Bay And Saginaw Counties See More People Using Medical Marijuana

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The number of Bay and Saginaw county residents using medical marijuana increased from 2011 to 2012, state data shows.

From Oct. 1, 2011, through Sept. 30, 2012, Bay County had 1,419 registered medical marijuana users, two of them younger than 18, as well as 558 caregiver registrations.

During the same period, Saginaw County had 1,951 users, none younger than 18, and 691 caregiver registrations.

Statewide, there were 124,131 users, 44 of them being younger than 18, and 50,188 caregiver registrations.

The amount of patients and caregiver registrations in Bay and Saginaw counties increased from the previous fiscal year.

From Oct. 1, 2010, through Sept. 30, 2011, Bay County had 1,341 registered medical marijuana users, three of them younger than 18. In that same span, there were 487 caregiver registrations in Bay County. Saginaw County in that span had 1,593 registered users, none younger than 18, and 542 caregiver registrations.

Statewide, there were 119,470 register medical marijuana recipients, 63 of them younger than 18, and 45,289 caregiver registrations.

The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act requires certain statistical data be reported to the state Legislature each fiscal year.

The state in fiscal year 2012 received 122,463 applications for a new or renewed medical marijuana registry card, at a cost of $100 each. Of those, 6,687 were denied. The applications were not broken down according to county.

Between April 6, 2009, when the program went into effect, and Dec. 31, 2012, the state received 344,313 original and renewal applications, with 31,260 denied.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 107,110 people resided in Bay County as of 2011. With that figure in mind, an average of 1.25 Bay County residents in 2011 were medical marijuana patients.

Comparatively, the U.S. Census Bureau records Saginaw County's population in 2011 at 199,088, meaning an average of 0.8 residents were registered medical marijuana users.

A caregiver is a person who grows medical marijuana. Under Michigan law, a caregiver can be designated to supply for a maximum of five patients and him or herself, growing up to 12 marijuana plants yielding 2.5 usable ounces for each patient. Thus, if a caregiver is also a user, he or she can have 72 usable plants.

The number of caregiver registrations does not equate to the amount of individuals growing medical marijuana, however. The figure reflects how many patients have a designated caregiver rather than how many caregivers are growing, meaning there is likely overlap in the numbers.

There are 15 medical conditions that qualify a sufferer for medical marijuana use: AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Cachexia, cancer, Crohn's disease, Hepatitis C, HIV, nail-patella syndrome, epilepsy and seizures, chronic and severe pain, severe and persistent muscle spasms, severe nausea and wasting syndrome.

No registry cards were revoked in Michigan in either 2011 or 2012. In 2011, 1,410 physicians issued certifications for qualifying patients, that figure increasing to 1,928 in 2012.

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Source: mlive.com
Author: Cole Waterman
Contact: Contact Us - MLive.com
Website: Bay and Saginaw counties see more people using medical marijuana | MLive.com
 
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