Greenleaf 0117

More documents

Recommendations

Info

J30 Nichole Snow is Executive Director and President of the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance, representing the coalition that passed the referendum in 2012 to legalize medical marijuana in the Commonwealth. MPAA has been working with the Department of Public Health to implement the medical marijuana law, but question this particular regulatory change. “I fear that these are the beginning stages of diverting patients into a taxed based system so that interested parties can reclaim lost taxes and revenue by limiting the amount of medicine patients can purchase through the Medical Marijuana Program.” Nichole explains, “Patients fought to establish the 10 ounce limit in 2013 to have the breathing room to experiment with various applications with certification from their physician.” The MPAA plans to testify before the Public Health Council on November 28th regarding these changes. “Ten ounces is what I want,” said Jeanne Ficcardi-Sauro, a medical marijuana patient from Mansfield. “We need to keep a ten ounce limit because many people [are] making their own concentrated medicine such as Rick Simpson oil which “Most doctors are not educated in this subject and are nowhere ready to say what amounts a patient needs.” is high in THC. It takes a lot of plant material to make a small amount of oil. I use it for my cancer treatment in tandem with chemotherapy and it helps me greatly.” Barbie DeJager is a patient in South Hamilton who was able to wean herself off of the prescription opiates she had been taking for several years by using medical marijuana. “I’m never going back to that life I lived,” she said, “Who is anybody to tell me I can only have two ounces in 60-days? That would drive people right to the black market especially now that it’s recreationally legal.” After December 15th all Massachusetts residents 21 years and older will be allowed to possess 10 ounces of nonmedical marijuana under lock and key within their home legally as well as a limited amount of plants one can gow. Sunny Rose of Cambridge is a chronic pain patient using medical marijuana in conjunction with her regular therapies. She believes the proposal is imposed by unfamiliarity rather than research. “To take away a patients rights [and] give it to the physician seems a reversal rather than progress.” She said, “Being able to have enough medicine increases patient ability to be interdependent. The use of the cannabis as medicine allows patients to function, releasing them from bondage of prescription medications and the symptoms caused from taking these medications.” A physician’s recommendation certifies a patient for the medical use of marijuana, potential benefits outweighing risks. Since marijuana is still a Schedule I drug with no accepted medical use it is unlike a prescription. Instead, patients self-regulate intake and proper dosage within their allotment. Massachusetts patients experience shortages and rationing all too often which forces patients to obtain medicine from multiple sources. Dr. Uma Dhanabalan is principal physician at Uplifting Health & Wellness in Natick. Her practice has overseen 800 patients. She feels that it’s too early for changes to the 60-day supply. “Right now there are different forms of
delivery systems and we don’t know what amount is needed to produce these products,” said Dhanabalan. Methods of ingestion vary from edibles, topical, concentrates, vaporization, smoking and even suppository. She adds, “Most doctors are not educated in this subject and are nowhere ready to say what amounts a patient needs.” It’s about titrating for the patient what is appropriate…We are still learning, and more than that patients are still learning what they need.” The medical use of marijuana is a journey of trial, error, and discovery. Jeremiah MacKinnon is the Vice-President of the Cannabis Society, an Advisory Board Member at the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance and and a writer at the Weed Agenda. This article is produced and syndicated through Weed Agenda & The Boston Institute for Non-Profit Journalism’s The Tokin Truth Column. J31
Page 1: Jan 2017 Magazine , crockett s humo
Page 5 and 6: Brett Cogill Founder bcbudz@greenle
Page 7: Above: Snapping a selfie with Metho
Page 10 and 11: By Christopher Keohane, Organic Wri
Page 12 and 13: J12
Page 15 and 16: WORLD'S FIRST
Page 18 and 19: Crocketts humongous , harvest the t
Page 20 and 21: Of course, Crockett hasn’t done i
Page 22 and 23: The CFF Family, plus one: Leslie, N
Page 24 and 25: Magazine
Page 26 and 27: CHAMPS Brings Together All The Best
Page 28 and 29: DPH Proposes Eliminating 10 Ounce 6
Page 33 and 34: J29
Page 35 and 36: An Indoor Garden Area Located in Ca
Page 37 and 38: Join the GreenLeaf Army! GreenLeaf
Page 39 and 40: Premium, all natural plant nutrient

Greenleaf 0117

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?