Pubdate: Thu, 21 Jul 2016
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2016 The Baltimore Sun Company
Contact:  http://www.baltimoresun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37
Authors: Pamela Wood and Erin Cox

DELEGATE'S ROLE IN CANNABIS FIRM DRAWS SCRUTINY

Morhaim a Key Advocate for Medical Marijuana in State

A state lawmaker who has been a leading advocate for Maryland's 
medical marijuana law said Wednesday that he wished he had been more 
transparent about his business connection to the cannabis industry.

Del. Dan Morhaim, a Baltimore County Democrat, has drawn scrutiny for 
publicly telling the state's medical cannabis commission how to set 
up the industry at the same time he agreed to work as a clinical 
director for a private company seeking a highly coveted license.

Morhaim, who is a physician, sponsored legislation passed by the 
General Assembly that legalized and helped form the industry.

"In hindsight," Morhaim told The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday, he 
should have disclosed the extent of his relationship with Doctor's 
Orders LLC, "if I knew a better way to do it."

He said his affiliation with the company is not a conflict of 
interest and he followed all disclosure rules.

"In each moment, as I went, I followed all the rules the best that I 
knew how," he said. "At that time, it was the only way."

Morhaim said he began working with Doctor's Orders on an unpaid basis 
late last year. He filed paperwork with the Joint Committee on 
Legislative Ethics earlier that year indicating that he "may do 
medical consulting and/or treatment" in the areas of "addiction 
issues, medical cannabis."

Morhaim's name appears on the license application for Doctor's 
Orders, but he did not tell the Joint Committee on Legislative Del. 
Dan Morhaim, a Baltimore County Democrat and medical cannabis 
advocate, said he should have disclosed the extent of his 
relationship with Doctor's Orders LLC. Ethics or the state's medical 
cannabis commission that he hoped to become clinical director if the 
company were approved.

Morhaim said he was not under legal obligation to reveal that 
information, but in hindsight, he should have done so.

Companies have applied for more than 1,080 licenses to grow, process 
and dispense medical cannabis. The state commission will award 15 
licenses for growing operations as soon as next month, and up to 94 
licenses for dispensaries will be issued later.

Doctor's Orders is seeking licenses to grow and process medical 
cannabis and to operate three dispensaries. If the company gets the 
licenses, Morhaim said, his unpaid role could turn into a paid job.

Morhaim's relationship with Doctor's Orders was first reported by The 
Washington Post.

Morhaim has regularly attended meetings of the state cannabis 
commission, and has addressed the panel on issues facing applicants.

"To my knowledge, the delegate had not disclosed having applications 
before the commission," Patrick Jameson, executive director of the 
cannabis commission, said in a statement.

Jameson said the commission aims to ensure that the licensing process 
is "unbiased and fair."

While the cannabis license applications are public documents, 
information that identifies companies and employees is stripped out 
for the review process.

An independent consulting company is conducting a preliminary review 
of applications and will make recommendations to the commission, a 
spokesman for the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said.

Identifying information is removed "to make it as fair and objective 
as possible," spokesman Christopher Garrett said.

Dr. Paul W. Davies, chairman of the state cannabis commission, 
declined to comment.

Jennifer Bevan-Dangel, executive director of government watchdog 
group Common Cause Maryland, said Morhaim should have disclosed more 
information about his relationship with Doctor's Orders.

"Disclosure gives the public the ability to know who is influencing 
your thinking," Bevan-Dangel said.

Morhaim said he discussed his work with Doctor's Orders with the 
General Assembly's ethics counsel and was cleared to vote on 
marijuana-related bills. He provided The Sun a letter from the ethics 
counsel indicating he was allowed to vote because the legislation 
affected the industry broadly, not his company specifically.

Morhaim sponsored successful legislation this year to allow dentists, 
podiatrists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners to certify that 
patients qualify for medical cannabis.

Before he was involved with Doctor's Orders, Morhaim was a chief 
sponsor of the legislation that set up the state's medical cannabis program.

The first bill was passed in 2013; additional bills were passed in 
2014 and 2015, and the commission began accepting license 
applications late last year.

Morhaim said he'll continue to ask for ethics advice on bills related 
to marijuana. He's a member of the House of Delegates Health and 
Government Operations Committee, which reviews legislation related to medicine.

In its license application, Doctor's Orders praises Morhaim as an 
experienced doctor who has assembled and chairs "a worldclass medical 
advisory board."

Morhaim, who has worked as an emergency room doctor for more than 35 
years, would be responsible for working with the company's CEO to 
develop and implement policies.

He would train the workers at the company's dispensaries, provide 
patients with information about medical cannabis, and answer calls 
from patients and doctors, the company wrote. Company officials did 
not respond to a request for comment.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom