cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Rules Could Seed a New Industry





Marijuana Rules Could Seed a New Industry
Posted by CN Staff on December 11, 2007 at 06:14:11 PT
By Thomas Munro 
Source: MSNBC
New Mexico -- Proposed rules for medical marijuana providers could open the door to private nonprofit or for-profit producers in New Mexico. Since the state's medical marijuana registry was created July 1, patients have had three ways to obtain marijuana: by growing it themselves; by contracting with "designated caregivers," who grow or otherwise obtain the plant and are each allowed to provide doses of the herb to at most four patients; or by buying it off the street.
While street drugs have high, black-market prices, the designated caregivers are not allowed to charge patients any more than the cost of "supplies or utilities associated with the possession of medical use marijuana." The proposed rules could open the field of providers to private entities that would establish licit market pricing, raising concerns of a capitalistic free-for-all similar to the market in California, where 300 "pot clubs" offer a marijuana-connoisseur's delight of exotic varieties, often at prices beyond the means of needy patients. While only nonprofit operations are protected by California law, some clubs are reputed to be making millions. "California's gotten really out of control," said Melissa Milam, coordinator of New Mexico's medical cannabis program. One bulwark against this distopian future is the much tighter restriction on conditions that can qualify a patient for a medical marijuana card. In California, a doctor can prescribe marijuana for anyone he believes will be helped by it. In New Mexico, only patients suffering pain as a result of one of seven conditions can qualify, short of a special petition to a medical advisory board. The board will look at proposals for additions to the list every six months. "It will be important for published studies to show marijuana is beneficial for that specific condition," Milam said. In the first five months of the program, 74 applicants were approved. "All the marijuana we could need right now could be grown on a quarter of an acre," Milam said. That doesn't sound like the makings of a multimillion-dollar industry, but Milam said interest from potential providers has been intense. "I've heard from everyone from multimillion-dollar companies to very small ones," Milam said. "I've heard from out-of-state companies, from landscaping businesses and nurseries." The final hammering out of the rules after a Jan. 14 public meeting might be all that stands between them and going into operation -- if they decide it will become a market worth investing in, and if they are willing to toe the line of the state's requirements for private providers.Those rules would require big investments in security, including high-resolution video of entry and exit areas, an alarm system, a bulletproof pass-through window, a time-lock safe, overnight lighting and staffing. In addition to the business challenges facing a potential investor in marijuana production, the specter of federal prosecution remains very real. According to a March 22 report in the San Francisco Chronicle, "Perils grow in battle for medical pot," the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration arrested 594 people on marijuana charges in California in 2006, up from 359 in 2001. They seized 3 million plants in 2006, up from 880,000 in 2001. The article went on to call enforcement of the federal marijuana laws "notably erratic." Copyright: 2007 New Mexico Business WeeklySource: MSNBC (US Web)Author: Thomas Munro Published: December 10, 2007Copyright: 2007 MSNBCContact: letters msnbc.comWebsite: http://msnbc.com/news/Related Articles: Health Department Asks for Comment on MMJ http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23531.shtmlPerils Grow in Battle for Medical Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22791.shtml
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on December 11, 2007 at 20:20:57 PT
DCP 
I am so hopeful that things will change when we get a new administration. That's what keeps me going these days.
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Comment #2 posted by DCP on December 11, 2007 at 20:13:57 PT
California MMJ
OT. There have been a number of reports in the media about how easy it is to get a recommendation for MMJ from doctors in California, and there are stories of recreational users getting recommendations and even buying without a recommendation. Let me set the record straight. In my personal experience, a great deal of care and caution is shown by doctors that I have met. They show a very professional approach toward recommending MMJ. A written diagnosis, an X-ray, catscan, or MRI of a condition that may be helped by MMJ is always required. Stories of doctors making recommendations for earache or hangnails are grossly exaggerated. Finding a doctor who is knowledgeable about MMJ is not difficult, the CA Norml website has a listing, as well as listings of MMJ dispensaries. In my case, I have obtained recommendations from three different doctors over the last five or six years. My current doctor together with four staff members makes a monthly circuit to smaller cities and towns in northern California. To obtain a recommendation or even a renewal of a recommendation, forms must be filled out and suitable evidence of condition that may be helped by MMJ must be shown together with an examination by the doctor. Recommendations must be renewed every year for a fee of about $150.I am fortunate that an MMJ dispensary is nearby, but there are probably a dozen within an hour’s drive. Great care and caution is shown by these good people: a membership card is required, your identification is verified, and a copy of the recommendation must be shown to gain access to the to the dispensary. Prices are high, about $400 the ounce; probably about the same as street pot, but the quality is excellent. Some reports have said that these dispensaries and the growers who supply them are making a great deal of money from MMJ, and this is true.  However, these profits seem appropriate considering the risk of arrest, jail and confiscation of property by the DEA.One more note: The “California Model” may not be ideal, but most everyone who can benefit from cannabis can obtain quality buds. The price may be high but so are drug-store pills.We have about thirteen months before a new president is elected and hopefully, puts an end to the persecution of patients who benefit from MMJ. We will see.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on December 11, 2007 at 09:16:44 PT
New Pot Raids Call for New National Leadership
This is an interesting article but I'm afraid to post it but here is the link.New Pot Raids Call for New National LeadershipDecember 11, 2007URL: http://tinyurl.com/2xfexe
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