Pubdate: Wed, 29 Sep 2010
Source: New Mexican, The (Santa Fe, NM)
Copyright: 2010 The Santa Fe New Mexican
Contact: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/SendLetter/
Website: http://www.santafenewmexican.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/695
Author: Phaedra Haywood, The New Mexican

PANEL SUGGESTS ADDING 'MAJOR DEPRESSION' TO MEDICAL POT LIST

Most Controversial Debate Surrounds Increased Producer
Fee

A panel that advises the state on medical-marijuana policy voted
Wednesday to allow major depression as a qualifying condition.

The decision now goes to Dr. Alfredo Vigil, health department
secretary. If he agrees, depression would be the 16th medical
condition approved for patient medical marijuana use. Others include
chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, cancer, glaucoma,
multiple sclerosis and HIV/AIDS patients.

About a dozen people -- including a lawyer, a social worker and a
woman who drove from Las Cruces -- spoke Wednesday in favor of adding
depression, and the panel agreed 5-2. No one spoke out against the
addition.

But another topic -- a series of proposed rule changes to the program
- -- dominated hallway discussions among the patients, providers and
others in attendance.

Those changes, which include charging nonprofit medical producers a
fee of about 7 percent of their annual gross receipts and increasing
the fee for a producer license to $1,000 from $100 to help fund the
program, will be discussed in a public hearing today.

Deborah Busemeyer, health department spokeswoman, said the fee
increase is needed to pay for the administration of the program, which
now serves 2,500 patients. The program has no budget of its own.

"We really want to expand what we are able to do," Busemeyer said.
"One proposal is to test products; to get some samples to test for
mold and other contaminants."

Other changes would allow certified patients to purchase seeds so they
can grow their own marijuana, Busemeyer said. Another change would
give the health secretary more authority over producer licenses.

Staff from the medical-cannabis program will decide which of the
changes to accept after hearing public comment on the issue today. She
said approved changes could become effective as early as November.

Today's hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the auditorium of the
Harold Runnels building at the corner of St. Francis Drive and Alta
Vista Street.

IF YOU GO

What: Public hearing on medical cannabis program

When: 9:30 a.m. today

Where: Auditorium of the Harold Runnels building, 1190 St. Francis Drive  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D