Pubdate: Sun, 20 Jun 2010
Source: Times-Standard (Eureka, CA)
Copyright: 2010 Times-Standard
Contact: http://www.times-standard.com/writeus
Website: http://www.times-standard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1051
Author: Donna Tam, The Times-Standard
Cited: Humboldt Medical Marijuana Advisory Panel http://www.hummap.org/
Cited: Medical Cannabis Safety Council http://www.cannabissafety.org/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis - Medicinal - U.S.)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)

MEDICAL CANNABIS INDUSTRY LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

With much of the state engaged in discussion over legalization, the 
local medical marijuana community is taking steps to develop Southern 
Humboldt into what they hope will be a center for sustainable outdoor 
medical marijuana grows.

Medical marijuana advocates met Saturday night in Garberville to 
discuss creating health and safety regulations and to encourage 
education for sustainable growing. The panel discussion ranged from 
marijuana growing education at 707 Cannabis College, a newly formed 
institution in Garberville, to a proposed dispensary for the Southern 
Humboldt Community Hospital, to creating new policy around medical marijuana.

Syreeta Lux of the newly formed Humboldt Medical Marijuana Advisory 
Panel --an organization created after a forum in March about what the 
marijuana industry will do if pot is legalized -- said local growers 
have to collaborate to keep up with the rest of the industry.

She said there are growers in the Bay Area who are organizing and 
Humboldt should do the same.

"Regardless of what happens in the fall, we feel as a group it's time 
to move forward with marketing legal marijuana," she said.

The group is also hoping to create industry standards, work that is 
similar to the Bay Area-based Medical Cannabis Safety Council.

Sierra Knolle, a member the Medical Cannabis Safety Council and a 
Southern Humboldt resident, said the council is trying to implement a 
safety-based production process that could be proposed to 
policymakers. The council is looking at many elements, including 
contaminants, water quality, sanitary practices, and industry models.

The council has members who are mostly a part of the urban growing 
industry, and Knolle encouraged more Southern Humboldt growers to get 
involved so they're opinions could be heard.

"To see the difference with the urban growers to the country growers 
- -- it's night and day," she said.

Michael Geci, a longtime emergency room and holistic medicine doctor 
from Montana, discussed the science behind medical marijuana. The 
founder of the Montana Botanical Analysis Lab, Geci performs tests on 
medical cannabis at his lab in Montana to identify potency and 
determine the optimal strength for individual patients.

He said medical marijuana needs to be treated like other medications. 
Geci said there needs to be more research on what is optimal for 
medication, not just an optimal high.

"There are a lot of people who don't want to be high," he said. 
"There are a lot of people who don't want to smoke pot -- people want 
an option."

Montana Public Radio commentator and lobbyist Kate Cholewa talked 
about how to bridge the gap between the medical marijuana community 
and policymakers.

She encouraged advocates to reach out to representatives and remember 
that they are trying to create policy for a product that doesn't fit 
into any existing model. Cholewa recommended reaching out to 
supporters of organics or environmentalists -- groups that could see 
the value of outdoor, sustainable growing.

"We get to create this -- this is a whole different way of doing 
politics," Cholewa said. "We're not trying to change something, we're 
trying to create it."
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake