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health news
Judge’s decision on
medical marijuana
caused confusion,
halted changes
by taylor anderson
Last week the Big Sky Weekly reported
on a medical marijuana business in
Belgrade that was facing a possible end
due to SB 423, an attempt to drastically
change what’s become an industry
in Montana.
The following day, Judge Reynolds
released a decision on a requested
injunction by the Montana Cannabis
Industry
Association.
The decision,
released June
30, said that
caregivers
(now called
‘providers’) could still sell medicinal
marijuana to approved patients. It also
nixed the aspect of limiting doctors to
approving 25 patients in 12 months so
as to not place limits on their judgment
of care.
The judge’s decision at first appeared
to allow the industry, which has
boomed to 30,000 patients on July
1, to continue its ways virtually
unchecked. Rep. James Knox (R-
Billings) initially called the ruling a
“disappointment,” and a setback to the
democratic process, before he found
favorable aspects of the decision.
After the shock of the decision passed,
medical marijuana advocates realized
that although several aspects of
the law weren’t struck down, it may
indeed restrict the industry.
SB 423, which took place July 1 at
midnight, stripped patients on
probation of their cards immediately.
Patients that qualified for a medical
marijuana card under the claim of
“chronic pain” would face stringent
details (X-rays and MRIs) to prove
the extent of the pain once their cards
expire.
Patients also have to choose whether
they’d like to grow their own prod-
ucts or have
a designated
provider, but
they can’t
have it both
ways. Anyone
accused of a
DUI also voids their card under the
new law. The law also allows officers
with probable cause to check blood
levels for THC, the active ingredient
in marijuana, and sets a legal amount
before patients are suspect to DUI.
providers are subject to
background checks on criminal
and financial history, and can
grow four mature plants for
unlimited patients.
Providers are subject to background
checks on criminal and financial history,
and can grow four mature plants
for unlimited patients.
SB 423, which was sponsored by Sen.
Jeff Essmann (R-Billings), sought to
ebb the amount of patients in Montana
from 30,000 to just 2,000, and
would have increased the cost for
patients to receive their “card.” Initiative
148, which passed in 2004 with
62 percent of the vote, was repealed
during the session before Gov. Brian
Schweitzer vetoed the bill. The governor
allowed SB 423 to take effect
July 1 without his signature, despite
speaking publicly against it.
(Info provided by Montana NORML
on blog.montananorml.org)
In June, Senator Jon Tester (D-
Mont.) created the bipartisan Senate
Community Pharmacy Caucus.
Tester and co-chairman Sen. Jerry
Moran (R-Kan.) created the new
caucus to fight for the needs of
community pharmacies and the
people they serve in rural America.
Tester was the lead sponsor of
legislation exempting many small
pharmacies from unnecessary and
expensive regulations that would
have made it more difficult for
Montana patients to get diabetic
testing supplies.
“Pharmacies provide essential services
for Montana’s rural communities,”
Tester said. “If folks in rural
America don’t have access to life-saving
medicine and medical supplies,
rural America will disappear.”
“Community pharmacy services
are vital for improving health and
reducing overall healthcare costs,”
said Steven C. Anderson, IOM,
CAE, President and CEO of the
explorebigsky.com
big sky weekly
tester forms community
Pharmacy caucus
bipartisan senate Caucus to promote Montana’s
rural pharmacies, access to health care
by andrea hellinG
If rural Montana is going to thrive,
a new report suggests, it will take a
resurgence of young people staying
in - or returning to - their hometowns
to pursue careers and raise
families.
Spokeswoman Alyssa Charney
with the Center for Rural Affairs,
which released the report, says the
population in most rural areas is
declining because of lack of access
to things such as health care and
health insurance.
“A lot of that has to do with young
people leaving, not necessarily because
they don’t want to be living
in those communities, but because
the jobs that provide the benefits
they need are often located outside
of those communities.”
Of the 15 million young adults in
America now without health insurance,
it’s estimated that 80 percent
can get coverage under the Affordable
Care Act. One key provision
allows young people to stay on
their parents’ health insurance un-
National Association of Chain Drug
Stores. “We look forward to working
with the caucus to advance propatient,
pro-pharmacy policies.”
Montana has 222 community pharmacies.
According to the National
Community Pharmacists Association,
Montana’s community pharmacies
employ over 3,000 people.
report: health care connected
to Mt rural Population growth
by deb Courson sMith
til age 26. Another provision will
establish health-care exchanges,
which Charney calls critical in rural
Montana, where small businesses
are plentiful and many people -
such as farmers and ranchers - are
self-employed.
The good news, Charney says, is
the report’s conclusion that the Affordable
Care Act will allow much
more access to care and insurance
for young adults - and that means
more life options.
“For young adults, it’s really important
that limitations of health
insurance shouldn’t be the determining
factors on where they
choose to live, or the work they
want to pursue, or their interests
and passions.”
The report on how the Affordable
Care Act affects rural young adults,
the latest in a series of reports from
the Center for Rural Affairs which
look at rural health-care issues, is
online at files.cfra.org.
July 15, 2011 37