cannabisnews.com: Pot Rx Doc Loses DEA Recognition





Pot Rx Doc Loses DEA Recognition
Posted by CN Staff on January 23, 2003 at 10:55:59 PT
By Ken Paglia, Staff Writer
Source: Mountain Democrat 
Marion Fry, MD, can no longer help patients obtain medical marijuana and might be out of business completely after the Drug Enforcement Administration recently revoked her privileges.Fry, 42, and husband Dale Schafer, an attorney, run the California Medical Research Center in Cool, founded to foster medical marijuana research. Fry wrote recommendations for medical marijuana and Schafer advised clients of the legal aspects of medical marijuana. 
Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, allows patients to use marijuana with a recommendation from a doctor.Last year the DEA investigated Fry for writing recommendations under "questionable circumstances" and issued an order to show cause -- Fry's opportunity to explain in court why her privileges should not be revoked.Fry did not respond to the government order or request a hearing, and in December the DEA revoked her DEA registration, rendering her unable to write recommendations. A DEA report said Fry's prescription-writing privileges were "inconsistent with public interest," and CMRC showed "no resemblance to a legitimate medical practice."Fry and Schafer advertised as a "medical/legal consult team that helps certify people who qualify under Prop. 215 to medically use marijuana." The couple charged $150 per visit for a medical/legal consultation and had as many as 100 clients per week, according to the report. The DEA alleges that Fry's required medical examinations sometimes lasted only 20 minutes, and often she did not review client medical records before writing recommendations. Many clients said most of their examination was spent with Schafer, who advised them of proper conduct if arrested, and how to avoid law enforcement entanglements.The DEA alleges that despite the abbreviated examinations, Dr. Fry routinely issued medical marijuana recommendations for ailments such as anxiety, insomnia, asthma, pre-menstrual syndrome and restless leg syndrome.Without her registration, Fry might not be able to practice medicine at all."(The revocation) is like the atomic weapon at the federal level," said Keith Stoup, executive director of NORML, a company that works to reform marijuana laws. "When the DEA revokes prescription privileges, the doctors is effectively out of business. Without it they can't prescribe drugs and they can't practice medically," he said. Stroup, a friend of Dr. Fry, has been involved with her case since 2001.Fry is a breast cancer survivor and acknowledges using marijuana to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, and insomnia.Additionally, Schafer, 42, is accused of selling marijuana. The DEA alleges that on more than 100 occasions Schafer offered to sell marijuana "growing kits" to clients, each of which contained marijuana plants, a growing tub, and growing lights.Neither returned phone calls by press time yesterday.On one occasion, said the report, Schafer purchased 3 pounds of marijuana and asked another individual to sell it for him. In 2001 the DEA raided Fry and Schafer's practice and seized 32 marijuana plans and nearly 5,000 patient records. Fry and Schafer were not arrested in the raid.The bust marked the first time federal agents targeted a state marijuana medical facility since Prop. 215 legalized medical marijuana in 1996.The DEA then raided the couple's home, and found grocery bags filled with marijuana and drug paraphernalia, said the report.Soon after, a federal judge ruled that the files remain in police hands and were not protected by attorney-client privilege.Source: Mountain Democrat (CA)Author: Ken Paglia, Staff WriterPublished: January 23, 2003Copyright: 2003 Mountain DemocratContact: plakey mtdemocrat.netWebsite: http://www.mtdemocrat.com/Related Articles & Web Site:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/County Works on Medical Pot Ruleshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13193.shtmlMedical Pot on The Meeting Menu http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13043.shtmlWar on Pot is a Raid on States' Rightshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11553.shtml 
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Comment #3 posted by John Tyler on January 23, 2003 at 13:52:49 PT
The Fed thinks they are supreme
The feds are coming on strong in their attack on the medical cannabis community. They are sending the message that the Federal Government is supreme and anybody that tries to stand up to them will be destroyed. Unfortunately we will see more of this kind of activity.
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Comment #2 posted by greek_philosophizer on January 23, 2003 at 12:38:00 PT:
TRUTH SPOKE THE TRUTH
Truth spoke the truth 
in the previous comment.
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Comment #1 posted by Truth on January 23, 2003 at 11:09:10 PT
DEA
It seems like the DEA obtains enjoyment by making people suffer, shame on them.
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