Pubdate: Sun, 26 Apr 2015
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2015 Globe Newspaper Company
Contact: http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/opeds/letter.aspx?id=6340
Website: http://bostonglobe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52
Author: Jamie Leaver

DPH DELAYS ACTION ON MARIJUANA LAW

YVONNE ABRAHAM'S column about the plight of Father Joe Quinn 
highlights a problem with implementation of the medical cannabis law 
in Massachusetts ("Dispense with medical marijuana alarmism," Metro, April 19).

Whenever a patient does not have access to a dispensary, the law 
allows him or her to grow cannabis or elect to have a caregiver grow 
it for them. Department of Public Health rules limit caregivers to 
growing cannabis for a single patient, however. This is not a 
productive use of a caregiver's time. The regulations effectively 
prevent caregivers from offering this service.

Now DPH proposes a supposedly streamlined licensing process, which it 
estimates will require from 8 to 20 months to complete.

It's hard to imagine that sufficient businesses will be licensed to 
meet all patients' needs within a year, or even two.

DPH must cease blocking proper implementation of the law and permit 
caregivers to grow cannabis for patients who need medicine now.

Jamie Leaver

Sharon
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom