Michigan Medical Marijuana Info

[peanutbutter]

Doctors need to be educated about the protections they have under the new law.

Would you like your doctor to be educated about this new law? Then pass on information to him/her.

That helps you and everyone else.

Print out this web page and hand it to them:

http://medcannabis.googlepages.com/doctors

They would probably be interested in seeing the information if you tell them it's about new protections for doctors under the new law.

[Urban Sherpa]

FYI: Copy of the first newsletter from MMMA

Welcome to the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association mailing list. This is the first update posted to the list. If you do not wish to receive future messages on this list, please reply to MichiganMedicalMarijuana@gmail.com with an e-mail with Unsubscribe in the subject line. Subscribers to this list may expect to receive 2 to 3 updates weekly for the next several weeks and regularly after that.

The Michigan Medical Marijuana Association, a recently incorporated 501 (c)(3) Not For Profit is organized as a Community Service Agency. Our mission is to provide supportive services to the Michigan Medical Marijuana community. More on that below. First….

Frequently Asked Questions:

When can I start using my medicine?

Short answer: you’ll have to wait just a bit longer.
For the time being the law remains the same. Sometime in late November or early December the State Board of Canvassers will certify the Nov 4 election. Once certified the law will go into effect in an additional 10 days. That would be early to mid December.

Once the law is in effect patients and caregivers would be able to use a Medical Necessity Defense in court to have the charges dismissed. Of course the best defense is to keep your head down, avoid arrest and stay out of court in the first place.

After the law is certified, the MI Dept of Community Health (DCH) has 120 to write the actual policies and procedures for the Michigan Medical Marijuana Program and to begin accepting applications. DCH then has an additional 20 days to begin issuing cards. Only after patients and caregivers have a state issued Medical Marijuana card in hand may they depend on being fully protected by the Act. That will not happen sooner than April 1, 2009.

Where can I get some medicine?
Sorry, we can’t help you with that either.
The Michigan Medical Marijuana Association is organized as a 501 (c)(3), Not For Profit, Community Service Agency. Our mission is to provide a broad range of Supportive Services and to give our community the public face and the voice we earned with our recent victory at the polls. We are not a dispensary and we will not participate in any sale, purchase, transfer of medical marijuana nor negotiate or be an intermediary to the sale, purchase or transfer of medical marijuana.
For access to medicine you will have to either buy it from a street dealer, grow your own or join a Local Caregiver Group who may provide it for you.


Where will I find a doctor who will prescribe medical marijuana?

It starts with your personal physician.
But first, a clarification. Doctors may not prescribe marijuana. They may recommend it. This is an important distinction. The Michigan Medical Marijuana Association is drafting a brochure, Talking to Your Doctor About Medical Marijuana, that will explain this distinction and more.
The Act requires that a Medical Marijuana recommendation be given only in the context of a “bona-fide doctor-patient relationship.” Thus, you need to talk to your own doctor first before you seek out a second opinion. Our brochure will give you talking points to help you do that.

At this time most doctors are understandably hesitant to write medical marijuana recommendations. They can not risk their own practices. A few doctors around the state have very quietly let it be known that they will be willing to begin writing recommendations once the dust has settled and DCH has issued their final rules.

If the experience of other states is any guide, a small number of doctors will ultimately write the majority of recommendations while some family doctors will write the occasional recommendation for long standing patients. At this time no doctor has given any public indication that s/he is ready to assess new patients for second opinions about medical marijuana. We expect that will come in good time.

I want to be a caregiver

Being a caregiver exposes you to additional legal peril beyond that of an ordinary medical marijuana patient. If you mess up. It is in your own best interest to proceed with caution and make sure you always stay within the law.

The same time lines apply to caregivers as they do to patients. Once the law is certified and goes into effect, sometime in early to mid December, caregivers may use a Medical Necessity in court. Where you should not be anyway.

Be sure that you are very familiar with the limits (2.5 oz & 12 plants / patient) and do not exceed them. If you are going to cultivate medical marijuana, be sure you have patients BEFORE you put seed into the ground. Penalties for violators will be harsh. We expect vigorous opposition and testing of the Act by law enforcement. Do not make yourself a tempting target.

The Michigan Medical Marijuana Association will be conducting a series of informational sessions for caregivers around the state in the months ahead. . We encourage anyone interested in being a caregiver to attend. Educate yourself on the Act. Stay out of jail.

What can we do now?

Organize. Organize. Organize.
While we are waiting for the new law to go through the implementation process it is imperative that we as a community begin to organize. There are opportunities for citizen input during the upcoming rules writing process. We need to be prepared.

You are on the list. Please refer everyone you know to join us. Simply send a message to MichiganMedicalMarijuana@gmail.com with Subscribe in the subject line. As soon as we know anything, we will post it to this list.

Check out the website on a regular basis, Michigan Medical Marijuana Association | Serving the needs of Michigan's medical marijuana patients, caregivers and health care providers for information as it comes available. Right now it’s just a holder page—we had some glitches with the original site we wrote. I hope to have that up in the next 24 hours. But it was written months ago and is now woefully out of date. So I will be diligently learning a new web publishing program and then adding many new features and a lot more content including Michigan Medical Marijuana program application forms; doctor recommendation blanks; member forums; referrals to Local Caregiver Groups; links to suppliers and seminar schedules.

For some of you this is the first time you have heard from the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association, others have received our form letter sometime in the last week in response to your own inquiry. Others yet knew something was up, but not exactly what. We were asked by the Proposal 1 campaign to maintain a low profile and not tip our hand until after the election. We held off an additional week in order to give us a chance to confer with the MI activist community at last weekend’s quarterly state confab at Houghton Lake. We are formally launching as of this morning.

I have cut & pasted the form letter for those who have not seen it yet. It explains much. If you were at Sunday’s meeting it will probably sound quite familiar.

Greg Francisco

MichiganMedicalMarijuana@gmail.com

Michigan Medical Marijuana Association | Serving the needs of Michigan's medical marijuana patients, caregivers and health care providers

--------------------------------------

Dear Friend



Now at last, the announcement long rumored and now confirmed.

On Nov 4th, Proposal 1, the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, passed by an
overwhelming margin of 63%, almost 2 to 1. Now the hard part starts. We
need to get our asses in gear, preparing for what comes next.

I've been talking to activists in states that already protect patients.
Over and over I'm hearing the same--after the election there will be a
period of time in which everyone stands around, euphoric about the win but not quite sure what to do next. This is time wasted when we need to be most focused.

Proposal 1 only lays out a framework. The MI Dept of Community Health now
has to write the rules. And they could come up with some really bull shit rules if they want. For example. The language says, "locked, enclosed facility." DCH can not loosen any of the parameters spelled out in Prop 1 such as the requirement that it be locked but they can add an interpretive rule that enclosed means solid & impermeable to natural light. In other words, no windows, no sky lights, no greenhouses. Or maybe they could make a rule that mmj patient have to wear a Medic-Alert type bracelet. For their own good of course. Whatever. There is no limit to the creativity of our opponents
when it comes to silliness.

My point is, we need to be ready to counter that. The state of MI has a very specific procedure they must follow--it's all posted on line with flow charts and manuals, trust me. And the relevant statutes requires the state to take citizen input at certain steps along the way. We need to use that opportunity.

Additionally, there will be a minimum of 4 public hearings around the state.
We need to attend. We need to organize.
So, here's the deal. A few of us have been doing a lot more than
just holding bull sessions about "what comes next." We've been preparing. We have been organizing.

Bob Heflin, Melody Karr & myself have set up a 501 (c)(3) as the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA). We are all long time, known activists and our credibility and competence to pull this off--or not--will become increasingly self evident in the immediate weeks and months ahead.
Our mission is to provide supportive services to medical marijuana patients and their caregivers & health care providers. Our buzz phrase is, safe, reliable, affordable access. Our goal is to become a statewide network .
So what does that mean in plain English?

I am in a position to make this my full time occupation. And I intend to.
My Master's degree is Community Agency Counseling. We're setting this up like any other Community Service Agency.

We have registered with the state to be notified (which again, they have to do by law) of any opportunities for citizen input on any rules regarding marijuana. We in turn will spread the word and organize citizen input from our community. We can all be confident that the opposition will be doing likewise. I am now a registered lobbyist with the State of MI, btw.
Yippee, eh?

"Supportive Services" means a broad range of things--some free, some fee based and some sales. Freebies include lobbying; advocacy in general and aggressive advocacy for any of our brothers and sisters who may be targeted as test case; educational website; monitoring DCH, information & referral, ASA chapter.

Fee based are classes & seminars we plan to hold around the state.

And sales is pretty much anything a mmj patient might need--books/manuals, grow-equip, vaporizers.

We're also going to certify caregivers. This is a key concept. Our goal here is to bring some sense of order to things and avoid the chaos that our opponents rightly or wrongly evoke.

Many professions have voluntary certifications. There is no requirement to have this certification but it does give credibility and establishes a level of competence and trust. Thus it will be with our certification. MMJ patients may be confident using any caregiver that has the MMMA certification. It also helps inoculate the caregiver from law enforcement harassment. It demonstrates a commitment to being responsible and following the law. And by having some sort of "oversight" entity it brings order & legitimacy to the profession of caregiver.

What we will not do is be a dispensary, cooperative, collective. We will
not physically handle the medicine or participate in it's transfer. We
will of course publish a list of our Certified Caregivers--that's the whole
point, establish credibility with our stamp of approval. If patients
subsequently use that list to find a caregiver, well that is a private
matter between the two.
Proposal 1 does not allow us to have dispensaries, cooperatives or
collectives. Actually it limits caregivers to providing medicine to a
maximum of 5 patients, which is effectively the same thing. But those are just names and models for distribution systems. And we will have a
distribution system. It just won't be called a dispensary and it won't be
organized anything like one either.

Michigan's distribution system is going to depend upon "local caregiver
groups." A local caregiver group is defined as a single caregiver and up
to 5 patients. It will be up to individual, independent local caregiver
groups to handle the day to day realities of ensuring safe, reliable,
affordable access. And the fewer distractions from that mission, the
better.

The MMMA in turn can serve as an umbrella group, shielding & providing
services to our members and local caregiver groups such as: discounts on equip & supplies, a website & a state-wide presence, information & referrals, lobbying & advocacy--services that it would be impractical for each individual group to provide on their own. No local caregiver group need feel isolated and vulnerable to harassment, either. The local caregiver groups can put their energy into providing medicine to
patients. The MMMA will have their back.

The MMMA is a network in the very truest sense of the word. It's entire success depends upon linking people together, especially in the rural and northern regions of our state. All regions of the state, including the UP ,have to be included and we know that. We are going to provide the central hub through which the community may find, link and support each other. Within that network there will exist dozens, hopefully hundreds of smaller local caregiver groups. I hope that you will help us grow.

Remember, we have only 2 years to get this up and running and so deeply entrenched that going backwards is impractical.

I hope to have the website up by next Monday. You can sign up as a general member, a patient or a caregiver there (this is not to be confused with signing up with the state of MI). Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance or you wish to start a group in your area.

Greg Francisco
www.michiganmedicalmarijuana

[peanutbutter]

Originally Posted by chris1656

hi i am just wondering if i would qualify i have them small petty maul sezuires where i fall to the ground and get back up i take depakote and it has been destroying my short term memory do you think medical would help at all.

From the new law directly:

A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment
that produces 1 or more of the following: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe
and chronic pain; severe nausea; seizures, including but not limited to those
characteristic of epilepsy;

epilepsy is a distinctly named condition in this new law.

[GoldenGoblin]

It is good to know we can at least approach doctors now, but I have heard of two cases where the doctor got scared and the other they just got angry and stated that they would never under any circumstance recommend it. Of course I let him know that the Act does have provisions regarding it and he should at least make a attempt to talk to her again. If she again proclaims that she will not then he should look for another doctor.
I will tell him about the handout and of course continue to inform people when and where I can. We can only hope that people can bring this up to their family physicians without getting attached to any kind of stigma, whether it is legal or not.

Keep up the good work everybody. We are almost there!

[DaPharaoh]

can't wait for thursday to see what happens. anybody hear any new news?

[420buds]

I haven't heard anything yet, has anyone else?

[Smiley Coyote]

Still nothing for asthmatics. That bricked stuff can be taxing over the long term with heavy usage but take it from an asthmatic that has researched until he was blue in the face both in the "lab" and via others' research: freshies help, in controlled, small doses to fight symptoms of attacks and fairly regular usage not only keeps the lungs flushed of mucus buildup but keeps at bay states of anxiety. Anxiety can induce asthmatic reactions which, in turn, can exacerbate anxiety. It is a vicious circle that fresh herb helps with!

Oh well; I guess I'm still out in the cold.

[S. Moe Kedakush]

did i read this right? even if i dont have any serious diseases i can get licensed to grow the shit in my house? how strict are they on taking a little personal. do they come and check up on you regularly? by "they" i mean the feds or cops or whoever.

[missMJ]

I was truly elated at the formation of Prop 1 in Mich, but after reading the full "guidelines" and nitty gritties of the law, I'm actually somewhat upset with how the law was formed.

Only debilitating diseases are allowed in order to apply for a card? I don't have any "debilitating" diseases, but I do have a lot of ailments and mental problems in which cannabis helps with immensely. I have lower back problems due to having degenerated discs (I'm a professional dancer/instructor, so my joints are pretty ground up), high anxiety, depression, insomnia, PMS/menstrual cramping and I use it as an appetite stimulant. Otherwise I cannot build up an appetite (when I cut down dramatically, I ended up losing so much weight I was clinically diagnosed as being underweight).

Marijuana helps me on a daily basis, whether it be for the reasons above, or simply because I have a horrible headache and I'd like to self medicate rather than pop a couple tylenol and hope for the best. The argument at the beginning of the thread about "abusing the system" confused me slightly, as I believe MOST marijuana users use the herb for medicinal purposes rather than just "getting blazed". True, it's fun to just get really fucking high every so often, but for the most part it really is completely medicinal. To disallow this medicine to those who need it who DON'T have a debilitating disease is just about as bad as disallowing it to those who do. I consider some of my symptoms debilitating, as they affect my every day life, but unfortunately it isn't covered by the law. So what's a gal to do?


More or less, I'm not even a Michigan resident yet, but I'm just doing my research before I move states (because I will eventually if Illinois doesn't step up to the plate soon). I did read that in order to apply for a license and not be covered by the "debilitating disease" list that you can start a petition. I didn't read the specifics of this, but is anyone else in this situation that is trying to apply for a license?

We're going to apply for our caregivers licenses once it's available, but I would feel so much more secure having a patient's license just so I can feel comfortable around authority and the law. My boy and I have just gone through a pretty traumatizing experience involving a couple felony charges and a couple nights in county due to just trying to supply ourselves with our own medicine, but alas. I never want to experience that again.

I will keep my eye on this thread for updates! Only a month and a half until the Prop comes in to affect.

[floating_by]

Originally Posted by missMJ

I was truly elated at the formation of Prop 1 in Mich, but after reading the full "guidelines" and nitty gritties of the law, I'm actually somewhat upset with how the law was formed.

Only debilitating diseases are allowed in order to apply for a card? I don't have any "debilitating" diseases, but I do have a lot of ailments and mental problems in which cannabis helps with immensely. I have lower back problems due to having degenerated discs (I'm a professional dancer/instructor, so my joints are pretty ground up), high anxiety, depression, insomnia, PMS/menstrual cramping and I use it as an appetite stimulant. Otherwise I cannot build up an appetite (when I cut down dramatically, I ended up losing so much weight I was clinically diagnosed as being underweight).

Marijuana helps me on a daily basis, whether it be for the reasons above, or simply because I have a horrible headache and I'd like to self medicate rather than pop a couple tylenol and hope for the best. The argument at the beginning of the thread about "abusing the system" confused me slightly, as I believe MOST marijuana users use the herb for medicinal purposes rather than just "getting blazed". True, it's fun to just get really fucking high every so often, but for the most part it really is completely medicinal. To disallow this medicine to those who need it who DON'T have a debilitating disease is just about as bad as disallowing it to those who do. I consider some of my symptoms debilitating, as they affect my every day life, but unfortunately it isn't covered by the law. So what's a gal to do?


More or less, I'm not even a Michigan resident yet, but I'm just doing my research before I move states (because I will eventually if Illinois doesn't step up to the plate soon). I did read that in order to apply for a license and not be covered by the "debilitating disease" list that you can start a petition. I didn't read the specifics of this, but is anyone else in this situation that is trying to apply for a license?

We're going to apply for our caregivers licenses once it's available, but I would feel so much more secure having a patient's license just so I can feel comfortable around authority and the law. My boy and I have just gone through a pretty traumatizing experience involving a couple felony charges and a couple nights in county due to just trying to supply ourselves with our own medicine, but alas. I never want to experience that again.

I will keep my eye on this thread for updates! Only a month and a half until the Prop comes in to affect.

Check out the medical mj MI website above. It says that chronic pain depression and anxiety are covered conditions. I would think if you have an established medical history with any of those conditions you would qualify.

[ksn2122]

Will I be able to get a card for scoliosis? I'm not taking any medication for it but my back really does ache on a daily basis, and doctors have taken x-rays of it and stuff, so it's been backed up that I do legitimately have scoliosis. I was planning on trying to get some medication for this, but when I saw the MMJ Proposal I thought how nice that would be. However, will this be enough for me to get a medical card? Either way I'm going to continue smoking, I just don't want to go in and have my doctor be like no your a dumbfuck get out of here, can't get shit. Ya know?

[stickey_fingerz]

can you be prescribed pot? like say you have allergies the doc prescribes you zyrtec for 2 weeks. but instead you have sumthing and the doc prescribes 2 weeks worth of pot and after that it expires.

[missMJ]

Originally Posted by floating_by

Check out the medical mj MI website above. It says that chronic pain depression and anxiety are covered conditions. I would think if you have an established medical history with any of those conditions you would qualify.

I did, my love! The entire Prop. only mentions patients as being those who have debilitating conditions, and if they don't, they would need to go through a petition process in order to acquire a license. Can you quote the Article/paragaph that says those conditions qualify? I know chronic pain is included, but the others aren't.

I figure as long as you talk to a doctor and he/she recommends it for treatment that it shouldn't be denied, but I'm just going by what the specific guidelines are listed by the MMJ/Michigan website.

[Rampede]

anyone live near kentwood/grand rapids area?

[treesmoker]

Originally Posted by Rampede

anyone live near kentwood/grand rapids area?

I used to live in Grand Rapids, now im in the Kzoo. And if the things someone said about anxiety and depression being treatable aliments then im pumped. Can anyone confirm or deny these?