A Growing Remedy

A Growing Remedy
Posted by CN Staff on May 12, 2009 at 20:03:09 PT
By Paul Davis, Journal Staff Writer
Source: Providence Journal

Providence, R.I. -- On a recent morning, Kirk Manter, 54, lifts a 3-foot-tall marijuana plant grown in a house on a quiet street in Woonsocket. He shoves the leafy plant â??â?? packaged in a tall trash bag â??â?? into his Jeep Cherokee and drives it to a man in South County who is battling multiple sclerosis.

A wooden cross dangles from his narrow neck. His white T-shirt features a picture of a caduceus â?? the symbol of the medical profession â?? against a bright green plant.

Manter, an unemployed construction worker, is one of 581 state-registered caregivers helping sick Rhode Islanders find or grow marijuana.

His patients include men and women suffering from chronic pain and debilitating diseases, including cancer, hepatitis C and HIV.

The Warwick man is neither a physician nor a pharmacist, but he does have a knack for growing medical marijuana, something he has done since 2006, after a battle with Guillain-Barré syndrome.

â??I could do little but breathe,â?� said Manter, recalling the sudden attack on his nervous system. â??I did a lot of soul searching.â?�

During his recovery, he learned that Rhode Island had just legalized marijuana for people with chronic pain and terrible illnesses.

It was a sign, says Manter, who launched the Rhode Island Compassion Club for medical marijuana users.

After talking to lawmakers, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and state police officials, he put up a Web site -- Page 1 -- with a link to a guide on how to grow marijuana.

He bought seeds, bathed his young plants in 1,000-watt light and invited other patients to join him.

â??When I started it, I envisioned a kind of hospice situation,â?� Manter says. â??I did it to help others.â?�

In 2006, legislators approved the Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act, which allows patients with debilitating medical conditions to possess up to 12 plants and 2.5 ounces of marijuana.

The law also allows an adult without a felony drug conviction to serve as caregiver. Caregivers can help as many as five patients, and possess up to 24 plants and 5 ounces of marijuana.

Since the law was passed, the number of patients has jumped sharply, to 681 from less than 140 in 2006. The number of caregivers is up dramatically too.

Manter is both.

But the laws arenâ??t always clear or helpful.

â??It is up to you to decide whether or not to tell your landlord that you are a patientâ?� in the stateâ??s Medical Marijuana Program, or MMP, says a state Health Department Web site.

Manter says his landlord is aware of his role as a caregiver. Other Compassion Club members prefer to grow marijuana in private.

Many patients and caregivers do the same, says Manter. They grow plants in bedrooms and basements, in rooms papered with foil to evenly distribute the high-intensity lights. Plastic fans move the air. An initial investment can run about $200.

In February, Attorney General Eric H. Holder announced that President Obamaâ??s administration would not raid marijuana distribution centers that are allowed by state law. In all, 13 states have legalized medical marijuana.

But marijuana use remains illegal under federal law. And Rhode Island doesnâ??t advise patients how to get marijuana, how to grow it or how to use it.

â??There are more than 600 patients in Rhode Island, and they have to go into a lot of sleazy places. A lot of them have been beaten and robbed,â?� says Rep. Thomas C. Slater, D-Providence, the sponsor of a bill that would allow licensed dispensaries, or â??compassion centers,â?� to sell marijuana to patients with a doctorâ??s note.

Members of the House, scheduled to vote on the bill Tuesday afternoon, pushed the vote back to May 20 because of a crowded calendar.

Manter, who opposes the legalization of marijuana, also opposes Slaterâ??s bill. He contends state centers would produce a pot surplus, create security problems and invite abuse.

He prefers smaller, patient-grown collectives, made up of a dozen patients responsible for renting a space to grow and dispense marijuana. â??That way the people involved with it are the people who can legally use it,â?� he says.

The model is not unlike Manterâ??s own Compassion Club, where members swap plants and return excess marijuana.

The informal club has no dues, newsletter or regular meetings.

â??Itâ??s still federally illegal, so keeping records is nothing but trouble,â?� says Manter. Besides, he says, â??most of the people I consider members are not into getting out of bed to go to a meeting.â?�

Manter does keep one official record: a $10 retail sales license from the state Division of Taxation. He renewed it recently â??to establish a paper trail and maintain transparency, to show that Iâ??m not hiding.â?�

He says he doesnâ??t sell marijuana, which the state can tax, or charge for his efforts, â??but if someone wants to flip me $100, I donâ??t mind,â?� Manter says.

While most club members are low-key, Manter has appeared at State House hearings on medical marijuana issues. Tall and thin, with a gray mustache and a gravelly voice, he resembles the character actor Richard Farnsworth, a fixture in Hollywood Westerns.

He rarely goes anywhere without his white T-Shirt and cap, which sport his clubâ??s logo: a red cross, a caduceus and a marijuana plant.

He keeps a handful of business cards to advertise his club. His title? â??Plant Manager.â?�

With reports from Cynthia Needham.

Source: Providence Journal, The (RI)
Author: Paul Davis, Journal Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Copyright: 2009 The Providence Journal Company
Contact: [email protected]
Website: Rhode Island, Providence, news, sports, entertainment, ads | projo.com | The Providence Journal
URL: Medical marijuana in R.I.: A growing, but still problematic, remedy | Health | projo.com | The Providence Journal

I think Kirk's ideas of small caregiver groups is great. Though as a soul remedy for producing cannabis for people can't work. It would be nice to supplement dispensaries and should be worked into the Marijuana Act.

As for Kirk's views for patients not to have plants if they have a caregiver seems weird. It is off his site if you want to read his thoughts.