OR Pain Management Commission Meeting Report

[Stoney Girl]

Senator Bill Morrisette was introduced to the Commission.

I testified that many agencies are asking for information about OMMP: ACMM has asked for information, The Governor's Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse Programs, and DHS/OMMP has refused to give up even information that they could have with a 20 second query. At that point Representative Greenlick interupted and claimed that it could take hours of programing to get information. I told him that I knew the tech who wrote the OMMP program and I know for a fact that asking for participant's ages and sexes is a 20 second query.

I further testified that after reviewing the list of painful conditions published by the OPMC, it was clear that every OMMP patient should be included in their survey. Since we need the information as much as they do, OMMP should pay for their entire survey in return for surveying all of the OMMP patients. And since we would be paying for it, we should have some say in the questions that would be asked. At that point they asked if I would be the OMMP liason to the ACMM to suggest this and for suggesting questions for the survey (after reviewing the current survey). I said I would be happy to, of course. Sen. Morrisette said that the OMMP surplus will go away, it might as well go to help OMMP patients.

Sen. Morrisette also said that SB 465 was coming back this session. I informed him of the Emerald Steel v. BOLI case as well as the San Diego v. California decision. Dr. Eraker mentioned that the VA had been testing OMMP patients out of their pain management programs for 6 months. I informed him that that policy violated the ADA and put the VA in liability for ADA claims that could cost tens of thousands of dollars a day. It's time to play hardball with these guys and turn them in for their violations.

In addition to the pain patient survey, they are also working on a physician survey. One of their former members is doing some sort of master's thesis on how doctors feel about the DEA when writing prescriptions for pain. They are considering asking him to consult on their patient survey.

There is also a space opening up and it was suggested that a terminal patient could potentially fill it since the Commission is heavy with doctors. I was asked to apply for the position by both the Chair and Jennifer Wagner. I will fill out the application as soon as she sends it to me and ask for a letter of intent for the ACMM.

Both the Chair and Jennifer have recently given themselves an indepth education about mmj. I noticed a marked difference in the attitude they approached me with this time. They have both given speeches in the last month about the vast potential for medical marijuana based medicines for pain mangement. They are really enthusiastic about cannabis based medicines, especially nonsmoked methods of ingestion. I would really like to have some of our ladies who know about non-smoked methods of ingestion to talk to the Commission about different modes of employ and their results.

One of the Commission members (OHSU Outpatient Pharmacy Director) asked if pharmacies wuld be able to get a dispensary licens under I-28. I said I couldn't see any reason why not. He said if we want it to be treated like a real medicine, we should treat it like a real medicine. (Meaning it should be available in pharmacies.)

I was bummed I couldn't make the Eugene Oregon Health Fund Board meeting (especially since Sen. Morrisette was headed there), but after the Pain Commission I was beat. I've been having medical issues all week and the one meeting was all I could do.

[Weed420]

Keep up the good work. Education is the key. Eventually it will get hammered into there head enough times they start understandin.

[Cozmo]

Yes keep up the great work, all of us Oregon Cannabis Warriors need to keep spreading the word. One day we will win.