He needed a liver transplant and was given six months to live. That was a few years ago.
The Rev. Wayne Dagit, of the Church for Compassionate Care in Williamston, was using three powerful prescription painkillers and didn't have much energy. After turning to medical marijuana instead, he has more pep and is busy keeping up with his teenage son. His medical lab test results also improved.
Dagit is working to help other medical marijuana patients. He doesn't tell people to stop their prescription medications. That's between them and their doctors. However, he's there to assist those who are able to use medical marijuana.
Street vendors aren't likely to cut patients any breaks, but the Church for Compassionate Care (Church For Compassionate Care) works with those who can show financial need, he said. On the street, an ounce of marijuana costs $290 to $300.
The Green Leaf University can train people, free of charge, to become self-sufficient in growing their own marijuana. It can be harvested in as little as 60 days, but the average is at least three months. In return for free training, each caregiver is assigned a patient to provide with free marijuana, Dagit said. Patients can also learn how to bake using marijuana, so they can avoid ingesting any carcinogens from smoking it.
In addition, the Green Leaf Smokers Club is a place where medical marijuana patients can gather and exercise their legal rights, he said. There is coffee, baked goods and free Wi-Fi. Patients can rent a locker by the month to store their supplies.
Since the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act voters approved in 2008, some big changes have taken place. Doctors might still be reluctant to help patients obtain a Medical Marijuana Registry Identification Card. A man with multiple sclerosis, who asked to remain anonymous, said he tried different doctors before finding one who would assist. Those who would not explained marijuana use is still illegal on the federal level, and they believed they could encounter possible legal trouble.
In addition, he bought some marijuana "on the street" to try it as a pain reliever. "It just didn't work for me. I'm just an unusual case," he said. The man found it was too strong, and he felt too "out of it."
Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug in the U.S. About 4 percent of American adults smoke it at least once a year (WebMD). Roughly 1 percent of adults abuse marijuana, and one in 300 have an addiction. In addition, according to recent government studies, as many as 30 percent of today's teenagers are smoking marijuana.
Most people smoke the plant's dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds. However, marijuana also can be mixed into food or brewed as tea. It goes by many street names, including pot, weed, and herb. Hash, a concentrated form, is short for hashish.
Dagit said President Barack Obama has told federal law enforcement agencies not to interfere with medical marijuana patients and caregivers. The Church for Compassionate Care works with two doctors who can assist those who qualify for medical marijuana usage. In addition, there are different strains of marijuana for various medical conditions.
Medical marijuana use in Michigan presents issues for law enforcement, said Chief Rick Aro of the Fenton Police Department. "The new law, in my opinion, was not well thought out," Aro said. "The act does not provide a legal mechanism to obtain marijuana; it only allows registered caregivers or patients to possess, grow, or use it.
'"Caregivers' can possess a certain number of plants or marijuana per patient, but it's not clear how we can verify which patients use which caregivers," he said. "It can be very difficult for law enforcement to determine if the marijuana is being possessed or grown legally or illegally."
In addition, Aro becomes very suspect about the legitimacy of the movement when he reads about behavior like the recent "Medical Marijuana Contest," which was initially planned in Ypsilanti Township and then moved to an undisclosed location. "This certainly doesn't meet the level of professionalism maintained by the rest of the medical field and speaks volumes as to the level of medical expertise involved," he said.
"The bottom line for our department is this. If a person is found in possession of marijuana, they must have an identification card or they will be arrested. We will not intentionally violate anyone's rights, but we will do our best to enforce the law."
Dagit says he has a "colorful past." When he hit bottom and looked up, "the hand that reached back to me belonged to the Lord." The Church for Compassionate Care does everything by the law in dealing with medical marijuana patients, he said. "I won't jeopardize my ministry, especially when we're doing such a good job for the people."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: Tri-County Times
Author: Anna Troppens
Contact: Tri-County Times
Copyright: 2010 Tri-County Times
Website: Michigan medical marijuana
The Rev. Wayne Dagit, of the Church for Compassionate Care in Williamston, was using three powerful prescription painkillers and didn't have much energy. After turning to medical marijuana instead, he has more pep and is busy keeping up with his teenage son. His medical lab test results also improved.
Dagit is working to help other medical marijuana patients. He doesn't tell people to stop their prescription medications. That's between them and their doctors. However, he's there to assist those who are able to use medical marijuana.
Street vendors aren't likely to cut patients any breaks, but the Church for Compassionate Care (Church For Compassionate Care) works with those who can show financial need, he said. On the street, an ounce of marijuana costs $290 to $300.
The Green Leaf University can train people, free of charge, to become self-sufficient in growing their own marijuana. It can be harvested in as little as 60 days, but the average is at least three months. In return for free training, each caregiver is assigned a patient to provide with free marijuana, Dagit said. Patients can also learn how to bake using marijuana, so they can avoid ingesting any carcinogens from smoking it.
In addition, the Green Leaf Smokers Club is a place where medical marijuana patients can gather and exercise their legal rights, he said. There is coffee, baked goods and free Wi-Fi. Patients can rent a locker by the month to store their supplies.
Since the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act voters approved in 2008, some big changes have taken place. Doctors might still be reluctant to help patients obtain a Medical Marijuana Registry Identification Card. A man with multiple sclerosis, who asked to remain anonymous, said he tried different doctors before finding one who would assist. Those who would not explained marijuana use is still illegal on the federal level, and they believed they could encounter possible legal trouble.
In addition, he bought some marijuana "on the street" to try it as a pain reliever. "It just didn't work for me. I'm just an unusual case," he said. The man found it was too strong, and he felt too "out of it."
Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug in the U.S. About 4 percent of American adults smoke it at least once a year (WebMD). Roughly 1 percent of adults abuse marijuana, and one in 300 have an addiction. In addition, according to recent government studies, as many as 30 percent of today's teenagers are smoking marijuana.
Most people smoke the plant's dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds. However, marijuana also can be mixed into food or brewed as tea. It goes by many street names, including pot, weed, and herb. Hash, a concentrated form, is short for hashish.
Dagit said President Barack Obama has told federal law enforcement agencies not to interfere with medical marijuana patients and caregivers. The Church for Compassionate Care works with two doctors who can assist those who qualify for medical marijuana usage. In addition, there are different strains of marijuana for various medical conditions.
Medical marijuana use in Michigan presents issues for law enforcement, said Chief Rick Aro of the Fenton Police Department. "The new law, in my opinion, was not well thought out," Aro said. "The act does not provide a legal mechanism to obtain marijuana; it only allows registered caregivers or patients to possess, grow, or use it.
'"Caregivers' can possess a certain number of plants or marijuana per patient, but it's not clear how we can verify which patients use which caregivers," he said. "It can be very difficult for law enforcement to determine if the marijuana is being possessed or grown legally or illegally."
In addition, Aro becomes very suspect about the legitimacy of the movement when he reads about behavior like the recent "Medical Marijuana Contest," which was initially planned in Ypsilanti Township and then moved to an undisclosed location. "This certainly doesn't meet the level of professionalism maintained by the rest of the medical field and speaks volumes as to the level of medical expertise involved," he said.
"The bottom line for our department is this. If a person is found in possession of marijuana, they must have an identification card or they will be arrested. We will not intentionally violate anyone's rights, but we will do our best to enforce the law."
Dagit says he has a "colorful past." When he hit bottom and looked up, "the hand that reached back to me belonged to the Lord." The Church for Compassionate Care does everything by the law in dealing with medical marijuana patients, he said. "I won't jeopardize my ministry, especially when we're doing such a good job for the people."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: Tri-County Times
Author: Anna Troppens
Contact: Tri-County Times
Copyright: 2010 Tri-County Times
Website: Michigan medical marijuana
