Pubdate: Sun, 08 Dec 2013
Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)
Copyright: 2013 Albuquerque Journal
Contact:  http://www.abqjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/10
Author: Jessica Gelay

PATIENTS SUFFERING LACK OF MEDICAL POT

New Mexico's medical marijuana program has become a model for the 
nation since it became law in 2007. And though we are in the midst of 
a shortage of medicinal marijuana in New Mexico at present, the 
bottom line of our current predicament is that New Mexicans deserve 
care and need access to their medicine. Especially when the type of 
care they have been getting - medical marijuana - has already been 
approved and is being regulated by our state's Department of Health.

To be clear, our current supply and demand issue is not a question of 
whether this is a program that works - it clearly does, as over 
10,000 patients are now enrolled in the program, and 98 percent of 
those who completed a survey commissioned by the Department of Health 
say they have benefited from the program. It is a question of how to 
properly administer a program that is here to help New Mexicans that 
are in pain and are suffering. The law mandates that the patient 
population have access to an adequate supply of intrastate sourced 
medical cannabis from state licensed nonprofit producers.

The success of the program, coupled with the fact that DOH has not 
allowed any new producers or increased the number of plants current 
producers can grow since 2010, means there is not enough supply to 
meet the needs of the current patient population. Patients who are 
suffering often go weeks without access to their medicine. The 
logical fix would be to increase the plants each grower can grow and 
to consider new applications of growers that are submitted.

Currently, patients that are in need of medical marijuana frequently 
find themselves in a gap without care. And licensed producers find 
their hands tied, unable to grow enough medicine to meet the needs of 
registered patients, forcing them to ration the amount individuals 
can obtain and often forcing them to turn people away until they 
bring in their next harvest. The fix to this problem is not to simply 
assume the program does not work - it is to do a basic supply and 
demand analysis and bridge the gap for New Mexicans that are need of 
compassionate care. As New Mexicans, we know that we are stronger 
together - and we do not turn our backs on each other when we are in 
need of care.

JESSICA GELAY Policy Coordinator, Drug Policy Alliance

Santa Fe
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom