Pubdate: Thu, 12 Jul 2012
Source: Tucson Weekly (AZ)
Copyright: 2012 Tucson Weekly
Contact:  http://www.tucsonweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/462
Author: J. M. Smith

HOMEGROWN CONTROVERSY

Not all MMJ patients look forward to the opening of dispensaries

There's been a lot of talk lately about the 25-mile rule for
medical-marijuana patients.

The rule, which says no patient can grow for himself unless he lives
more than 25 miles from a dispensary, will finally kick in this summer
when dispensaries open. It seems to be pissing off a lot of people and
causing a spate of arm-waving, foot-stomping and righteous
indignation.

Through the end of May, about 25,000 patients had asked to grow
statewide. Assuming even that half of them did, there are roughly
13,000 Arizona bedrooms or garages or corners of dens blossoming with
hardy green flowers with little white hairs on them. It was a
beautiful accident of Gov. Jan's decision to halt dispensaries.
Thousands upon thousands of tiny grow operations popping up all over
the state for the past year, spreading joy and love and kindness in
the form of cheap medication.

I'm guessing most patients won't pack up the compact fluorescents next
month. A lot of these folks waited many, many years to grow pot, and
now they feel like they have a right to keep going after dispensaries
open. There is a nascent effort to change the rule, to make growing an
option for all patients. But until then, most patients will be forced
to choose between affordable meds and legality.

It seems unfair and forces a huge expense on patients. I smoke about
an eighth of an ounce a week, which isn't much by most standards. A
lot of people go through twice that much, meaning they are smoking or
eating or vaporizing about an ounce a month. At the going collective
rate of more than $300 per ounce, that's a killer medication bill.
Carol, a patient in her late 50s who is growing three plants, agrees.
So she intends to keep right on growing after the dispensaries open.

"It's not like I'm out there selling it," she said. "I'm just going to
keep a low profile and continue doing it. I don't think the Sheriff's
Department is going to be going door to door looking for people
growing medical marijuana."

Unlike urban patients, some caregivers won't have to stop growing-even
if they're next door to a dispensary. Harold, a caregiver who lives on
the eastside, is among them. As long as his patients live more than 25
miles from a dispensary, Harold can grow at his house.

"I went out of my way to find patients outside the 25-mile limit," he
said.

He converted a spare bedroom, adding $3,000 worth of lights, trays,
ventilation and CO2 equipment. He does not plan to let that investment
sit idle.

For the record, I agree we should all have the right to switch out the
home office for a grow room full of Blueberry and O.G. Kush and
Tropicana Gold. We should have the right to set aside a corner of the
living room where we could cultivate to our hearts' content a flowery
bunch of Jack Herer or Banana Kush.

But for now, it's a moot point.

So Mr. Smith kinda wishes some of the 25-mile rule naysayers would
STFU a little, drop the sprayer and back away from the hydro trays
when the time comes. I'm grateful for the chance to buy meds somewhat
legally in a dispensary. Yes, I would like to grow my own meds, and I
hope sometime that rule changes so I can.

But in the meantime, I hope those 25,000 patients try their best to
stay within the law. I would hate to see a string of arrests of MMJ
patients illegally growing their meds.

Would that really help matters?
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MAP posted-by: Matt