Pubdate: Wed, 04 Jan 2017
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2017 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: Kay Lazar

PROPOSED CHANGES TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA RULES DRAW FIRE FROM PATIENTS

Medical Marijuana advocates rallied before a public meeting on proposed
changes to the rules.

Proposed changes to the state's medical marijuana program do not address
problems that hamper people from registering for the program, according to
patients and advocates who testified Tuesday at a crowded public hearing
in Boston.

The proposals are part of a larger initiative by the Baker administration
to review and update all state regulations, according to the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health, which oversees the marijuana program.

But advocates, who praised some of the proposals, said the department has
ignored more vexing issues that have plagued the marijuana program. They
said the online system for registering - a requirement to shop in
marijuana dispensaries - is so cumbersome that many patients, particularly
older patients who are not computer savvy, get discouraged and quit.

"Streamline the registration process, not just for the department, but for
terminally ill hospice patients who cannot plunge through pages of
bureaucracy and then wait three to six weeks for a plastic card to arrive
in the mail," said Nichole Snow, executive director of the Massachusetts
Patient Advocacy Alliance.

Hobbled by missteps when it was created four years ago, the program has
grown considerably since then, with more than 38,000 registered patients
and nine open dispensaries, according to the latest state data.

But patient advocates say recent action by state lawmakers to delay the
likely opening date for recreational marijuana stores in Massachusetts by
half a year, from January to July 2018, creates urgency for regulators to
fix problems in the medical marijuana program.

"The process for a patient to actually access their medicine can take
weeks or months from the time I write a recommendation, and that is
unacceptable," said Dr. Uma Dhanabalan, a Natick physician who specializes
in marijuana treatment. State rules require patients to receive a written
recommendation from a physician to be eligible to register for the
program.

Advocates said the department's online registration system requires
patients to enter information and click through roughly two dozen pages to
complete the process. It also requires patients to have a
government-issued identification card, such as a driver's license or
passport, something many older patients who no longer drive do not have,
they said.

"We have patients coming into our office in tears, needing help navigating
the state's registration system," said Kathleen McKinnon, director of
operations at Canna Care Docs, a company with eight Massachusetts
locations that specialize in screening and approving patients for
marijuana use.

Tom Lyons, a spokesman for the Department of Public Health, said the
current waiting time is about two weeks from when a patient completes the
registration process and is issued a card for entry into the program.

"We'll take this feedback and look to see if we can make changes to
improve patient access while at the same time balance public safety
concerns," he said.

One proposed rule change that drew sharp criticism would require
independent laboratories in Massachusetts to only test marijuana for
dispensaries, and not individuals. That action that would shut out
patients who might want to have their purchases screened to ensure they
are not tainted with mold or other contaminants, advocates said.

Dispensaries are required to have their products screened by independent
laboratories to ensure purity. But some patients still buy their marijuana
on the street, or grow their own, which is allowed under state rules if a
patient can prove that transportation to a dispensary is onerous because
of a physical ailment.

Michael Kahn, president of MCR Labs in Framingham, said labs should be
able to provide services directly to patients.

"Hardship cultivation patients really need to test whether they are
producing something that is safe," Kahn said.

He told regulators about cases in which patients have produced
marijuana-infused edible products on their own, thinking they contained a
certain level of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, only to
find out later the product contained 10 times that amount.

"I do consider it a threat to public health," to deny people access to
these services, Kahn said.

Advocates said other proposed changes in the rules would improve patient
access. The rules would allow nurse practitioners to certify patients for
marijuana use, similar to the way such nurses already write prescriptions
for other medicines.

Now, only physicians can certify patients for medical marijuana use.

The proposed rules would also allow Massachusetts dispensaries for the
first time to post prices of products on their websites, which means
patients could comparison shop.

The proposals also include a provision permitting dispensaries to deliver
products to patients in nursing homes, hospices, and other health
facilities. Currently, dispensaries can make deliveries only to patients'
homes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: