cannabisnews.com: Panel Split as Final Distribution Report Issued Panel Split as Final Distribution Report Issued Posted by FoM on September 27, 2000 at 20:42:17 PT By Glenn Adams, Associated Press Source: Boston Globe A report issued Wednesday suggesting ways to distribute marijuana to sick patients in Maine borrows schemes from three Pacific Coast states and proposes a statewide cooperative to sell the drug to patients. The cooperative would be the first of its kind in the nation, according to the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C., which applauded the idea. But members of Maine's Task Force on Medical Marijuana gave less-than-solid support as some said it lacked depth and substance and decided to issue their own version. ''I've just had one day to look at this. It's not enough time,'' said member Bryan Clark of Portland, who has AIDS caused by hemophilia and has a medical recommendation to use marijuana. Maine voters last November approved a referendum proposal to legalize marijuana for certain medicinal uses, for example, those who have AIDS, are undergoing chemotherapy and who have glaucoma. The Legislature would have to authorize final recommendations of the 28-member task force on how the drug should be handed out to those allowed to use it. The report endorsed by the group's majority calls for a voluntary patient and caregiver registry like Washington and Oregon have. It would create a distribution system allowing eligible patients to grow small extra quantities of marijuana to share with one other patient each. It also calls for a single, nonprofit center to sell marijuana to registered patients, similar to locally approved marijuana cooperatives in California. Maine would take ''a bold step'' by becoming the first state to officially sanction a distribution center, said the Marijuana Policy Project, which lobbies at the federal level to ease marijuana laws. Because federal drug laws are at odds with Maine's new policy, it is unclear whether the federal government would allow a state distribution center to operate. The task force report also calls for a state-sponsored clinical research program, similar to one in California, that would study the active ingredients in marijuana The proposal would allow research on smoked marijuana, but ''preference would be given to non-smoked methods of ingesting the active ingredients,'' the report says. Some members of the task force were dissatisfied with the report, saying it should include a more complete record of members' discussions and details of how its recommendations would be carried out. ''The process is half-baked,'' said Nat Hussy, a member. Elizabeth Beane, director of Mainers for Medical Rights, said her group supports the idea of having a state distribution center, which would be run as a pilot project. But Beane's group, which led Maine's medical marijuana initiative campaign, is uneasy with having a registry and a patient-to-patient system of handing out the drug. Beane said her group has no problem with further marijuana research, but does not know how it would happen because there is no state-run medical school or program in place to do the reserasch. A task force co-chairman, state Rep. Edward Povich, said the process was open and invited diverse views, but he was reluctant to extend its mission. ''At some point, we have to end the job,'' said Povich. The Ellsworth Democrat gave the critics three weeks to issue their own report. Attorney General Andrew Ketterer said the panel deserves credit for working toward a consensus, but that can't always be accomplished. ''I think the important thing is to get the information to the Legislature,'' he said. On the Net: Marijuana Policy Project: http://www.mpp.org/ Augusta, Maine (AP)Published: September 27, 2000© Copyright 2000 Boston Globe Electronic Publishing, Inc. Related Articles & Web Site:Mainers For Medical Rightshttp://www.mainers.org/Medicinal Marijuana Law Under Reviewhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6853.shtmlNext on MMJ: How To Set Up the Program http://cannabisnews.com/news/3/thread3555.shtmlCannabisNews Articles - Mainehttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=MaineCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives:http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by JohnDog on September 28, 2000 at 05:42:59 PT: Huh? Huh? Mainer for Medical rights is "uneasy" with patients sharing marijuana? What the hell is she talking about? What a stupid comment. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: