cannabisnews.com: Proposal Expands Pot Law's Latitude Proposal Expands Pot Law's Latitude Posted by FoM on March 07, 2001 at 16:48:36 PT By Tim Christie, The Register-Guard Source: Register Guard Medical marijuana patients could grow more plants, possess larger quantities of cannabis and use the drug to treat "any medical condition" if their doctor, naturopath or nurse-practitioner thought it would help, under a bill introduced by a Portland legislator.The legislation merely makes minor changes to Oregon's ground-breaking medical marijuana act so it works more smoothly for patients and law enforcement, said its prime sponsor, Rep. Jo Ann Bowman, D-Portland. "This bill is a minor tweaking bill," she said.Law enforcement officials aren't so sure.Lobbyists for prosecutors, police chiefs and sheriffs were largely noncommittal until they had a chance to read the bill, but one vocal critic of the law was skeptical."I would suspect that law enforcement would have huge concerns with this measure," Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Noelle said.Voters approved the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act in 1998. The law permits patients suffering from specific ailments and symptoms to grow and use marijuana, provided that their doctor signs a chart note or a form provided by the state Health Division. Patients who are unable to or don't want to grow their own plants may designate a caregiver to grow for them. Approved patients and caregivers are issued a card by the state Health Division, which must be renewed annually. More than 1,600 patients have received cards to date.The proposed changes included in Bowman's legislation, House Bill 3919, are based on a series of round-table meetings conducted last fall by the Stormy Ray Foundation, a patient advocacy group, said Lee Berger, a Portland attorney.As drafted, Bowman's bill would:Allow naturopaths and nurse-practitioners to attest that their patients could benefit from the use or marijuana. Existing law permits only medical doctors and osteopaths to sign for their patients. Naturopaths and nurse-practitioners are permitted to prescribe drugs under current law.Allow patients to use marijuana for "any medical condition," so long as their health care provider believed it could help. Current law permits marijuana use for a few specific illnesses and symptoms, including cancer, glaucoma, HIV and AIDS, pain, nausea, seizures and muscle spasms.Increase the number of plants that card-holders or their designated caregivers could grow, from three mature plants and four immature plants, to five mature and five immature plants. It also would increase the amount of marijuana that a grower could possess, from 3 ounces to 10 ounces.Permit up to three medical marijuana card-holders to possess up to 10 plants each, plus one ounce of usable marijuana for each plant, at one location. That means three card-holders could grow 30 plants and possess 30 ounces of dried marijuana - nearly two pounds - in one location.The bill would fix what advocates and patients have said is one of the law's biggest failings: the difficulty in obtaining a steady, reliable supply of marijuana. The current plant limitation, for instance, permits little margin for error if a plant dies.Bowman said she doesn't expect any major opposition to her bill, since it just makes "common sense tweaks" to existing law.Rep. Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, serves on the House Judiciary Committee, where Bowman's bill is expected to be assigned. She agreed that the suggested changes amounted to common sense ways to make the law work better."Not a lot of states have done this, and it's clear we're going to have some kinks to work out in how the law is administered and how people get the care they need," she said.Marion County District Attorney Dale Penn attended some of the round-table meetings but said he hasn't yet seen Bowman's bill and doesn't know what position law enforcement would take."Our main concern is we don't want to see medical marijuana misused by commercial dealers and illegal marijuana enterprises," he said. "We don't want a process that can be used as a shield by illegal marijuana growers."Noelle, the Multnomah County sheriff, was a vocal critic of the original ballot initiative and is deeply skeptical of Bowman's bill, particularly the language that allows patients to receive a card to use marijuana for "any medical condition.""That could be male pattern baldness," he said.He's also concerned about increasing the number of plants that could be grown by or on behalf of patients."Thirty plants is a big grow," he said.Bowman introduced another bill, called a "joint memorial," that would urge Congress to reclassify marijuana from its status as a drug with no medical benefits to one that could be prescribed.A similar bill died in the House in 1998.Bowman said she declined to introduce another bill that the Stormy Ray group suggested that would have directed the state Health Division to establish and regulate medical marijuana "dispensaries," where cardholders could go to buy marijuana.She thought it would be too controversial."It would cloud everything else we were trying to do," she said.Voter Power, a Portland group that advocates for medical marijuana patients, plans to file an initiative in 2002 to establish the dispensaries, said attorney Berger, who advises Voter Power.Source: Register-Guard, The (OR)Author: Tim Christie, The Register-GuardPublished: March 7, 2001Copyright: 2001 The Register-GuardAddress: PO Box 10188, Eugene, OR 97440-2188Contact: rgletters guardnet.comWebsite: http://www.registerguard.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Contigo-Conmigo Medical Marijuanahttp://www.proaxis.com/~gina/Oregon Medical Marijuana Acthttp://www.ohd.hr.state.or.us/hclc/mm/A Challenging Crophttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8572.shtmlHome-Grown Medicine http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8564.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by FoM on December 14, 2004 at 19:45:46 PT tan I'm sorry but I don't know how to help you. I'm not sure anyone on CNews would know either. I can't even think of a link to post. I hope you find the information you need though. Good Luck to you. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by tan on December 14, 2004 at 19:10:39 PT: hairloss and pot? it is only been 6 weeks and I have lost well over half my hair, my doctor wants to do injections in my scalp starting january, I dont really want to do this I would rather try something natural,,,please help [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by tan on December 13, 2004 at 21:54:38 PT: alopecia and pot Im a 29 year old women that now for some reason has alopecia areata first time ever having this. Is there for sure facts out there that pot helps the hair grow? I have huge bald spots its very hard to cope with. Please send some info my way wildchild_213 hotmail.com thanks [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on March 08, 2001 at 06:37:07 PT: Seriously If there are any wealthy chromedomes out there that would like to contribute to the serious biochemical investigation of cannabis in treatment of alopecia, please contact me. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Dan B on March 08, 2001 at 06:31:28 PT: It's true "That could be male pattern baldness," he said. Yep, I can provide some anecdotal evidence that this is true. I noticed that my hair was thinning a few years ago (just an itty bitty bald spot), but when I began to smoke cannabis, it stopped falling out and seemed to grow thicker. I have noticed, too, that when I stop for several months, my hair begins to feel thinner again; when I begin again, it stops thinning and seems to become thicker. I haven't had any cannabis for a few months now, and I feel and see that ol' thin spot getting bigger than ever. It may be simply wishful thinking, but I think the sheriff is onto something. If it can be proven, a whole new segment of the population would likely switch to our side. Of course, NIDA would never approve such a study. But think about it: who is stereotypically more likely to have thick, long flowing hair, the guy who drinks a martini every day at lunch, or the guy who smokes a bowl or two every evening to relax before heading off to bed?Maybe the prohibitionists are just jealous of our lovely locks?Dan B [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on March 08, 2001 at 05:28:24 PT: Now he tells me! (ROFLMAO) As someone who is likewise 'follicly challenged', I bitterly resent that, years after the damage is done, this 'expert' informs us that my prematurely balding pate could have been prevented by a judicious application of THC. It's enough to make a grown man cry. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Sam W. Smith on March 08, 2001 at 03:17:46 PT: Medical MJ changes in Oregon Doctors should be able to advise cannabis for whatever condition they feel appropriate. After all, legislators and law enforcement officers canīt dictate how physicians and healthcare professionals apply other treatments. Particularly in palliative treaments, the patient/doctor communication determines the treatment and creates the assessment of efficacy. I personally find that smoking a joint does wonders for the pain and stress associated with bleeding piles. Tried using them as suppositories, but the paper kept getting wet!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Austin on March 07, 2001 at 21:55:55 PT Hair club for men lookout ! I agree with the doctor , baldness can be verry stressfull. Mj relievs stress . Even a sheriff of limited intelligence is capable of discovering new and exiting uses for RxMJ. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on March 07, 2001 at 17:28:36 PT: Baldness is Big Business, Dude "language that allows patients to receive a card to use marijuana for "any medical condition.""That could be male pattern baldness," he said.Both the ancient Chinese and medieval Arabic medical literature support that cannabis treats or cures baldness. This fellow is cruel and unusual in his cavalier rebuke to those of us who are follicularly challenged, and I protest. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: