cannabisnews.com: Md.'s Marijuana Laws Leave Unanswered Questions
function share_this(num) {
tit=encodeURIComponent('Md.'s Marijuana Laws Leave Unanswered Questions');
url=encodeURIComponent('http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/28/thread28001.shtml');
site = new Array(5);
site[0]='http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u='+url+'&title='+tit;
site[1]='http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit.php?url='+url+'&title='+tit;
site[2]='http://digg.com/submit?topic=political_opinion&media=video&url='+url+'&title='+tit;
site[3]='http://reddit.com/submit?url='+url+'&title='+tit;
site[4]='http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&noui&jump=close&url='+url+'&title='+tit;
window.open(site[num],'sharer','toolbar=0,status=0,width=620,height=500');
return false;
}
Md.'s Marijuana Laws Leave Unanswered Questions
Posted by CN Staff on April 12, 2014 at 12:10:57 PT
By Mark Puente and Michael Dresser
Source: Baltimore Sun
Maryland -- Now that the state's medical marijuana program has been revived, officials say it will take about 15 months for the first patients to buy the drug legally in Maryland. Shannon Moore hopes her twin sons survive.Her 3-year-olds Nicolas and Byron already have lived longer than expected while battling as many as 30 seizures a day from Miller-Dieker syndrome, a disease that causes brain deformities. Moore hopes a marijuana extract will reduce their seizures.
"The hardest part is feeling hopeless," the Frederick resident said. "If you've done everything you could, it might not be enough."Despite the General Assembly's actions last week in revamping the stalled medical marijuana program and decriminalizing possession of 10 grams or less of pot, many questions remain unanswered about implementing the laws. Doctors, growers and dispensaries are waiting to learn the details of regulations that will govern the fledgling medical marijuana industry. Police across the state are evaluating the impact of the decriminalization measure on crime-fighting strategies, and the statewide prosecutors organization has called for a veto by Gov. Martin O'Malley.Experiences in other states show that even after months of legislative debate in Annapolis, Maryland could face unexpected twists. When Colorado started its medical marijuana program, the electric company needed bigger transformers to power the lights at indoor marijuana farms, and growers found that they needed to put locks on trash bins because people were trying to get discarded marijuana stems and buds.Cheverly Police Chief Harry Robshaw, a member of Maryland's Medical Marijuana Commission, faults lawmakers for not defining some key issues better.For example, the decriminalization measure does not specify whether police can continue searching a suspect after finding marijuana weighing 10 grams or less. Should they issue a citation on the spot and leave? Or keep looking, in case the suspect has a much bigger supply?"Nobody has the answer to that," Robshaw said. "That's what worries law enforcement."From the outset, Maryland's medical marijuana program will have tighter controls than the one California started 18 years ago.California regulators have no control of the estimated $1 billion industry and don't know how many growers or dispensaries operate. The California Police Chiefs Association and other lobbying groups are pushing for state oversight."It's chaotic and out of control," said Chula Vista Police Chief David Bejarano, the association's first vice president. "Anyone can obtain a recommendation for medical marijuana. There is no oversight or protection to the patient."Dr. Paul Davies, chairman of Maryland's Medical Marijuana Commission, estimates that it will take until the third quarter of 2015 to establish the network needed to put the drug in patients' hands. The panel will develop and propose regulations by September, he said."We are actively putting a plan together," he said. "We're already on it."According to Davies, this is how Maryland will form the network: Once the commission proposes the rules, they will be reviewed at several levels, including by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the attorney general's office and a legislative oversight committee. After an approval process of about four months, the commission will take applications from physicians and prospective growers and dispensers.The legislation — which O'Malley has said he will sign into law — calls for no more than 15 growers to be licensed in the first year but gives the commission the discretion to add licenses later. Licenses will be issued after a background check."We're hoping there will be strong interest among physicians," Davies said, noting that there is likely to be strong demand for grower's licenses.The commission was set up as part of last year's medical marijuana legislation, with 11 members drawn from fields such as medicine, pharmacy, law enforcement and substance abuse treatment. The revamped law expands the number to 14.J. Darrell Carrington, lobbyist for an Anne Arundel County company that is interested in seeking a grower's license, expects significant competition for the permits — and not just from folks with a few acres and an interest in recreational marijuana."These are apples and oranges," he said. "We are looking to make medicine for people."Carrington, who represents CFB Consulting in Pasadena, said that means growers will need secure, sterile, indoor facilities and will have to have extensive testing done by independent laboratories.In Colorado, it's common for growers to spend nearly $500,000 to enter the business, according to the Marijuana Industry Group, which represents growers and patients in the state. The high costs come from the required seed-to-sale tracking system, video surveillance and irrigation networks, said Mike Elliott, the executive director."This is an extremely difficult business to be a part of," he said. "If you screw up, you can end up in prison."Del. Dan K. Morhaim, sponsor of the Maryland medical marijuana legislation and the General Assembly's only physician, predicted that doctors would gradually gain interest in obtaining licenses to recommend marijuana for patients.Morhaim, who specializes in emergency and internal medicine, predicts that initial interest will come from specialties such as pain management, neurology, oncology, orthopedics and rheumatology. He says he hopes the commission will move quickly because patients are suffering without the drug."I think it should be done with as few delays as possible, as responsibly as possible," the Baltimore County Democrat said. "There's no reason you can't do both."Tyler Kutner, 20, who uses marijuana to treat muscle spasticity caused by cerebral palsy, plans to enroll in the medical marijuana program to improve his quality of life."I'm cautiously excited," said Kutner, who lives in College Park. "I live in chronic pain."Gail Rand of Annapolis, another parent who wants to use medical marijuana for a child, is concerned about rules that limit access to the drug. She was happy that the program was broadened — the state previously had focused on academic medical centers — but would like patients to be able to get more than a 30-day supply of the drug at a time."When parents of a special-needs child have to pick up medicine every 30 days, it can be quite challenging," said Rand, whose 4-year-old son Logan suffers up to 10 seizures a day because of epilepsy. "I don't know right away where the closest dispensary will be. We can't just go to the local CVS."Meanwhile, police departments across Maryland will have to adjust to enforcing the decriminalization measure.When it is no longer a criminal offense to possess small amounts of marijuana — the law would take effect Oct.1 — Maryland residents should not expect a wave of police officers to suddenly shift toward more violent crimes. In today's war on drugs, recreational users are not targeted by vice, narcotics and street cops, police said."It's too early to tell" how the law will affect policing, said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Baltimore's Police Department did not respond to requests for comment."It really won't change our strategy from a crime-fighting standpoint," said Lt. T.J. Smith, spokesman for Anne Arundel County police. "It just changes the citation."The Maryland State's Attorney's Association voted Thursday to ask O'Malley to veto the legislation, saying it would create too many problems for police officers.Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger, the group's first vice president, questions how police would handle drug-free school zones. And he wonders what would happen when police issue civil citations for marijuana possession and arrest the same people with drug paraphernalia such as crack pipes."We feel we could do a little better next year," Shellenberger said of asking for a delay.A spokeswoman for O'Malley, a former prosecutor, declined to comment at length on the association's request but said the governor still plans to sign the decriminalization measure.Mark Cheshire, a spokesman for the Baltimore state's attorney's office, said he expects that caseloads will drop for prosecutors who handle the diversion program for low-risk offenders. That program offers people charged with marijuana possession a chance to avoid conviction through community service. Nearly 4,500 people went into the program last year, up from about 1,400 the year before.The decriminalization measure's biggest change centers on how police cite offenders. Currently in Maryland, marijuana possession is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum 90-day jail term. Under the new law, adults found with less than 10 grams of pot would get a civil citation and pay a fine; they would no longer be sent to jail.Peter Moskos, an assistant professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said the new law will not make streets safer."People aren't shooting each other in East Baltimore over small amounts of marijuana," said Moskos, a former Baltimore police officer. "Cities have [decriminalized marijuana] for decades. It's had no impact."Still, proponents of decriminalization consider passage a victory. They hope the measure will eliminate disparities for black males, who are twice as likely to be prosecuted for marijuana possession as white males.The legislation won't alter decades-old police tactics, officials said. Drug-sniffing dogs are not being retired. Finding small amounts of marijuana is often a doorway to bigger investigations and a way for police to search for evidence of other crimes.Robshaw plans to order his officers who come across marijuana to keep searching if they find probable cause. If they find 10 grams or less, "the civil citation should be the last step," the Cheverly police chief said.He'll make another change: issuing scales to officers so they can determine whether small amounts of marijuana fall under the 10-gram limit. Still, Robshaw expects immediate court challenges to the law, including in cases in which officers find evidence or contraband after issuing a civil infraction.One proponent of decriminalization said the greatest impact would be on the "collateral consequences" for people who have criminal convictions under the current law.Years-old arrest records have blocked offenders from getting jobs or student loans, said Rachelle Yeung of the Marijuana Policy Project. "It's a lot more harmful than the substance itself," she said.Now, fewer people will carry the stigma of a drug arrest, she added, and they will find it easier to get hired by employers.Kym Byrnes of the Baltimore Sun Media Group contributed to this article.Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)Author: Mark Puente and Michael Dresser, The Baltimore SunPublished: April 11, 2014Copyright: 2014 The Baltimore SunContact: letters baltsun.comWebsite: http://www.baltimoresun.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/S4OYbJqwCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help
Comment #14 posted by afterburner on April 15, 2014 at 07:06:13 PT
Hope #3
"Cannabis legalization kicks in another entirely different phase of reefer madness. When this happens, the legality phase, the prohibs and the too many law enforcement and government agents just can't figure out what to do."Here's a good example of that nasty phenomenon:Top 6 Ways Health Canada Is Screwing Up Medical Marijuana.
Apr 14 2014.
There’s a reason patients call it “Hellth Canada,” and it’s not because they’re doing a hell of a job.
http://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2014/04/14/Top-6-Ways-Health-Canada-Screwing-Medical-Marijuana
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #13 posted by FoM on April 14, 2014 at 04:50:26 PT
Hope
All the links are working to day for me. Weird.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #12 posted by Hope on April 13, 2014 at 19:28:40 PT
I remember...I think, from one of Dr. Gupta's
Weed specials, the parents of one child trying to make an extract or oil from a cannabis strain other than Charlotte's Web and it didn't work so they had to move to Colorado.I'm sure the hemp oil would be very good for you and nutrious... even healing, but I can't imagine that it would have the same sort of medical value as these amazing oils, like the one grown for little Charlotte and Rick Simpson's Oil.But, just because I am quite flabbergasted at the idea, doesn't mean it's not, in fact, true. Wouldn't that be something? It never even crossed my mind until just now, that the hemp oil from the grocery store might have even more going on for it than we've realized.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #11 posted by afterburner on April 13, 2014 at 18:24:39 PT
Hope #9
The CBD Hemp Oil purports to be oil from the hemp plant enriched with CBD. To avoid entanglements with the FDA & FTC, sales websites are forbidden to mention health effects. However, somewhere on a related site, a video is available. This CBD Hemp Oil is sold as a food, not medicine, but it's more than just salad oil.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #10 posted by Hope on April 13, 2014 at 18:05:20 PT
There's still some strangeness going on.
A post a made earlier, either last evening or this morning, seems to have disappeared. Also, starting today, I have to type my name and password in. That sounds like something wrong with my computer. But I don't recall changing anything that could have caused these changes in settings.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #9 posted by Hope on April 13, 2014 at 18:00:17 PT
Hemp oil?
Isn't that site selling just the same stuff that has been available for years in health food store? It's like salad oil or something. This isn't the stuff that is helping those kids, is it?
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #8 posted by FoM on April 13, 2014 at 17:50:26 PT
Hope
Your link didn't work for me. Weird. I think I am having some connections problems tonight.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #7 posted by FoM on April 13, 2014 at 17:48:48 PT
afterburner
That one worked for me. Thank you.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #6 posted by Hope on April 13, 2014 at 17:47:52 PT
This is where it took me.
http://drrimatruthreports.com/dr-rima-recommends-healthful-hemp-oil-on-the-way/
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #5 posted by Hope on April 13, 2014 at 17:43:46 PT
Afterburner's link.
It worked for me.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #4 posted by afterburner on April 13, 2014 at 17:40:34 PT
FoM - try this one
http://tinyurl.com/CBDHempOil
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #3 posted by Hope on April 13, 2014 at 17:39:38 PT
"We feel we could do a little better next year&quo
Of course they do. Cannabis legalization kicks in another entirely different phase of reefer madness. When this happens, the legality phase, the prohibs and the too many law enforcement and government agents just can't figure out what to do. "What?" "But that's different." "That's too hard!" "It's too confusing to us." "We're confused." "We can't figure it out."I will never understand the fear and outrageous stupidity that is at the root of cannabis prohibition. It's a plant! For the sake of God and all mankind... why in the world are so many people so freakingly, foolishly afraid of it?
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #2 posted by FoM on April 13, 2014 at 16:34:20 PT
afterburner
The link doesn't work.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #1 posted by afterburner on April 13, 2014 at 10:10:15 PT
CBD Hemp Oil Is Already Available
3-year-olds Nicolas and Byron should not have to wait 15 months for Maryland to get its bureaucratic ducks in a row. It could be a death sentence. Hemp seeds and hemp oil from hemp is already available nationally and internationally under the law. A reputable Internet site has high CBD hemp oil available now. This could help some of the seizure patients without the disruption of moving to Colorado to obtain medical treatment.I am not a fan of CBD-only laws because the Entourage Effect shows that CBD and THC interact and provide more complete medical benefits. However, for the children suffering seizures and their parents, CBD offers immediate potential help.The link below is provided for informative and health reasons, not for commercial gain:
This is the Link Where You Can Buy High Potency CBD Hemp Oil™.
[ Post Comment ]
Post Comment