Pubdate: Sun, 01 Aug 2010 Source: Billings Gazette, The (MT) Copyright: 2010 Rick Rosio Contact: http://billingsgazette.com/app/contact/?contact=letter Website: http://www.billingsgazette.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/515 Author: Rick Rosio MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW PROBLEMS CAN BE FIXED Regarding the "not for profit" article on medical cannabis. Would you fault the medical centers in Billings for charging people for their services? How about the therapists who help people deal with dying? How about the doctors who charge until the end of life for their services? Do you fault them? What's wrong with the concept that a professionally managed organization that provides free services to the hospice community and provides cannabis regardless of the ability to pay of being a positive member of the community? How about the case management services that are available to help people with eviction issues due to their using a cannabis card or their trying to find a PCA who is comfortable with a quad client using cannabis? How about sending flowers when you lose a client to death and helping take care of their pets who were the last companions? This is not an easy task for anyone to sit day in and day out and listen to the suffering of people who are your neighbors and family members and try to find a way to help them laugh at life's most difficult times. That's what happens at our cannabis clinic and most of our clients are over 50. When will we, the good citizens of Montana, put the suffering first and acknowledge that there are problems that can be fixed with a common sense application and dialog. If there is a willingness to make this work on both sides, there needs to be co-operation from all parties concerned and communication with law-enforcement and civic leaders as well as cannabis producers and patients and their physicians. It is time to deal with this as adults and put the pettiness aside. Rick Rosio Montana Pain Management Missoula - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D