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Massachusetts's new medical marijuana law has promoted a lot of activity in state and local government. Most towns in the Commonwealth are scrambling to address concerns raised by what they see as vagaries within the bill. The bill, which allows for 35 dispensaries, no more than 5 per county within Massachusetts, does not stipulate any details about how distribution will be controlled. Although access to medical marijuana "cards" is slated to be under the auspices of medical doctors, and supposedly only for those with "debilitating illnesses" there are numerous cautions from other states with previously enacted laws. Stories abound from Colorado, California and Washington of people with Obesity and Athletes Foot receiving authorization from doctors to purchase marijuana as "treatment" for these conditions.
Most people are not aware that in medical school doctors actually receive only a very brief introduction to substance use disorder diagnosis and treatment. Most medical and human services workers have very little knowledge or experience in this area and do not know what to look for or what to do about it. The Massachusetts Medical Society, at its recent meeting recognized this deficit and called for additional training in this area for its members.
Oversight of the program is supposed to lie within the Commonwealth's Department of Public Health, a system currently in disarray due to a number of well publicized scandals and the recent resignation of its long-time director.
With these concerns in mind, local municipalities are beginning to use zoning laws to prevent adverse consequences from enactment of the law, scheduled for January 1, 2013. A number of towns have already banned dispensaries from their environs. Others have zoned any potential dispensaries into confined areas. Evidence of the ambivalence surrounding the issue is the discussion that compared marijuana dispensaries to adult entertainment venues (strip clubs and pornography stores) and suggests zoning into the same areas.
It looks like what is called for is a postponement of the implementation date until all parties can complete some additional planning to ensure successful implementation of this law. Otherwise, we are simply throwing another drug with high abuse potential out to the general public.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: examiner.com
Author: David Selden
Contact: About Examiner.com Passionate, local writers | Examiner.com
Website: Towns scrambling to address deficits in new medical marijuana law - Boston substance abuse | Examiner.com
Most people are not aware that in medical school doctors actually receive only a very brief introduction to substance use disorder diagnosis and treatment. Most medical and human services workers have very little knowledge or experience in this area and do not know what to look for or what to do about it. The Massachusetts Medical Society, at its recent meeting recognized this deficit and called for additional training in this area for its members.
Oversight of the program is supposed to lie within the Commonwealth's Department of Public Health, a system currently in disarray due to a number of well publicized scandals and the recent resignation of its long-time director.
With these concerns in mind, local municipalities are beginning to use zoning laws to prevent adverse consequences from enactment of the law, scheduled for January 1, 2013. A number of towns have already banned dispensaries from their environs. Others have zoned any potential dispensaries into confined areas. Evidence of the ambivalence surrounding the issue is the discussion that compared marijuana dispensaries to adult entertainment venues (strip clubs and pornography stores) and suggests zoning into the same areas.
It looks like what is called for is a postponement of the implementation date until all parties can complete some additional planning to ensure successful implementation of this law. Otherwise, we are simply throwing another drug with high abuse potential out to the general public.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: examiner.com
Author: David Selden
Contact: About Examiner.com Passionate, local writers | Examiner.com
Website: Towns scrambling to address deficits in new medical marijuana law - Boston substance abuse | Examiner.com
