cannabisnews.com: State Uneasy About New Pot Law
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State Uneasy About New Pot Law
Posted by CN Staff on December 09, 2009 at 05:06:05 PT
By Kevin Miller, BDN Staff
Source: Bangor Daily News
Augusta, Maine -- A task force on medical marijuana grappled with issues of patient confidentiality, law enforcement and quality control Tuesday in the wake of Mainers’ vote granting sick people easier access to the drug.Under seven guidelines passed by nearly 60 percent of voters in November, Maine will expand the list of qualifying ailments for use of marijuana as well as regulate a system of dispensaries where patients can buy the drug.
But as Tuesday’s meeting made clear, some panel members remain uneasy about how, exactly, to help those with legitimate medical conditions get access to the drug without also making it easier for recreational users to buy.“There is the potential for abuse, and I think we have to be cognizant of that,” said Attorney General Janet Mills. “There is a different kind of balancing act that is going on in this arena than with other prescription drugs.”Panel members appeared to agree Tuesday that the general public should not have access to the names of individuals whose doctors have approved their use of medical marijuana. Such people would be issued state identification cards, and law enforcement officers would have access to a confidential “silent registry” of legitimate users.There also seemed to be wide agreement on the panel that the locations of the dispensaries should not be confidential, an important distinction for municipalities hoping to control where such businesses can locate.However, task force members disagreed on how much information even law enforcement should receive from dispensaries and caregivers. For instance, should police have access to the names of the individuals who buy pot from the dispensaries, which are permitted to have up to five patient “clients” and grow up to six pot plants for each patient.“You have to err on the side of protecting the patient, every time,” said Ken Altshuler, a lawyer representing the public on the panel.Others disagreed, arguing that police must be able to confirm the legitimacy of each client to ensure the dispensary is not growing a few extra pot plants for the illegal market.“I fear a huge potential for abuse if law enforcement doesn’t have access to this [information],” state Public Safety Commissioner Anne Jordan told her fellow panel members.The same question was raised about approved “caregivers,” who can legally buy and deliver the drug to patients. Without access to a caregiver’s client’s information, panelists asked, how would an officer be able to confirm the claims of someone stopped with several ounces of pot in a car?Panel members representing medical marijuana patients, physicians and the Department of Health and Human Services have also expressed concerns about how the state can ensure the quality of marijuana grown and distributed by dispensaries.Ned Porter, a deputy commissioner with the Maine Department of Agriculture, pointed out that the state has quality control programs for blueberries, potatoes, milk and other commodities. But implementing anything similar for marijuana — an illegal drug — would be a challenge, he said.Porter said he even called the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ask about an organic certification program. Products that meet the USDA guidelines carry a USDA “certified organic” seal.“I just wanted to find out what they thought of their brand being used. I haven’t heard back from them yet,” Porter said with a chuckle.Other discussion Tuesday focused on whether Maine should offer reciprocity to other states, such as California or Colorado, that license medical marijuana dispensaries.The panel will meet again next week to continue working on the recommended rules, which will be presented to the Legislature early next year.Source: Bangor Daily News (ME)Author: Kevin Miller, BDN StaffPublished: December 9, 2009Copyright: 2009 Bangor Daily News Inc.Contact: letters bangordailynews.netWebsite: http://www.bangornews.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/G5SVZrFjCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on December 09, 2009 at 15:11:34 PT
This is infuriating.
Oh Lord.Have mercy.That's all I can think. Actually I can think much worse, and have. That's just all I should say.I'll be glad when minding one's own business more and minding less of everybody else's comes into vogue. Busybodies, busying their noses in places they just don't need to be, and have no business being, is just wrong.Busybodies. I guess they have a better view of it all... since they are up higher, somehow, by trying to ride the backs of everyone else.Aaargh.Anger. Anger that I shall overcome by watching this beautiful sunset in front of my window and being so grateful that I can see it.
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Comment #6 posted by GeoChemist on December 09, 2009 at 13:18:09 PT
Question
Do those rocket scientists known as the police have the names of each and every person prescribed true narcotics? Just saying........
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Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on December 09, 2009 at 10:06:49 PT
Maine Poll!
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/132473.html
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Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on December 09, 2009 at 10:04:29 PT
by the way
I hope we can all learn from what's happening in Maine. This is what happens when you get a referendum that kowtows to law enforcement and not only encourages but stipulates heavy-handed government regulation.The best system for the patients remains Prop 215 in California which featured a very broad and open-ended right to distribution for the patient community.
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Comment #3 posted by Sam Adams on December 09, 2009 at 10:01:34 PT
commission 
this is awful - you can see each branch of the huge bureaucracy bickering over how much work they get to generate for themselves - all on the backs of the sick and ill members of the population.Why not just assign a live-in cop, social worker, and public health lobbyist to live with each person "registered" in the program? That's really the only way you can "control" the program properly, with this "illegal drug" and everything.Imagine all the overtime that could be generated! Throw-in some urine testing and electronic monitoring, surely some good kickbacks can be had from those companies as well.
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Comment #2 posted by runruff on December 09, 2009 at 05:49:52 PT
Availability lowers prices [econ. 101]
Black market [cop market] prices affect everyone! Cops and DAs do just fine under prohibition laws, thank you very much!The harsher the laws, the more restricted the flow of herb, the higher the price, the better for those who are immune from the law! 
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Comment #1 posted by kaptinemo on December 09, 2009 at 05:29:44 PT:
This is infuriating
“You have to err on the side of protecting the patient, every time,” said Ken Altshuler, a lawyer representing the public on the panel.Others disagreed, arguing that police must be able to confirm the legitimacy of each client to ensure the dispensary is not growing a few extra pot plants for the illegal market.“I fear a huge potential for abuse if law enforcement doesn’t have access to this [information],” state Public Safety Commissioner Anne Jordan told her fellow panel members.And your point is, Ms. Jordan?Government should ALWAYS 'err' on the side of protecting the individual in the face of the massive amount of force arrayed against that individual by The State, which generally has the monopoly on the use of that force...and which has shown regrettable tendencies to be careless or callous or both in using that force against the individual...as these people would attest, if they were alive to do so: http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/drug-war-victim/The government does not exist to make the jobs of police easier...for this is not supposed to be a 'police state'. A point that has become lost on those who purport to represent The People, but who seem overly concerned about making the jobs of the police easier, and by doing so, further encroach upon the rights and liberties of those same People. Next year is an election year. Perhaps such Statists as Ms. Jordan should be shown the door for their lack of understanding of what their true role is as opposed to what they think it is.
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