Christine Green
New Member
BOSTON - The number of people treating their chronic pain, cancer symptoms or other medical conditions with marijuana has nearly quadrupled in a year, but a scarcity of licensed dispensaries and supply shortages are keeping many from getting their medicine, advocates say.
At least 24,196 patients are certified to buy medical marijuana in Massachusetts, according to the Department of Public Health, up from nearly 7,846 a year ago.
In April, patients bought 9,603 ounces of marijuana from six licensed dispensaries, according to the department.
That's a sizable increase from 3,821 ounces sold by four dispensaries in January - including one in Salem.
There is also a substantial rise in the number of physicians registered to recommend marijuana treatment, as well as increases in the number of caregivers seeking permission to help patients.
Advocates say those data show just a fraction of the demand.
Dr. Uma Dhanabalan, of Uplifting Health and Wellness in Natick, is one of 149 physicians registered to recommend marijuana as treatment for a range of debilitating illnesses.
She sees about 600 patients and said some are still unable to get their medicine from one of the few dispensaries that have opened so far, either because of a lack of supply or a lengthy distance from the facilities.
"Just because we have these dispensaries doesn't mean patients are able to get to them," she said.
Some patients struggle to pay for the treatments, which average $300 per ounce, since insurance companies don't cover it.
"There are so many problems with the way this is handled," she said. "We're aliening people seeking treatment."
Patients must be recommended by physicians and have a medical marijuana license, vetted by health officials, before they're even allowed inside a dispensary to get a prescription filled. The state also limits how much marijuana a patient can receive to 10 ounces over a 60-day period.
Advocates said a lengthy approval process for new dispensaries is keeping patients from getting their medicine.
"The application process is completely jammed up ... and that's not fair to patients who've waited for years for this program to get off the ground," said Nichole Snow, director of the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance.
"There should be a lot more dispensaries in the pipeline, and that's just not the case," she added.
Health officials are considering 168 applications for dispensaries, several of which are likely to be approved.
Snow said nonprofits that have applied to open the facilities have invested millions of dollars in real estate and other expenses, with little to show for it. She's concerned that they might back out.
"They're essentially throwing money into a black hole with no idea if they will ever be able to open," she said.
Locally, Happy Valley Ventures has acquired space in Gloucester's Blackburn Industrial Park with an eye toward building a medical marijuana dispensary and potential cultivation facility there.
Snow's group wants the state to extend the 12-month application process by six months, so that groups waiting for approval don't have to re-apply every year and pay the $1,500 fee.
Health officials said they are working to certify more dispensaries and growing operations.
Scott Zoback, spokesman for the Department of Public Health, said regulators expect at least 98 percent of the population will live within 25 miles of a registered dispensary, based on actual and proposed locations now being considered.
"The goal is to have dispensary access around the state," he said.
Voters in November 2012 overwhelmingly approved a law allowing as many as 35 dispensaries to grow and sell marijuana for patients with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.
Delays in starting the program led to an outcry from medical marijuana advocates. Last year, health officials streamlined the application process to allow dispensaries to be approved more quickly, in a way similar to the process for licensing health care facilities.
The state has opened a call center, with five full-time employees helping to register new patients, caregivers who are allowed to provide medical marijuana, as well as dispensary employees.
To date, the health department has issued only six dispensary licenses - - including one to Alternative Therapies Group in Salem.
Others were issued to Patriot Care Corporation in Lowell, New England Treatment Access Inc. for dispensaries in Northampton and Brookline, and In Good Health in Brockton to grow marijuana for medicinal use. Compassionate Center, in Ayer, opened in November.
State officials point out that the medical marijuana program, which ran a $1.17 million deficit in fiscal year 2015, will end the June 30 fiscal year with a surplus of $320,610.
The state budgeted $3.3 million in revenue this year, from application and licensing fees that range from $1,500 to $50,000.
But Snow said the program could end up in a deficit because funding from application renewal fees might not be paid if groups looking to open dispensaries decide to quit the process.
"They're expecting money from fees that they might not collect," she said. "That doesn't make any sense."
News Moderator: Christine Green 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Demand grows for medical marijuana | Local News | gloucestertimes.com
Author: Christian M. Wade, Statehouse reporter
Contact: gdtnews@gloucestertimes.com
Photo Credit: Dan Gleiter
Website: https://www.gloucestertimes.com
At least 24,196 patients are certified to buy medical marijuana in Massachusetts, according to the Department of Public Health, up from nearly 7,846 a year ago.
In April, patients bought 9,603 ounces of marijuana from six licensed dispensaries, according to the department.
That's a sizable increase from 3,821 ounces sold by four dispensaries in January - including one in Salem.
There is also a substantial rise in the number of physicians registered to recommend marijuana treatment, as well as increases in the number of caregivers seeking permission to help patients.
Advocates say those data show just a fraction of the demand.
Dr. Uma Dhanabalan, of Uplifting Health and Wellness in Natick, is one of 149 physicians registered to recommend marijuana as treatment for a range of debilitating illnesses.
She sees about 600 patients and said some are still unable to get their medicine from one of the few dispensaries that have opened so far, either because of a lack of supply or a lengthy distance from the facilities.
"Just because we have these dispensaries doesn't mean patients are able to get to them," she said.
Some patients struggle to pay for the treatments, which average $300 per ounce, since insurance companies don't cover it.
"There are so many problems with the way this is handled," she said. "We're aliening people seeking treatment."
Patients must be recommended by physicians and have a medical marijuana license, vetted by health officials, before they're even allowed inside a dispensary to get a prescription filled. The state also limits how much marijuana a patient can receive to 10 ounces over a 60-day period.
Advocates said a lengthy approval process for new dispensaries is keeping patients from getting their medicine.
"The application process is completely jammed up ... and that's not fair to patients who've waited for years for this program to get off the ground," said Nichole Snow, director of the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance.
"There should be a lot more dispensaries in the pipeline, and that's just not the case," she added.
Health officials are considering 168 applications for dispensaries, several of which are likely to be approved.
Snow said nonprofits that have applied to open the facilities have invested millions of dollars in real estate and other expenses, with little to show for it. She's concerned that they might back out.
"They're essentially throwing money into a black hole with no idea if they will ever be able to open," she said.
Locally, Happy Valley Ventures has acquired space in Gloucester's Blackburn Industrial Park with an eye toward building a medical marijuana dispensary and potential cultivation facility there.
Snow's group wants the state to extend the 12-month application process by six months, so that groups waiting for approval don't have to re-apply every year and pay the $1,500 fee.
Health officials said they are working to certify more dispensaries and growing operations.
Scott Zoback, spokesman for the Department of Public Health, said regulators expect at least 98 percent of the population will live within 25 miles of a registered dispensary, based on actual and proposed locations now being considered.
"The goal is to have dispensary access around the state," he said.
Voters in November 2012 overwhelmingly approved a law allowing as many as 35 dispensaries to grow and sell marijuana for patients with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.
Delays in starting the program led to an outcry from medical marijuana advocates. Last year, health officials streamlined the application process to allow dispensaries to be approved more quickly, in a way similar to the process for licensing health care facilities.
The state has opened a call center, with five full-time employees helping to register new patients, caregivers who are allowed to provide medical marijuana, as well as dispensary employees.
To date, the health department has issued only six dispensary licenses - - including one to Alternative Therapies Group in Salem.
Others were issued to Patriot Care Corporation in Lowell, New England Treatment Access Inc. for dispensaries in Northampton and Brookline, and In Good Health in Brockton to grow marijuana for medicinal use. Compassionate Center, in Ayer, opened in November.
State officials point out that the medical marijuana program, which ran a $1.17 million deficit in fiscal year 2015, will end the June 30 fiscal year with a surplus of $320,610.
The state budgeted $3.3 million in revenue this year, from application and licensing fees that range from $1,500 to $50,000.
But Snow said the program could end up in a deficit because funding from application renewal fees might not be paid if groups looking to open dispensaries decide to quit the process.
"They're expecting money from fees that they might not collect," she said. "That doesn't make any sense."
News Moderator: Christine Green 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Demand grows for medical marijuana | Local News | gloucestertimes.com
Author: Christian M. Wade, Statehouse reporter
Contact: gdtnews@gloucestertimes.com
Photo Credit: Dan Gleiter
Website: https://www.gloucestertimes.com
