Pubdate: Thu, 08 Nov 2012
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2012 The Seattle Times Company
Contact:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409
Author: Maureen O'Hagan

HEMPFEST NATUROPATH'S POT AUTHORIZATION LEADS TO STATE SUSPENSION

A naturopath lost her license to practice medicine for two years for
improperly doling out medical-marijuana authorizations at last year's
Hempfest in Seattle.

If Carolyn Lee Bearss wants her credentials reinstated, she must also
pay a $50,000 fine -- higher than the typical fine due to the
egregiousness of the conduct, said Department of Health spokesman Tim
Church.

The suspension order said her practice at Hempfest was an "assembly
line" that "failed to meet the standard of care."

It was "designed to quickly move patients through, charge them money,
give them their authorization, and get ready for the next one," Church
said. "That's not how patients should be treated."

He noted that of the 106 patients Bearss saw that weekend, 105
received authorizations, at $150 to $200 each.

At the time, she was working as a contractor for 4 Evergreen Group, a
Seattle clinic that specializes in medical-marijuana
authorizations.

Bearss maintains she did nothing wrong: that she was practicing sound
medicine, following the medical-cannabis laws and treating patients
according to their needs.

She maintains, as well, that there are no specific standards of
practice for naturopaths in Washington.

"Rather than setting standards, I feel myself and my colleagues are
being used as examples," she said. "It's backward. It's not judicious."

She said she wasn't able, financially, to fight the charges. She has
since moved to Canada.

According to the suspension order, Bearss averaged less than 15
minutes with each patient at Hempfest; she used boilerplate language
in her charts and did not recommend further tests to nail down diagnoses.

Under Washington law, doctors may authorize marijuana only for
patients who have "terminal or debilitating" medical conditions such
as AIDS, seizure disorders or "some forms of intractable pain."

Another naturopath, Dimitrios "Jimmy" Magiasis, was charged with
misconduct by the Health Department at the same time as Bearss, under
similar circumstances.

Of the 110 patients he saw at Hempfest, 109 walked away with an
authorization. His case is still pending.

They were the first Washington medical providers facing disciplinary
action in connection with writing marijuana authorizations.
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MAP posted-by: Matt