Jacob Bell
New Member
ALBUQUERQUE - Is Governor Susana Martinez trying to stomp out the state's medical marijuana program? Some patients say absolutely; by leaving them in limbo.
"In my opinion there is a lack of compassion that the Department of Health is not viewing the patients as patients in serious need of a medication," Len Goodman with New MexiCann Natural Medicine told the Medical Marijuana advisory board Wednesday.
The board got an earful at its meeting from patients and suppliers. The program monitors more than 5,000 licensed medical marijuana users in the state, but there's a huge backlog when it comes to approving and renewing licenses.
Stacie Wysong has multiple sclerosis; she said going without cannabis is painful.
"I wake up in the morning pretty much throwing up my toenails unless I have something to calm that," said Wysong.
She's been waiting almost two months for the DOH to renew her card, something that by law has to be done within 30 days.
Wysong and other patients believe the Martinez administration knows exactly what it's doing by keeping the DOH program underfunded and understaffed. Right now it only has three workers.
One woman, who didn't want to be identified, said her husband has been waiting three months to get his card renewed.
"If the patients have to wait longer to get their card then they are probably going to go back to the pharmaceuticals they were using previously," she said. "Governor Martinez has not put the resources into the program that's required because as she stated as she was getting elected she does not really approve of the program."
Dominick Zurlo with the Department of Health strongly denies that.
"We have continued to operate the program on a daily basis the way we have for the past several years," he said.
Zurlo blames the backlog on a huge surge in applications. He said five temporary workers are coming on board to help play catch-up.
"I think we will actually have the staff on board within the week, maybe two," said Zurlo.
Medical marijuana users with expired licenses cannot buy from state-approved growers or grow their own. They can't even legally smoke any pot they legally bought before their license expired.
The governor's office said it has directed the DOH to handle the applications fairly and diligently according to the medical marijuana law. Her spokesman said while the governor has expressed concerns about the medical marijuana law, it's not a top priority for her to repeal it right now.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: krqe.com
Author: Alex Tomlin
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: LIN Television Corporation
Website: Patients: Governor is killing pot program
"In my opinion there is a lack of compassion that the Department of Health is not viewing the patients as patients in serious need of a medication," Len Goodman with New MexiCann Natural Medicine told the Medical Marijuana advisory board Wednesday.
The board got an earful at its meeting from patients and suppliers. The program monitors more than 5,000 licensed medical marijuana users in the state, but there's a huge backlog when it comes to approving and renewing licenses.
Stacie Wysong has multiple sclerosis; she said going without cannabis is painful.
"I wake up in the morning pretty much throwing up my toenails unless I have something to calm that," said Wysong.
She's been waiting almost two months for the DOH to renew her card, something that by law has to be done within 30 days.
Wysong and other patients believe the Martinez administration knows exactly what it's doing by keeping the DOH program underfunded and understaffed. Right now it only has three workers.
One woman, who didn't want to be identified, said her husband has been waiting three months to get his card renewed.
"If the patients have to wait longer to get their card then they are probably going to go back to the pharmaceuticals they were using previously," she said. "Governor Martinez has not put the resources into the program that's required because as she stated as she was getting elected she does not really approve of the program."
Dominick Zurlo with the Department of Health strongly denies that.
"We have continued to operate the program on a daily basis the way we have for the past several years," he said.
Zurlo blames the backlog on a huge surge in applications. He said five temporary workers are coming on board to help play catch-up.
"I think we will actually have the staff on board within the week, maybe two," said Zurlo.
Medical marijuana users with expired licenses cannot buy from state-approved growers or grow their own. They can't even legally smoke any pot they legally bought before their license expired.
The governor's office said it has directed the DOH to handle the applications fairly and diligently according to the medical marijuana law. Her spokesman said while the governor has expressed concerns about the medical marijuana law, it's not a top priority for her to repeal it right now.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: krqe.com
Author: Alex Tomlin
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: LIN Television Corporation
Website: Patients: Governor is killing pot program
