As we get closer to implementing the AZ Medical Marijuana Act in mid-April, I thought it might be a good idea to post some information that may be helpful to physicians and prospective qualifying patients. Over the last weeks, I’ve been sent a number of articles and sources of information about the medical use of marijuana. Probably the most comprehensive and well researched (and readable) reports I’ve seen was published in 2000 from the Institutes of Medicine called Marijuana as Medicine-The Science Beyond the Controversy. This book is based on the 1999 IOM report Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base and is basically a lay version of the initial report. The Institute of Medicine is part of the National Academy of Sciences and reviews policy matters about the health of the public.
Until recently, I had thought that the report was only available to the public for purchase ($14), but I recently found links to the full report allowing folks to read the book online. The report basically examined research on marijuana effects in the body and its ability to treat medical conditions. The team also compared the effectiveness of using marijuana versus approved medicines to treat numerous specific disorders. It looks to me like the best available study for folks that want scientifically sound medical information on marijuana.
Anyway I thought that this material may be helpful for Arizona physicians and prospective qualified patients to become better informed about marijuana as a new legal treatment option (beginning in mid April) as they make decisions about managing debilitating medical conditions. Here’s the full report called Marijuana as Medicine-The Science Beyond the Controversy
Mr. Humble,
I submitted educational materials under the deadline imposed for your written comments and you did not include those with the other written comments. This is very distressing to me that you did not include my patient education materials and I will be filing a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office because of your censorship of my materials. Why do you think something written in 1999 applies to today when that medical information is over 11 years old? Are you a doctor? NO! Stop censoring your blog, your website and the written comments that came in under the deadline. You are a disgrace to your office sir!
Mary,
If you have submitted materials to us and they are not posted, than we have not received them. Please re-send so that we can post them with the other public comments.
Thanks
These are some good highlights from the 1999 Institute of Medicine Report: ” Nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety are all afflictions of wasting, and all can be mitigated by marijuana.”
– Institute of Medicine, “Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base,” 1999
” [T]here will likely always be a subpopulation of patients who do not respond well to other medications … The critical issue is not whether marijuana or cannabinoid drugs might be superior to the new drugs, but whether some group of patients might obtain added or better relief from marijuana or cannabinoid drugs … Although some medications are more effective than marijuana for these problems, they are not equally effective in all patients.”
– Institute of Medicine, “Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base,” 1999
Well and good to say available mid April. If product is not legal to produce til then and production time is minimum of 90 days it seems first available will long after mid April. I so appreciate the way you are handling things but your postings need more forethought?
Don’t restrict doctors to 100 patients. With so few doctors that have come forward, the patient who is poor will not be able to get a script.
Mr. Humble,
Something has been troubling me since the AMMA passed last November in the manner inwhich local municipalities have developed city ordinances to provide for dispensaries. The City of Globe was one of those mentioned in your blog in regard to how cities were zoning, etc. for the April implementation target of this law. Recent headlines in our local papers have indicated that the city has issued a licence to Dr. (name removed by editor) to open a “Farmacy” practice for the area. Apparently he has arranged real estate for his dispensary and grow facility in the downtown district.
Please, what am I missing? As I understand the matter, the ADHS has not yet fully implemented the rules and regulations underwhich this law will function, nor has any entity presumably be issued a license to begin dispencing medical marijuana in the state of Arizona. Early on you had responded to inquiries regarding individuals who “had an inside track” stating that no individual or company was favored or pre-selected to receive one of the few licences that would be issued to provide AMMA services. Welllll, who is Dr. (name removed by editor) and how is it that the City of Globe has legally issued a licence to provide marijuana to patients without a state law fully in place?
Owen,
We do not know what the City of Globe’s zoning requirements are, or who the Dr. is that you are referring to, but what we do know, is that ADHS has not issued ANY licenses or certificates for QP’s, DC’s, DA’s or dispensaries, nor will ADHS issue ANY licenses or certificates until the rules are implemented.
Thanks
Thanks so much! I sincerely appreciate your reply and again feel confident that the the department is moving forward on this matter with the diligence and integrity we are used to seeing.
Owen
Keep only one thing in mind:
THE PATIENT.
The patient is in pain. The doctor recommends the marijuana so the doctor verifies the need.
Make it easy, convenient and inexpensive for these patients in pain.
Most likely the patient is a shut in, perhaps a cancer patient or a paraplegic. So make delivery easy.
The patient probably has little or no resources, except maybe social security disability. So make costs low.
The patient probably has no car or can’t drive due to his or her disability. So make it easily accesible with proper ID.
Please do not restrict doctors except that they can’t be making phony recommendations. A patient can’t afford to see multiple doctors with multiple visits.
Please don’t have unnecessary or expensive rules for dispensaries, otherwise they’ll have to raise the price of the marijuana for the patient.
The patient needs your help. This law was made for the benefit of the patient. Not as some huge windfall profit for the state. It still may be taxed at 200-300% according to some news articles.
It would be silly to make it so expensive that the patient would have to continue buying it on the streets.
thank you phil for saying what i have trouble putting into words. I hope they make it affordable for those of us on disability who truely will benefit from MM.
Im also worried about how to approach my doctor and asking him if I can participate in this, I do not use it now, but i have tried it in the past and it helped.
will there be a list of drs.who are open minded enough to recommend this if my ( or others) doctor is not?
thankyou
Mr. Humble,
First I want to thank you and your staff regarding your hard work on this matter through trying times. I have a few requests for you and I hope you can facilitate some answers.
Can you please post information regarding the effects of medical marijuana and the mitigation/ treatment of the effects of post traumatic stress disorder? I think its time to talk about this shortly before the final rules are posted.
Also, you have stated you will follow the public’s will regarding our desires to see the medical marijuana law as its defined. I have noted that post traumatic stress disorder has been brought up repeatedly in public comment yet we did not see it drafted to the rules as of yet. Are you willing to provide insight as to why the will of not a select few but many of our citizens had not reached the first draft? I don’t mean to put a negative light on you, sir, I’m just clarifying your statements for myself as well as the public.
Laslt, I wish to share my story with you. I’m a 25 year old veteran of two year long tours in Iraq. I am a Purple Heart recipient as well. My horror wasn’t on the battle field, my superb training saw me through that. My horror begain where my combat training ended, at home. Since returning home in 2008, I’ve endured persistant and chronic headaches from traumatic brain injury from multiple close calls with roadside bombs. I’ve taken more than ten different perscriptions for sleep, all of which cause me vivid nightmares. I’ve taken at least five different perscriptions for ptsd, all of which leave me stomach with an aching, sour, upset feeling. When I forget my meds I’m left with the horrible feelings of withdrawl. I can’t be in a crowded facility or open air space for that fact due to high tension and anxiety. Its likely that my condition may be honeslty consider US the PEOPLE in our request to add this debilitating condition. If you’re willing to confirm my identity and claim of service, contact me through reply and I will phone you for validity, sir. With prospects of fraud prevelent in this matter, I’m willing to be transperant. Also, this is not my first post to you regarding ptsd but I never saw it posted. Please post my voice, sir.
I have a question about, where can you put a medical marijuana dispensaries? What guide lines do you have… So how many feet from a school, daycare, Church or strip club and zoning? Can you help with any of this…
Thank You,
Rick Werner
Rick-
Please read the draft rules .
Thanks
I am disabled and in pain. Please make Medical MJ affordable or I’ll have to continue buying it illegally.