Pubdate: Tue, 17 Jun 2014
Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)
Copyright: 2014 Albuquerque Journal
Contact:  http://www.abqjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/10
Author: Dan Boyd
Page: C1

MEDICAL POT RULE CHANGES CRITICIZED

Producers, Patients Testify Program Would Be Crippled

SANTA FE - Patients and producers in New Mexico's 7- year-old medical 
marijuana program lined up Monday to criticize - in sometimes heated 
tones - new fees and other proposed program changes.

About 500 people took turns packing a Department of Health auditorium 
for a public hearing on the proposed rule changes, some holding signs 
emblazoned with messages like "Being sick is not a crime." About 175 testified.

Producers and patients, many of whom described themselves as military 
veterans, said the proposed changes would cripple the medical 
marijuana program by making it more difficult to obtain medical pot.

"This is about compassion," said Debbie Armstrong, the former Cabinet 
secretary of the state Aging and Long-term Services Department. "It's 
about access to medicine that works for people."

Armstrong's daughter, Erin, a cancer survivor, was one of the 
namesakes of the 2007 "Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act," which 
created the state's medical pot program.

Meanwhile, Sen. Cisco McSorley, D- Albuquerque, the sponsor of that 
legislation - there are now 22 states with such programs - blasted 
the Department of Health's rule-making process.

Specifically, McSorley questioned how the agency would use the money 
generated from new fees and the transparency of its rule-making 
process. He also claimed the proposed rule changes are an attempt to 
"destroy" the medical cannabis program.

"The department wrote these regulations without listening to the 
public," McSorley said to loud applause.

The Department of Health unveiled the proposed changes earlier this 
year, after commissioning a survey of licensed New Mexico producers 
and patients.

Among other things, the proposals include a first-ever fee of $ 50 a 
year for approved patients to renew their registry ID cards. Although 
the rules would relax restrictions on how many pot plants could be 
grown, nonprofit producers would have to pay an increased fee if they 
chose to ramp up their production levels.

The agency, which has insisted the proposed regulations are intended 
to expand the supply of medical marijuana, is also proposing to 
implement criminal background checks for qualified patients who wish 
to grow their own medical marijuana - but not for other patients.

A decision on whether to adopt, reject or tweak the proposed rules is 
expected to come after the hearing officer who ran Monday's hearing 
makes a report to Health Secretary Retta Ward The agency will also 
consider written comments submitted before a July 1 deadline.

DOH spokesman Kenny Vigil said Monday that there is no deadline for a 
decision on the proposed changes.

Currently, there are 11,237 patients enrolled in the state's program 
and 23 licensed medical marijuana producers, according to the 
Department of Health.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom