cannabisnews.com: R.I. Moves Toward Marijuana Centers

cannabisnews.com: R.I. Moves Toward Marijuana Centers
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R.I. Moves Toward Marijuana Centers
Posted by CN Staff on August 24, 2009 at 04:09:57 PT
By Cynthia Needham, Journal State House Bureau
Source: Providence Journal
Providence, R.I. -- The Rhode Island Department of Health is moving forward with plans to create the state’s first medical marijuana clinic where patients who use the drug for medicinal purposes can legally purchase it.Officials have released a draft version of the regulations regarding operation of such clinics and have scheduled “an informal community review meeting” Tuesday, inviting the public to share its thoughts.
In June, lawmakers closed a loophole in the state’s medical marijuana law, approving the creation of up to three so-called “compassion centers” where they say authorized patients will be able to safely buy affordable marijuana. With passage of that law, Rhode Island became the third state to allow the sale of marijuana for medicinal purposes.New Mexico earlier this year passed a statute licensing nonprofit producers of medical marijuana. California, meanwhile, allows marijuana clinics to operate, but plays no role in regulating the centers.Since Rhode Island changed its law, some have questioned the particulars of how such centers will function, and what role the Health Department will play in regulating them. The new regulations provide some answers on topics from security and licensing, to personnel requirements and dispensing rules.Compassion centers are to be operated as independent nonprofit entities overseen by boards or principal officers, to be regulated by the Health Department, much like a hospital or a nursing home. The state will not play a role in the day-to-day operations, but it will check to ensure that protocol is followed. Centers must have “a fully operational security alarm system” with marijuana to be stored in locked areas within the clinics, according to the regulations. If clinics elect to grow marijuana at a second site, that location too must be equipped with proper security. Staff and board members may not have felony drug convictions and must undergo background checks to be conducted by the attorney general’s office. They must also participate in training sessions at the facility.But the rules remain silent on many specifics. For example, who is expected to train employees, or what constitutes an adequate security system. Health Director David Gifford said many of those details can only be worked out once the regulations are in place and a group is selected to run the first center. Gifford cautioned that while health officials will give the public a chance to ask questions and learn more about the centers at Tuesday’s meeting, they don’t have the power to substantively change the statute. Only the General Assembly can do that through a formal vote. The draft regulations are simply a reflection of what the legislature required.“I am already guessing people pro and con will ask us to change the language here, but we don’t have the authority to do that,” Gifford said.Stephen Hogan, executive director of the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition, estimates that about 30 individuals have thus far signaled an interest in applying to open the first center. That group recently held an information session to help those interested learn more about the center. But it says it will not endorse any one applicant. Applications will not be distributed until the regulations are signed and in place.Asked how he would describe an ideal applicant for the state’s first compassion center, Gifford hesitated. “We’ll have to weigh the whole picture,” he said. “To a degree it will end up being subjective, but we will try to make it as fair and transparent as possible.” Hogan said he hopes the first center will open as early as May, at which point the application process will begin anew for groups interested in operating the second center. Gifford declined to commit to a specific time frame, given that the state has never before embarked on such a process, but he did not reject Hogan’s estimate. Tuesday’s meeting will be at 2 p.m. in the auditorium of the Cannon Building, 3 Capitol Hill, on the lower level.Source: Providence Journal, The (RI)Author: Cynthia Needham Published: Monday, August 24, 2009Copyright: 2009 The Providence Journal CompanyContact: letters projo.comWebsite: http://www.projo.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/XmnZ7b8oCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help

Comment #21 posted by FoM on August 26, 2009 at 04:15:04 PT
Vincent
Thank you. We do have good caring people on CNews. I love our little Sanctuary.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #20 posted by Vincent on August 25, 2009 at 21:24:39 PT:
Just hello
Hello to everyone on this superior site. Just came from Craig's list, Politics section. Crazy place. Good to be here. Have a nice week.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #19 posted by FoM on August 25, 2009 at 15:51:40 PT
Security Debated for RI Medical Marijuana Stores
Tuesday, August 25, 2009PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Health officials are debating whether medical marijuana stores in Rhode Island will be able to deliver the drug to patients across the state.Rhode Island this year became the third state in the country to permit marijuana sales to chronically ill patients. The state Department of Health gave the public its first chance Tuesday to comment on an early version of rules that could govern those stores.Potential store operators and patient advocates said they would be interested in allowing the three nonprofit stores to deliver the drug to patient homes.Charles Alexandre, a state health regulator, said it was unclear whether deliveries are allowed under the new law. State Police Capt. David Neill said he was worried robbers will target delivery drivers.Copyright: 2009 by The Associated Presshttp://www2.turnto10.com/jar/news/local/article/security_debated_for_ri_medical_marijuana_stores/22217/
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #18 posted by Sam Adams on August 25, 2009 at 09:10:56 PT
USA
It seems like the USA is plagued by a cancer from within - militarism. Having Obama in the White House is like giving the patient a couple of painkillers. He'll feel a little better but he's still dying.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #17 posted by dongenero on August 25, 2009 at 08:39:10 PT
Well the DEA certainly rolls in style.
2009 Cadillac Escalade MSRP $62,205 - $83,8352009 Cadillac Escalade ESV MSRP $64,810 - $86,390Wow, do you think they could have found more expensive luxury SUVs to spend our tax dollars on? They could have gone with Porsches and spent another 10k per vehicle I guess. $80,000 X 24 vehicles = $1,920,000.....unbelievable. Not to mention 4 helicopters. All for a few plants.Hmmmm, I have some goverment cost reduction ideas.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #16 posted by Sam Adams on August 25, 2009 at 08:07:56 PT
bad news in CA
24 Escalades! we've got our own paramilitary right here in the USA. I think it's fascinating that the mainstream media LOVES to report on federal raids on religious organizations, but these medical MJ raids NEVER get mentioned in the MSM. Our corporate/govt. masters know the population supports med MJ.We get more news on paramilitary action in 3rd world countries, never any mention of the DEA though.http://lakeconews.com/content/view/9999/764/
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #15 posted by FoM on August 25, 2009 at 07:47:39 PT
Just a Note
The news is slow and summer is winding down and I hope everyone is enjoying this lull in the news.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #14 posted by FoM on August 25, 2009 at 04:35:29 PT
Off Topic: Lawmaker Burned After Anti-Pot Comments
http://blogs.onlineathens.com/node/1298
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #13 posted by John Tyler on August 24, 2009 at 20:34:29 PT
Re #11
I don’t see what the problem is here. There is a pent up backlog of need. There is efficiency on the doctor’s part so people that can use medical cannabis for various aliments can obtain it fairly easily. It seems all right. The prohibitionists should stop whining about it and do something useful with their lives.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #12 posted by RevRayGreen on August 24, 2009 at 20:31:49 PT
Has anyone seen those GREEN boxes at Walgreens?
Has anyone seen those GREEN boxes at the Walgreen's check out?

For $15.99 you can test your kid for marijuana, for the money grubbing POS making/selling this, they
think they are helping teenagers stay off marijuana, only that box is a diversion to pills, possible death.
I may bring a box to the board, the blood is on their hands.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #11 posted by FoM on August 24, 2009 at 18:32:17 PT
Suthers Wants Board To Investigate Medical Pot Biz
August 24, 2009URL: http://cbs4denver.com/investigates/marijuana.medical.clinic.2.1142587.html
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #10 posted by ekim on August 24, 2009 at 13:43:05 PT
MI clinic travel dates:
http://www.michiganmedicalmarijuana.org/node/7784
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #9 posted by mykeyb420 on August 24, 2009 at 12:27:54 PT
a way to save money
Its simple algebra:
X x Y = ZX = price to incarcerate ONE prisoner for ONE yearY = number of people in prison for JUST potZ = total amount of money saved in ONE yearCall your elected officials and tell them to do the math,,
I did

[ Post Comment ]

Comment #8 posted by FoM on August 24, 2009 at 12:16:51 PT
mykeyb420
I like that. Thank you!
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #7 posted by mykeyb420 on August 24, 2009 at 11:53:08 PT
off topic
here is what we do for fun in san fran
lombard st
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #6 posted by josephlacerenza on August 24, 2009 at 11:04:26 PT
News from the Huff Po
I was going about my daily routine and found this...The true gateway drug....Prohibition!!!These children are given this drug that they are in control of self administering, and look what happens!!!It is easier for them to get prescription drugs than cannabis, is this a problem, YES!!!!But, do not SMOKE cannabis to help with prostate, lung, breast cancer its bad!!!!
Study Shows Massive Rise In ADHD Drug Abuse Among Teens
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #5 posted by dongenero on August 24, 2009 at 10:02:23 PT
Pot Might Blunt Damage of Binge Drinking
FRIDAY, Aug. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Marijuana may buffer the brain against the damages of binge drinking, a new study suggests.Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, used high-tech scans to compare microscopic changes in brain white matter in teens aged 16 to 19 who were divided into three groups: binge drinkers (boys who consume five or more drinks at one sitting, and girls who have four or more drinks); binge drinkers who also smoked marijuana; and a control group with little or no experience with either alcohol or drugs.As expected, the binge drinkers showed signs of white matter damage in all eight brain regions examined by the researchers. But the binge drinkers/marijuana users had less damage in seven out of the eight brain regions than the binge drinkers did.http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20090822/hl_hsn/potmightbluntdamageofbingedrinkingThis would seem to support other findings regarding neuroprotective properties of cannabis.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #4 posted by FoM on August 24, 2009 at 09:08:53 PT
RevRayGreen
Thank you for the article. I read it but when I see articles picking on hippies it leaves an empty feeling. We are hippies or we aren't. The great divide isn't a great divide if we can only get writers to understand that.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #3 posted by FoM on August 24, 2009 at 09:03:45 PT
Sam
Unbelievable waves for Rhode Island. I love the North East.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #2 posted by Sam adams on August 24, 2009 at 08:54:03 PT
RI is a cool place!
Good to know these guys have access to herbal medicine if they get hurt! HUGE surf yesterday!http://www.swellinfo.com/video/index.html?play=775http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtMzmFUgENA
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #1 posted by RevRayGreen on August 24, 2009 at 06:30:39 PT
In case you missed this from yesterday
Basu: Getting high isn't the point
REKHA BASU • rbasu dmreg.com • August 23, 2009I'm not sure who I expected to see testify for legalizing medical marijuana at last week's public hearing. But I confess, some Woodstock-type images crossed my mind. You know: Deadheads in tie-dye, mellow and giggly, and looking for munchies.I also expected proponents to use this as the first step toward recreational legalization.But no one was building a general pot-legalization case in Wednesday's testimony before the Iowa Pharmacy Board. People were talking about illnessAs for my stereotypes: I saw a few guys with long hair and jeans. I also saw disabled people in wheelchairs. I saw Joseph McSherry, a neurologist with a B.A. from Harvard, who'd flown in from Vermont with graphs and charts. There was Patricia Reynolds, whom I didn't see, but I read her testimony. She's a lawyer who discovered in the early '90s, when her teenage daughter developed leukemia, that marijuana eased her nausea and pain.I saw Ray Lakers, a 42-year-old with Iowans for Medical Marijuana who has multiple sclerosis. He testified that opiate painkillers left him lethargic, while smoking marijuana helped him hold a job.I expected to hear how getting high takes your mind off the sickness. But what I heard was that getting high isn't the point; marijuana contains substances that reduce nausea and pain.What's more, many, like Lakers, said without it they are forced to use more debilitating (but medically legal) drugs, such as morphine, which simply distract them.Most of Dr. Alan Koslow's patients are on anti-depressants and sedatives, which make them nonfunctional, testified the Des Moines vascular surgeon. Patients who have used marijuana illegally have had decreased pain and nausea, he said. "It is one of the safest, most effective medications that we have for a lot of these conditions."If that's true, then those with chronic, debilitating illnesses - including Crohn's disease, cancer, AIDS and epilepsy - are left with an untenable choice in Iowa: Rely on opiates that leave them groggy or obtain marijuana illegally and risk arrest. In 13 other states, medical marijuana is legal.But proponents face an uphill battle. Research and advocacy for a drug are typically done by a drug company seeking FDA approval. Those making the case here are not seasoned pharmaceutical lobbyists. They're sick people, who might even sound combative.Many people still associate marijuana with other illegal activity, though there was statistical testimony that it doesn't lead to the crimes or fatalities that cigarettes, alcohol or other street drugs do.Gary Young, a retired county health official now representing the Iowa Elks Association's drug-awareness program for youth, worries that legalizing it would help it get in the hands of young, recreational users.After three more hearings, the pharmacy board will make a recommendation to the Legislature. Of course, even legalizing marijuana under these narrow conditions would require quality controls and safeguards over distribution. I haven't seen all the scientific research to be able to conclude for certain that the good outweighs the bad. But it sure sounds as if it does. I do know the easiest, least-controversial course is for the board to do nothing, and there's probably pressure to go that way. Most people still view marijuana as just an illegal drug. And the sad truth is that those urgently seeking a change have little clout.That makes it incumbent on the board to put patients' welfare first: Carefully examine the data and other states' experiences, and issue an independent finding. That may take courage.
Basu: Getting high isn't the point - DSM Register 8/23/09
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