Pubdate: Wed, 15 Jul 2015
Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)
Copyright: 2015 Albuquerque Journal
Contact:  http://www.abqjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/10

STATE SHOULD ABANDON ITS MISGUIDED RX POT SECRECY

Among its benefits, medical pot smokers claim that it shuts down 
various pains and opens the senses. And it's only right that the 
state should be open about those it licenses to grow and sell medical 
marijuana.

A lawsuit filed last week accuses the state Department of Health of 
violating state law by refusing to release the names or other 
information about people who have applied for a license to produce 
medical marijuana. Among the allegations: refusal to make the 
information public "distorts the market for medicine" and deprives 
residents of "information about their neighborhoods, and has the 
potential to promote cronyism and corruption in the awarding of 
valuable state licenses."

The secrecy requirements, first enacted under the Richardson 
administration, are ridiculous on many levels. While the state has a 
shroud of secrecy over growers, some operations, like Minerva Canna 
in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque and Peace Medical Marijuana Consultants 
in Albuquerque (which "now offers an inhouse psychiatrist and 
certified nurse practitioner!"), openly advertise for customers. They 
are far from alone.

However, the Health Department continues to try to keep information 
about the individuals and businesses it licenses to prescribe, 
produce and sell medical pot behind closed doors.

Albuquerque attorney Charles "Kip" Purcell filed the suit on behalf 
of the Foundation for Open Government and freelance journalist Peter 
St. Cyr, who argue that the regulation isn't permitted under the 
state's open-records laws.

A challenge to this cloak and dagger practice has been a long time 
coming. Now that it's here, it's time to smoke out those folks the 
state is still trying to hide in the weeds.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom