Robert Celt
New Member
We are certainly not the first to surmise that if medical marijuana were called by another name – perhaps something more English and less Spanish – that there would not be such angst over it being prescribed.
It's a drug, no more and no less. It's not a cure-all, and like other drugs, it can be dangerous if abused. But it has been found to be helpful in some cases, and it also happens to be legal in New York state under certain conditions.
But if you are among those in our area whose suffering can be reduced by medical marijuana, there are shards of broken glass in your path to obtain and fill a prescription.
Only one hospital in Otsego, Delaware, Chenango and Schoharie counties has physicians certified to write you a prescription. That facility is Margaretville Memorial Hospital in Delaware County, near the Sullivan County border.
And if you are fortunate enough to obtain a prescription, the closest place to fill it is a real schlep. The state Department of Health has selected five organizations to grow marijuana and manufacture it into approved forms. Each one operates a manufacturing facility and four dispensing facilities, with the closest dispensaries to our area being in Albany, Syracuse and Kingston.
So, if – say – you live in Oneonta or Morris or Franklin, are battling nausea caused by chemotherapy to treat your cancer (something marijuana has been proven to be effective at easing), and you can't drive, what are you going to do?
According to the Department of Health's website, patients who are unable to travel to dispensing facilities can designate a "caregiver" who can go for them. But not everybody has one of those.
The DOH has also requested that each registered organization develop a delivery option to ensure full access for patients who are unable to travel, but that sounds anything but convenient.
The main questions are: Why aren't there more physicians to prescribe the medicine, and why aren't there more places where it can be dispensed?
A Bassett Healthcare Network spokeswoman said the local health care system does not have any providers certified to write a prescription for medical marijuana, but the hospital clinical leadership is reviewing its options.
That's not good enough. It's high time – definitely no pun intended – the hospital got off the dime and started providing this service for local sufferers.
"(Providing prescriptions is) a wonderful thing to be able to do for patients," Dr. Lauren Shaiova, one of the two physicians at Margaretville Memorial, said. "Unfortunately, so many doctors are paranoid about it."
It's true that the American Medical Association has warned that heavy cannabis use in adolescents can be harmful. That should be safeguarded against, just as with potential for drug abuse.
But if you or a loved one has multiple sclerosis or another condition that could be made less painful or difficult through a legal drug called medical marijuana, the local medical community and the state are letting you down by making you jump through such unnecessary hoops.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana Too Difficult To Obtain In New York
Author: Staff
Contact: The Daily Star
Photo Credit: Jennifer Peltz
Website: The Daily Star
It's a drug, no more and no less. It's not a cure-all, and like other drugs, it can be dangerous if abused. But it has been found to be helpful in some cases, and it also happens to be legal in New York state under certain conditions.
But if you are among those in our area whose suffering can be reduced by medical marijuana, there are shards of broken glass in your path to obtain and fill a prescription.
Only one hospital in Otsego, Delaware, Chenango and Schoharie counties has physicians certified to write you a prescription. That facility is Margaretville Memorial Hospital in Delaware County, near the Sullivan County border.
And if you are fortunate enough to obtain a prescription, the closest place to fill it is a real schlep. The state Department of Health has selected five organizations to grow marijuana and manufacture it into approved forms. Each one operates a manufacturing facility and four dispensing facilities, with the closest dispensaries to our area being in Albany, Syracuse and Kingston.
So, if – say – you live in Oneonta or Morris or Franklin, are battling nausea caused by chemotherapy to treat your cancer (something marijuana has been proven to be effective at easing), and you can't drive, what are you going to do?
According to the Department of Health's website, patients who are unable to travel to dispensing facilities can designate a "caregiver" who can go for them. But not everybody has one of those.
The DOH has also requested that each registered organization develop a delivery option to ensure full access for patients who are unable to travel, but that sounds anything but convenient.
The main questions are: Why aren't there more physicians to prescribe the medicine, and why aren't there more places where it can be dispensed?
A Bassett Healthcare Network spokeswoman said the local health care system does not have any providers certified to write a prescription for medical marijuana, but the hospital clinical leadership is reviewing its options.
That's not good enough. It's high time – definitely no pun intended – the hospital got off the dime and started providing this service for local sufferers.
"(Providing prescriptions is) a wonderful thing to be able to do for patients," Dr. Lauren Shaiova, one of the two physicians at Margaretville Memorial, said. "Unfortunately, so many doctors are paranoid about it."
It's true that the American Medical Association has warned that heavy cannabis use in adolescents can be harmful. That should be safeguarded against, just as with potential for drug abuse.
But if you or a loved one has multiple sclerosis or another condition that could be made less painful or difficult through a legal drug called medical marijuana, the local medical community and the state are letting you down by making you jump through such unnecessary hoops.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana Too Difficult To Obtain In New York
Author: Staff
Contact: The Daily Star
Photo Credit: Jennifer Peltz
Website: The Daily Star