Pubdate: Fri, 06 May 2011 Source: Billings Gazette, The (MT) Copyright: 2011 The Billings Gazette Contact: http://billingsgazette.com/app/contact/?contact=letter Website: http://www.billingsgazette.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/515 Author: Josh Daniels Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n269/a09.html Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n278/a01.html MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL WOULD BE UNWORKABLE The governor should veto SB 423. He says "So I will hold my nose and allow this to be law until the Legislature gets back to session (in 2013)." As a patient with MS, I can't wear a nose plug until then. This is made to be un-workable and destructive for the patients. There is no back up if your garden has pests or problems. Say you spent two months and $500 on equipment. You lose your plants. Now under the rules of SB423, you lose the $500 and pray someone will give you your medicine for free. Now once you've gotten a provider, you can't start over to grow your own or go without your medicine for three months. Your provider can't even give you transplants. Or seeds, for that matter. Now you have zero control over your medicine besides "hoping and praying" they grow enough for all three of you. Now the provider will skimp because they can't even get a donation for the electric bill. They can't receive your $500 worth of equipment either. If isn't bad enough, you can't even get your medicine tested by a lab. Just this one point alone is unconstitutional to me. How can this be protecting public health and safety? So under SB 423, I can get a free tincture from someone else, but be unable to see a lab analysis of its ingredients. Does this show why it is referred to as the "black market bill?" This will turn into thousands of unregulated growing operations to supply the re-emerged black market with higher prices and danger for those who follow these new draconian regulations. It makes more sense for dispensaries and tracking of sales. They check IDs. Law enforcement can check them for compliance. Josh Daniels Billings - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.