marijuana be displayed in sealed glass containers. Patients aren’t allowed to buy the marijuana at the clinic, but receive provider contact information.

Classes on patients’ and caregivers’ legal rights, as well as growing and smoking tips, were also offered. Though the clinic was technically full, Christ told staff to schedule walk-ins for appointments with the doctor. The fee for the clinic, $150, was also negotiable, Christ said.

“We don’t turn anyone away,” he said. “We give it away if they can’t afford it.”

Although Christ said he hasn’t encountered any difficulty with law enforcement, his business model has drawn some criticism from patient advocates who fear that the clinics may be granting licenses to those who wouldn’t normally qualify.

Tom Daubert with Patients and Families United, a statewide support group for medical marijuana patients, expressed concern that the clinics don’t emphasize an established doctor-patient relationship; on average, people spend five minutes with the doctor, according to Christ, and providing medical records is recommended but not required.

Daubert said that some people may abuse the clinics to circumvent the law banning marijuana for recreational use, which may jeopardize the rights of patients who depend on it for medicine.

“This law is saving lives in Montana, and it is hugely improving the quality of life for many hundreds of people all over the state,” he said. “Anything that interferes or risks portraying medical marijuana in a frivolous light, to me, is unconscionable. This approach may risk long-term public support of the law.”

Christ maintains that his business is on the up-and-up, and functions solely to help as many people as possible.

“Our approach is to follow the letter of the law,” Christ said. “It’s a very new thing, very taboo in the state. Our organization is about getting the word out there and knowing what the law actually means.”


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Source: Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Author: LAUREN RUSSELL
Contact: Bozeman Daily Chronicle Home Page
Copyright: 2009
Website:Popular clinics register medical marijuana patients - Daily Chronicle