The Arizona Department of Health Services has announced that it will accept petitions from July 27-July 31 to add new debilitating conditions to those already approved by the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. The AMMA itself calls for open application periods twice a year, but the rules surrounding the process and the specific standards by which these conditions are approved or denied are largely left up to the DHS administration and these rules can be changed.
DHS has fought hard against all the petitions filed in the history of the program. Only PTSD with the help of the Cannabis Nurses Association has been successfully added as a qualifying condition. CNA Attorney Ken Sobol appealed the DHS denial of PTSD and prevailed, in a huge victory for patient rights, this was special because is it is the first mental health condition to be approved for treatment under the AMMA.
The AZDHS responded by proposing to change the standard for approval of new conditions to “conclusive evidence based research” in their October 2014 proposed rules package. If you are aware of the history of cannabis prohibition, you know that studies about the usefulness of cannabis of this caliber are few and far between. Under these proposed rules and the higher standard they require it is possible that a new condition will never successfully be added to the AMMA again.
These new rules have not been implemented to date because of Gov. Doug Ducey’s moratorium on rulemaking. This hold on state administrative rulemaking could be lifted any day. The upcoming July 2015 window is the only time to file petitions and be sure to have them heard under the existing, slightly more patient-friendly rules. Sobol has agreed to do the legal paperwork to get 10 petitions filed next week, but he expects to be paid for his work this time around. One local dispensary that is patient focused has agreed to foot half the bill, but the CNA still needs to raise more money to see these lawsuits thru to the end if we are to help heal more sick Arizonans. Some of the conditions on our list of possibilities are:
• TBI
• Arthritis
• Sickle Cell Disease
• Lupus
• Huntington’s Disease
• Tourette’s Syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Diabetes
• Broken Bones
These and a few others are the conditions in the running to get the attention of the CNA this time around. Some or all of these conditions will be discussed in a few months at public hearings in Phoenix. I invite your participation, if you or someone you know has one of these conditions and has benefited from the medical use of Cannabis please reach out to me or the CNA as soon as possible, your story may help us change minds and laws. If you support Medical Cannabis use and want more of your neighbors to have safe legal access to a non toxic remedy that could change their lives then send a donation to the CNA and earmark it “Conditions 2015”. I did and if we help one person to live a better life then I believe the sacrifice is worth it in the end.
Perhaps this is all irrelevant. There are multiple ballot initiatives being circulated that, if successful, would legalize limited amounts of Cannabis for all adults in Arizona. The best funded of these measures is sponsored by Marijuana Policy Project, the same group who helped pass Prop 203 and create the AMMA in 2010. In fact MPP has had a major role in shaping almost all Cannabis laws around the country. There are other initiatives, such as that sponsored by Safer Arizona, with less funding but with more good old fashioned grassroots support. My concern is that the support for Medical Marijuana far outweighs support of Cannabis Legalization. Looking back to 2010 we can see that Prop 203 barely passed, so legalization may not be as sure a bet as some think.
Next week we will take a look at some of these proposed laws, the motives of those who promote them and their chances of becoming law in Arizona in 2016.
This article appears in Jul 23-29, 2015.
Hopefully, as time goes on without the dire outcomes feared by legislators, the concept of “non-toxic” will sink in. There’s no need to severely restrict or deny anyone the right to use a non-toxic herb just because they might enjoy it.
Just what are we talking about here with new ailments that could be added to the list. All of these would be moot and a superfluous ordeal of public time an monies. Why would anyone put an effort to promote and submit new proposals to AZDHS when the push is for Legalization and sweep Medical Marijuana under the rug such as MPP”S proposal.
Lets look at whom is to benefit from Legalization,
1-Law enforcement definitely has a good stake is seeing it passed. Lets look at our current Sheriff Dupnick it was just reported that in his administration he has 17 former deputies that had administrative jobs. These individuals retired from @ $140,000.00 job to collect $100,00.00 in retirement. Only to have their job previously held to a civil position and then rehire those retired back @ $100,000.00 salary with Benefits that bring annual compensation to $126,000.00. So MPP’s proposal builds a new administrative position for retired police. Remember the Sheriffs department is a policing for profit ordeal. The Department even has former Sheriff Boykin on the payroll @ $90.000.00 and no one knows what he does.
2- Civil penalties instead of criminal prosecutions which basically says your guilty till proven innocent if you can afford it and charge interest on unpaid fines on civil actions Basically building a debtor prison of such just like the medieval times but it doesn’t cost the king till you have something.
3- the lottery winners DISPENSARIES that now feel that they have a propriety ownership in the business of Marijuana. They feel as such they have enlisted a Washington Marijuana lobby Firm called “Medical Marijuana Policy” (MPP) They are hired by Law enforcement and the Arizona Dispensaries Assoc. (ADA) to lock in a market to where a few are allowed. Impose heavy criminal prosecutions for those that cant play putting a huge burden on the tax payer prosecute and incarcerate because they cant collect taxes and give them to the state. MPP will not reveal the donors odds are some of the civil forfeitures are going for that very thing.
4-MPP would have all individual rights of home and solace their in capitulate to any kind of local ordnance the right of business even to allow not to be able to smoke in your own home. ( Just yesterday the AZ appellate court the smell is not an illegal act and does not allow search ) Believe it or not the courts have been going in the Users mostly stifling the bureaucratic rule making.
Whom want to keep it illegal
1- Insurance companies, can you imagine the cost of actuary tables if some has Cannabinol’s in their system is no longer proof of being impaired and payouts out cant be denied
2 Pharmaceuticals, don’t want to compete on several medications I have cut my diabetes medication some out completely and the neuropathy Opiates prescribed are gone as well as some of the one being advertised on TV. So Just Diabetes alone is a 70 billion a year market that don’t want it legal.
(I have not found a bud tender that has a clue or a dispensary fakes and frauds on ailments listed above if asked they go to the old standard SATIVA or INDICA I ask at a purple place they said yea they are there! I ask just up the road RE: what are you looking for? I just told you the ailment. RE; yea man
3- Employers, Bus Drivers, Pilots, police officers, correctional officers, Truck and equipment drivers, Air Traffic, Train crews, on and on and on. What is needed is not to show someone has used but that they are impaired and the Current Dispensaries wont help with that. and the Insurance rates then attributed with it.
I just tired of these superficial people willing to throw citizens under the buss make second class citizens of those that don’t want to go their free concerts so they can party out their old stock and call it a community gift the gall REALLY!
Diabetes? Weed gives people the munches and sugary snacks are high on that list!!
Wouldn’t conditions like arthritis and fibromyalgia already meet the definition of chronic pain and therefore be eligible?
Barbara, Would you believe that one specific cannabinoid, THC-V, is known to be an appetite suppressant? Would you believe the active compounds in Cannabis help regulate many body systems? Would you believe that many patients who began MMJ use for the neuropathic pain associated with diabetes found that over time their blood sugars began to normalize? One Love
Ex-Arizonan, you are absolutely correct.
Aries,
Thank you for the support in this on Diabetes control with Marijuana it works for many. While Pima County has the highest amount of Diabetes in the nation and only second in the world behind Micronesia. While this might be attributed to native people changing to a European diet it is even more reason for the Indian Nations to grow and use Marijuana as they are the most afflicted.
There have been research studies done with peer review some even at the UofA doing endorsement of data collected latest is the JAMA’s June 23/30, 2015, Vol 313, No. 24 > Again it shows improvement in spasticity and pain. Both of these can be attributes to Diabetes There is really not a nerve medication on the market today. There are medications that relieve the symptoms of nerve damage I am off the Opiates and have controls my diet with Cannabis. I have brought down my cholesterol and no longer on the Stanton Drugs. I am not a healthcare worker involved in healthcare or the Marijuana business this is a testament on personal achievements with Marijuana. I know many like me in the elder years that have gone to this. I was introduced to this by other afflicted and the therapy goes to shit if you drink alcohol excessively.
This is why the Medical aspect is paramount and what the voter for in 2010 voted for. I find it ridiculous that most of the dispensaries have a bud tender passing out the limit of their knowledge to be Indica or Sativa. I find Dispensaries are very clean orderly places with a façade of a medical office with a array of products to consume & purchase them. Over the course of 3 years I have gone to almost all dispensaries in town have found absolutely no help on medical therapies related to Nerve damage.
With this I see no reason to support a creation of a ” Marijuana Control Board ” with both AZFMR and MPP’s proposals to do so. The bureaucratic rule making proposed will basically dismantle Medical Marijuana program as both have conflicting growth and distributions control interests.
Barbra, there are types of Marijuana that suppress appetite as well as increase it. However your better off in my opinion doing a google search for strains. The Dispensaries here will direct you to old stock higher profit hmmm TOP SHELF strain bullshit there is not top shelf in Medical