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State must regain control of medical marijuana

Today's News-Herald
Published Monday, January 23, 2012 8:51 AM MST

The jury will be out for a long time on whether Arizona can develop a world-best medical marijuana system, but at least two judges have ruled that state government messed up the process.

When the second judicial ruling came last week, Gov. Jan Brewer had already said the state would begin to accept and issue marijuana dispensary licenses, a key component of the program approved by voters in 2010. The second decision, from a Maricopa County Superior Court Judge, said Brewer illegally delayed implementation of the law.

This is a controversial law. It was approved by the slimmest of margins. Many believe it is a steppingstone law toward outright legalization of the drug. In that context, opposition by Brewer and many others is understandable.

What makes no sense, though, is implementing only a portion of the law. Half-baked, so to speak, as the law is now, thousands of people can legally possess and grow marijuana. Once dispensaries are established, only those medical card holders who live more than 25 miles from a dispensary may grow their own.

But the decision to issue dispensary licenses is not the only hurdle to implementing a law designed to be more restrictive and regulated than other medical marijuana states.

A big part of the picture rests with physicians and their regulating organizations. Medical regulators are already questioning the number of marijuana recommendations written by a small number of physicians, suggesting that quick clinic visits do not satisfy the letter of Arizona’s law.

Yet many mainstream physicians wrestle with the new law. First off, there are no governmental purity standards for marijuana as exist for FDA-approved drugs and interactions with prescription medications are imprecisely known. Then there are the governmental hoops and at least a thought that discipline awaits those who don’t follow the rules precisely.

As of last week, a state House bill that authorizes health department marijuana program officials to notify the physician licensing board about physicians’ marijuana recommendations cleared a committee.

Such provisions are already authorized, so the legislation only makes a point to underscore that regulators are watching. This will dissuade mainsteam physicians from recommending marijuana and improve business for the marijuana clinics.

Voters approved a medical marijuana law for Arizona that is the most-regulated in the country. With so many loose ends, the law is the opposite of restrictive. It’s time for the state to follow the letter of the law and regain control of medical marijuana.

— Today’s News-Herald

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Comments (2 comment(s))

oldman wrote on Jan 25, 2012 1:22 PM:

" In the eyes of the Federal Government Marijuana is an illegal substance. It doesn't make any difference what the Arizona law states; it is illegal. If you want to grow it, buy it or use it you risk going to jail. I can't think of a more simple way of putting it.

If you want Marijuana to become legal you need to be writing to your state representatives. Writing about it here on this blog site is not going to get the law changed. "

davewk2002 wrote on Jan 23, 2012 4:38 PM:

" Of course you can't make a plant comply with FDA drug regulations. FDA drug regulations are meant for chemicals that the doctors give you. Our beloved apples could not pass FDA drug regulations even though one a day will keep the doctor away. Most people do not know that between 1850 and 1900 that about half of the prescriptions written by doctors contained cannabis. Cannabis was used for everything from teething in babies to veterinary medicines. The interest in cannabis began to wane about 1900 when chemicals became injectable via hypodermic needles. It is neither safe nor advisable to inject plant materials via needle. In many other cultures foods and other plant materials are considered to be means to healing a variety of maladies. Does this mean that they are medicines? Although they may be as effective as the medicines we take it would not be possible for any to pass FDA scrutiny for drug regulations. If you expect the FDA to protect your health you should spend more time watching late night television to see the dozens of medicines that are currently in litigation for killing or maiming the people who took them. What was the FDA doing when they were approved? They were spending their time trying to convince you that cannabis was dangerous even though it has never killed by overdose in at least 10,000 years of contact with man. The CDC reported recently that over 20,000 deaths were caused by prescription medications in 2008. I applaud the actions of the courts that will make available this "medicine" that has been approved by Arizona voters on three different occasions. "

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