Tell your story here....

In response to yesterday's actions by the DEA and state law enforcement, Solutions for Montana will be collecting stories and information from licensed patients and caregivers in the State of Montana. 

Have you been affected by yesterday's raids?  Have you lost your caregiver as a result?  How has this affected you and your medical condition?

Tell us what you think about what is happening in the State.

2011 Legislators' Guide to Medical Cannabis

Thank you to all who participated in this blog.  Your comments and opinions have been incorporated into The 2011 Legislators' Guide to Medical Cannabis, A Comprehensive Guide to Medical Cannabis in Montana.

Copies of this guide were distributed on Friday to the members of the Legislature in Helena. Copies of the guide are available for a $10 donation by going to the Montana Medical Growers Association website (http://www.montanamedicalgrowers.org/) or by emailing solutionsformt@3rivers.net for more information.  Your donation will be used to continue to work towards protecting the rights of patients in the State.

This is only the beginning of the fight.  Continue to contact your legislators.  Volunteer your time by signing up at http://mjdb.montanadrugpolicy.org/.  Click on your district and then on "I live in this district and I want to help".

Keeping checking in on this site, the MMGA website and Facebook page, and the Solutions for Montana website (http://www.solutions4montana.org/) and Facebook page for more information on the happenings in Helena and events occuring around the State. 

Issue #8: Unqualified patients receiving recommendations

The State Board of Medical Examiners has issued a revised Standard of Care that specifically addresses this issue.

If individuals have received a recommendation without warrant, their license will not be renewed under the new policy revisions. 

Should suspensions of current medical cannabis licensing be solely at the discretion of DPHHS? 

Issue #10: Add PTSD as a qualifying condition

There has been some consideration of reviewing qualifying conditions by the Subcommittee, DPHHS, and the Board of Medical Examiners.  With the recent action by the Veterans’ Administration to permit returning vets to utilize medical cannabis and President Obama’s specific mention of PTSD as a qualifying condition,should the Subcommittee consider adding PTSD to the list of qualifying medical conditions?

Issue #11: Public Smoking and/or Use

This issue should be left to the individual city or county to determine.

Local jurisdictions have adopted regulations regarding smoking restrictions.  It is important to understand how the medicine works.  A seizure patient for example may only have a minute or two to medicate to avoid a seizure.  Should there be limitations on the extent that a local ordinance may inhibit a patient’s ability to properly medicate?

Issue #12: Time frames for licensing

The recommendation made to the Interim Committee suggested that this should be handled by administrative rule.

Since it takes up to six months for a caregiver to have available medicine grown for a new patient, a period of less than one year is not a realistic time frame. Is it realistic to provide for longer license periods for certain medical conditions that could be adopted by administrative rule?

Issue #9: Driving under the influence (DUI)

This issue requires research to help determine when any individual that has used medicinal product is no longer able to operate a motor vehicle.  How should this be dealt with in the new legislation?

Issue #7: What is a plant?

Establish different criteria for plant growth stages and medical cannabis by-products based on actual science that make tracking and governing more efficient for law enforcement and the proposed regulatory board to administer.  The science is now available to identify the THC content in baked goods, other edibles, and sundry products clearly delineating the qualitative and quantitative medicinal content.  Please contribute to the summary that was given to the Interim Committee in Helena for content and accuracy. 

Issue #6: Tracking of Medicine

Issue: Tracking of Medicine

This has been the major issue with law enforcement.  The issue regarding tracking is to reduce the likely hood of diversion, reduce potential out of state medicine coming into Montana, and insure that the law is followed.  Every business needs to know what their inventory is, where it comes from, who their customers are and how much they buy.  This will be a reality in the new law by all expectations, so please contribute on what you think should be tracked and how.  If you are currently using a POS or tracking system let us know what it is and how it works for you.

Issue #5: Regulatory Board

A recommendation for regulatory board was made during the meetings of the Senate Subcommittee.  This was carefully designed to provide for some industry self regulation with appropriate oversight.   The recommendation includes a significant portion of the work group concerns and guidance.  Please comment on the recommendation so that it can be updated for the new legislative session.

This recommendation included a number of different size and types of Caregivers, Patients and  potential license fees.  Keep in mind that ALL REGULATORY BOARDS in Montana must be self funded. Please visit http://www.montanamedicalgrowers.org/content.php/228-MMGA-Proposes-New-Caregiver-Licensing-Board to review the recommendation.

Our Mission

In an effort to build a comprehensive profile of medical cannabis in Montana, we want to identify all of the potential issues and rational solutions. We will be supporting this with any and all available documentation.

Please use this area to make suggestions of topics for discussion.  Your participation will help us to develop a better guide.

Issue #4-Out of state patients

Montana has a reciprical agreement for medical cannabis patients from other states.  Since  caregivers may only serve the patients registered to them and patients with out of state medical cards do not have a designated caregiver, what is the best way to modify the law so that is it clear to everyone how to serve this patient?

Issue #3-Free Enterprise

Do you favor a few large growers in the State supplying all patients or the free enterprise system we have now where the market place determines which business and business model flourishes?

Issue #2-Sharing Medicine

Recently a patient in Missoula obtained medicine legally from their caregiver and, shortly after leaving the store front, began to medicate in the car.  At some point, the patient passed his medicine to non patients.  He was charged with a felony to distribute illegal drugs.  It is illegal for licensed patients to share their medicine with anyone who is not licensed.  How can we get this message to patients?

Issue #1-Patient Licensing

There is a concern that individuals are receiving their MT medical cannabis license but they may not have a qualifying condition.  What is the best way to address this issue?

Welcome!

Welcome to the Montana Medical Cannabis Survey.

Solutions for Montana, a non-profit corporation, is collecting data for research publication regarding the State issue of medical cannabis and regulation.  Data collected in this survey will be supplied to interested parties for the purpose of informing them on the issues related to this important topic.

 

In November 2004, Montana passed Initiative 148, allowing patients with specific medical conditions to alleviate their symptoms through the use of medicinal product.  The law also allows qualified patients and their caregivers to grow and/or possess a specific number of  plants and actual usable medicinal cannabis.

 

Montana was the 10th state to pass a medical cannabis law.  Under federal law, it is still illegal to grow, sell, purchase, or use marijuana, even for health-related reasons.

 

The issue of Medical Marijuana in Montana will be one of the most important issues of the upcoming 2011 Montana legislative session.  The Children, Families, Health and Human Services Interim Committee has developed draft proposals for changes to the current Initiative to be presented at the start of the next legislative session. 

 

The proposed changes to the Initiative will tighten the regulations currently set for patients and caregivers: http://www.leg.mt.gov/content/Committees/Interim/2009_2010/Children_Family/Emerging-Issue/lcmm01-revisions-aug24.pdf

 

We welcome your comments and your input.