Montana's traveling cannabis caravans, responsible for signing up thousands for medical marijuana cards in the last year, will be a thing of a the past if a group of lawmakers here get their way.
A group of lawmakers here spent most of the morning brainstorming changes to Montana's existing medical marijuana laws, taking particular aim at the clinics, which according to some, have exploited problems in Montana's law and made medical marijuana much more common.
Physicians "must have a fixed location," said Sen. Rick Laible, R-Darby, a non-voting member of the small group of lawmakers taking up the issue Tuesday.
Among other changes the group has recommended so far: Doctors must follow professional "standards of care;" they must look at a patient's medical records before making a recommendation for medical marijuana. The group is also changing the kinds of health conditions that allow someone to legally qualify for a medical marijuana card. Someone seeking a card for the broad topic of "chronic pain" would have to have two doctors' recommendations, including one by specialist.
About 13,000 of the 17,000 Montanans who have medical marijuana cards use the drug for "chronic pain," Laible said.
The group also took up the cards themselves, saying people should have to have the card on them and have some form of photo identification.
The group, an offshoot of the Families, Children, Public Health and Human Services interim committee which has been studying the issue, anticipates having the bill written by August.
They group will not be the only with medical marijuana bills come January, said Rep. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, chairwoman of the committee. She said lawmakers will likely have a range of ideas to consider, from repealing Montana's medical marijuana law to legalizing marijuana for all purposes.
The committee is also considering banning the smoking of marijuana in public.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Billings Gazette
Author: JENNIFER McKEE
Contact: The Billings Gazette
Copyright: 2010 The Billings Gazette
Website: Lawmakers target traveling clinics for medical marijuana cards
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
A group of lawmakers here spent most of the morning brainstorming changes to Montana's existing medical marijuana laws, taking particular aim at the clinics, which according to some, have exploited problems in Montana's law and made medical marijuana much more common.
Physicians "must have a fixed location," said Sen. Rick Laible, R-Darby, a non-voting member of the small group of lawmakers taking up the issue Tuesday.
Among other changes the group has recommended so far: Doctors must follow professional "standards of care;" they must look at a patient's medical records before making a recommendation for medical marijuana. The group is also changing the kinds of health conditions that allow someone to legally qualify for a medical marijuana card. Someone seeking a card for the broad topic of "chronic pain" would have to have two doctors' recommendations, including one by specialist.
About 13,000 of the 17,000 Montanans who have medical marijuana cards use the drug for "chronic pain," Laible said.
The group also took up the cards themselves, saying people should have to have the card on them and have some form of photo identification.
The group, an offshoot of the Families, Children, Public Health and Human Services interim committee which has been studying the issue, anticipates having the bill written by August.
They group will not be the only with medical marijuana bills come January, said Rep. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, chairwoman of the committee. She said lawmakers will likely have a range of ideas to consider, from repealing Montana's medical marijuana law to legalizing marijuana for all purposes.
The committee is also considering banning the smoking of marijuana in public.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Billings Gazette
Author: JENNIFER McKEE
Contact: The Billings Gazette
Copyright: 2010 The Billings Gazette
Website: Lawmakers target traveling clinics for medical marijuana cards
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
