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Months before any Illinois residents can legally purchase pot, state regulators have filed a formal complaint against the doctor who opened Good Intentions LLC, the first medical marijuana clinic in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation, which inspected the clinic shortly after it opened last August in Wicker Park, said today that Dr. Brian Murray charged for "pre-certification for medical cannabis without conducting physical examinations" or "establishing a legitimate physician-patient relationship."
The clinic vigorously disagrees. "That's absolutely false," said Daniel Reid, general manager and spokesman for Good Intentions, which he said has received about 25,000 inquiries from potential patients since August. "He didn't pre-qualify or anything of the sort." Mr. Reid said the clinic's purpose is to establish bona fide relationships as the law requires. First visits to the clinic involved a review of the law's requirements and applicants left with a medical history form to fill out. Any physical exams are deferred until the second visit, if the patient appears to have one of several dozen medical conditions that qualify for medical marijuana under the state law.
Good Intentions opened shortly after Gov. Pat Quinn signed the law on July 31, making Illinois the 20th state to legalize medical marijuana. In addition to the complaint, the department issued a warning to the public and doctors to be "cautious" about visiting or setting up "so-called" medical cannabis clinics. The state agency regulates the dispensaries of medical marijuana under the new state law, which goes into effect Jan. 1. However, growing and distribution will not start until late next year after regulations are finalized and the licensing process is begun. "Unlike some states, Illinois law does not allow for 'medical cannabis clinics' or practices that exist solely to offer cannabis certifications," IDFPR Acting Secretary Manuel Flores said in a statement. "We want to make sure that patients who would truly benefit from the relief of medical cannabis are not misled and physicians are not violating the law."
"We did that to avoid what happened in California," where physician offices or even websites were created solely to provide ID cards for medical marijuana, said Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, a principal author of the law. "It's a sham. We have no intention under our law to create a sham." However, he added, "one could under our law create a clinic with bona fide relationships for patients whose doctors won't make a recommendation" for medical marijuana. "We assumed from the beginning that enterprising doctors would market themselves as places where people would go if their doctors won't write the letter. But there needs to be a real relationship."
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Chicagobusiness.com
Author: Paul Merrion
Contact: Contact Us - Crain's Chicago Business
Website: Crain's Chicago Business : Subscription Center
The clinic vigorously disagrees. "That's absolutely false," said Daniel Reid, general manager and spokesman for Good Intentions, which he said has received about 25,000 inquiries from potential patients since August. "He didn't pre-qualify or anything of the sort." Mr. Reid said the clinic's purpose is to establish bona fide relationships as the law requires. First visits to the clinic involved a review of the law's requirements and applicants left with a medical history form to fill out. Any physical exams are deferred until the second visit, if the patient appears to have one of several dozen medical conditions that qualify for medical marijuana under the state law.
Good Intentions opened shortly after Gov. Pat Quinn signed the law on July 31, making Illinois the 20th state to legalize medical marijuana. In addition to the complaint, the department issued a warning to the public and doctors to be "cautious" about visiting or setting up "so-called" medical cannabis clinics. The state agency regulates the dispensaries of medical marijuana under the new state law, which goes into effect Jan. 1. However, growing and distribution will not start until late next year after regulations are finalized and the licensing process is begun. "Unlike some states, Illinois law does not allow for 'medical cannabis clinics' or practices that exist solely to offer cannabis certifications," IDFPR Acting Secretary Manuel Flores said in a statement. "We want to make sure that patients who would truly benefit from the relief of medical cannabis are not misled and physicians are not violating the law."
"We did that to avoid what happened in California," where physician offices or even websites were created solely to provide ID cards for medical marijuana, said Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, a principal author of the law. "It's a sham. We have no intention under our law to create a sham." However, he added, "one could under our law create a clinic with bona fide relationships for patients whose doctors won't make a recommendation" for medical marijuana. "We assumed from the beginning that enterprising doctors would market themselves as places where people would go if their doctors won't write the letter. But there needs to be a real relationship."
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Chicagobusiness.com
Author: Paul Merrion
Contact: Contact Us - Crain's Chicago Business
Website: Crain's Chicago Business : Subscription Center
