Pubdate: Wed, 29 Oct 2014
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2014 The Baltimore Sun Company
Contact:  http://www.baltimoresun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37
Author: Timothy B. Wheeler
Page: 8

MEDICAL MARIJUANA RULES DELAYED

Commission Decides More Time Needed to Tweak Fees, Allow for Cannabis Extracts

A state commission charged with launching Maryland's lagging medical 
marijuana program hit the pause button Tuesday, postponing a final 
vote on already tardy regulations to tweak licensing fees and make 
cannabis available to patients in liquid as well as smokeable form.

Dr. Paul W. Davies, chairman of the 15-member panel, said officials 
needed more time to craft rules, particularly to allow for the 
production and sale of extracts containing concentrated doses of 
marijuana's therapeutic ingredients.

"We realized that our regulations didn't cover extracts," said 
Davies, a pain management specialist, "and for medical use that's 
incredibly important."

The commission had opted initially to focus only on growing and 
dispensing marijuana in leaf form, Davies said, because of the "time 
crunch" of meeting a Sept. 15 deadline set by the General Assembly 
for adopting regulations. But the panel decided to respond to public 
comments urging it to include extracts, he said, because for some 
people dosing themselves by smoking marijuana isn't feasible or comfortable.

Lawmakers first approved legalizing medical uses of marijuana in 
2013, but limited it to academic medical centers, which showed no 
interest. New legislation approved this year authorizes licensed 
physicians to recommend it for patients, with as many as 15 licensed 
growers and an as-yet-undetermined number of dispensaries.

The draft regulations, already 98 pages long, are being revised to 
provide a separate licensing category for dispensaries that would 
process marijuana to extract its medicinal properties, the chairman 
said. Processors typically use various solvents or water to pull 
marijuana's active ingredients from the plant.

Davies said the panel also intends to "adjust" proposed licensing 
fees for growing and selling medical marijuana, which if not changed 
would be among the highest in the nation. He declined to offer 
specifics, beyond acknowledging that the commission aims to reduce at 
least some of the charges.

Prospective growers would have to pay $125,000 a year for a two-year 
license, while dispensaries would have to pay $40,000 a year, 
according to a fee schedule presented in September. Only one state - 
Illinois - is charging a higher up-front cost for growers.

Some advocates warn that steep licensing costs could drive off 
applicants, especially small and minority-owned businesses. But state 
health officials have said the fees were set to cover costs of the 
program, and they note that similarly high fees in Illinois didn't 
appear to stifle bidding for that state's medical marijuana licenses.

The commission voted to meet Nov. 13, at which time Davies said he 
was "99 percent certain" the regulations would be adopted and sent 
along to the state health secretary for review before being formally proposed.

Advocates welcomed the commission's move to allow for production and 
sale of marijuana extracts, and to review the fee schedule, but 
expressed impatience with the amount of time it's taking to get 
Maryland's program ready to go.

"Every day that these regulations are delayed is another day that 
patients must suffer without relief," said Rachelle Yeung, 
legislative analyst with the Marijuana Policy Project, a national 
advocacy group based in Washington.

Gail Rand, whose son suffers frequent epileptic seizures, urged the 
panel to provide for prompt sale of hemp oil in addition to extracts, 
saying it has been shown in other states to be safe and effective for 
treating conditions like her child's. But Davies suggested that may 
require new legislation.

Del. Cheryl D. Glenn, a co-sponsor of the bill revamping the state's 
program this year, later told reporters she was sure there would be 
new legislation next year, to fix lingering issues. The Baltimore 
city Democrat voiced frustration with the delayed launch, which she 
blamed on the commission keeping her and other advocates at arms' 
length as it's drafted regulations.

"I'm frustrated, to say the least," said Glenn, whose mother died of 
cancer in 2011 and for whom the commission is named. "I don't think 
anybody expected this process to take so long."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom