Pubdate: Sat, 22 Mar 2014
Source: Daily Home, The (Talladega,  AL)
Copyright: 2014 Associated Press
Contact:  http://www.dailyhome.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1632
Note:  also listed as contact
Author: Chad Garland, Associated Press

OREGON DISMAYS MEDICAL POT SHOPS WITH MUNCHIES BAN

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Hash brownies, space cakes and other pot-laced 
munchies won't be among the items allowed at Oregon medical marijuana 
dispensaries, state officials said, and that's drawn criticism from 
pot-shop advocates.

The Oregon Health Authority released draft rules late Wednesday for 
medical-pot dispensaries to follow when they open as early as next 
week under a new law. Although medical marijuana will be available at 
the dispensaries, the agency wants to ban sweets containing the drug 
because they could be attractive to young people.

But dispensary advocates said patients who take the drug orally need 
the sweetened pot products. They say a little sugar helps the bitter 
medicine go down.

"It just stinks," said Gary Stevenson of Portland.

Stevenson, who has cancer, said he prefers to take the marijuana in 
food because it's more potent and longer-lasting. As a member of the 
group Oreginfused Kitchen, he also makes and distributes the types of 
pot-infused foods that would be banned at dispensaries.

He said he doesn't want to go underground. "I'm striving for 
legitimacy," Stevenson said.

The regulations are designed to implement the bill SB 1531, which the 
Legislature passed earlier this month and Gov. John Kitzhaber signed 
into law on Wednesday. The law allows local governments to block 
medical marijuana stores in their communities until May 2015. It also 
lets the health agency set rules requiring child-safe packaging and 
prohibiting products that it determines could be appealing to children.

Scott Grenfell, general manager of an already existing dispensary, 
said he has no problem with that part of the new rules.

But Grenfell called "stunning" the proposed rule that would ban from 
dispensaries all marijuana-infused products in the form of "cake-like 
products, cookies, candy, or gum, or that otherwise may be attractive 
to minors because of its shape, color, or taste."

Edible products are "a good chunk" of his business, and some patients 
can only take marijuana in edible form, he said. Grenfell has applied 
for a license for his dispensary under the new law but has not yet 
received a reply.

Tom Burns, director of pharmacy programs at the health agency, said 
the rules were written under the "strictest interpretation" of the 
new law and "as broadly as we could."

Burns said the rules could change in the next few days. He's taking 
public feedback on them - and a lot of it - but "I'm not sure what 
I'm going to do."

He said he needs to get the rules in place for dispensary owners as 
soon as possible because the agency is already in the process of 
issuing dispensary licenses.

Lauren Cusick, also with Oreginfused Kitchen, said the no-munchie 
rule would "hurt patients more than it's going to help kids."

It was already affecting her business. One of her clients turned away 
a delivery Thursday because they didn't want to have the products on 
the shelf if they became illegal, she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom