Lets eliminate the hurdles cities are trying to put in place by banning legal marijuana dispensaries brought to Oregon by house bill 3460. First of all its not easy being a medical marijuana patient. There is always somewhat of a stigma against you to begin with. Secondly what other prescription do you need to obtain a license from the state to use. Medical Marijuana patients obtain their prescriptions at considerable expense. Usually around $175 for the appointment and then $200 to register with the state. Oh if you move or change your grower thats another $100 to be reissued another paper card. Which is completely unfair for something that is the equivalent of changing your drivers license address which is free. That same patient could go to their doctor and be issued a number of opiate based pain relievers go to the pharmacy and pick them up with zero problems and no license. Patients prescribed marijuana do not have this option. Oh you can grow it yourself or have someone grow it for you. Thats not always an option. Where are these patients to go? Right now in the Portland area Washington County excluded they go to their local dispensary running in the grey area of the law. The dispensaries range from very nice to not so nice. You cant really blame the owners for that. They are trying to provide a needed service to patients with a great number of things in their way. You cant always find the nicest location due to landlords not really wanting you there. There is no traditional SBA loans or really any banking for that matter available. If you go to these shops and talk to their owners and employees you get a sense that they are here to support the cause and to bring people that need it their medicine. They are doing this currently and not without risk of going to prison. But they continue to open up shop daily just like any other business and they should be commended on that. Now House bill 3460 has passed. The rules committee of the Oregon Health authority has finalized the regulations to be followed by dispensaries and cities are trying to ban legitimate business and patients from having convenient access to their medicine. Is it right that someone that lives in Beaverton or Hillsboro needs to drive all the way into Portland to obtain their prescription medication? The patients arent allowed to medicate onsite under the law. Every bit of marijuana received is accounted for. The marijuana will be tested for potency, mold and chemicals to make sure it is safe. The dispensary itself will be highly secure more so than a standard pharmacy. The dispensary will be paying income taxes like any other business. They should be treated like any other business. Eighty percent of the US supports medical marijuana for patients. What is the point of passing the laws if you dont allow for patients to obtain their medicine in a convenient way. It is definitely a form of discrimination against the dispensaries and patients who have gone through an already unfair amount of red tape to distribute and obtain the medicine they have been prescribed a licensed physician.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 19:32:47 +0000
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