My personal Christmas present to the American Taxpayer......

Why have I heard nothing in this new health care plan about medical marijuana? The government is saving a ton of money due to the growth in the medical marijuana industry, but no one is talking about it in a real way. I have decided that I may have a unique perspective on this issue and have decided to throw my two cents in on the topic. I have decided that my joining the Medical Marijuana Registry was my Christmas Present to the American Taxpayer.

First of all, I am a female under 40 with severe and debilitating Fibromyalgia, the kind that forces doctors to shake their heads and prescribe one ineffective man made medicine on top of another while I waste away and my quality of life diminishes.

My sole health insurance is provided to me is under medicare/medicaid. This is because I am completely disabled and the doctors do not allow me to work, or even to attend school (for the time being... I am getting stronger all the time!). So I was forced to be on government programs like Social Security Disability and Social Security Income (SSD/SSI) at a young age (I was in middle school when I was put on SSD/SSI for the first time).

Before I was placed on the Colorado Medical Marijuana Registry in June 2009, I would have to visit a doctors office several times a month, sometimes several times a week, sometimes with several appointments booked the same day with specialists and tests, physical therapy, etc., and there were to many trips to the emergency room to count.

I went to the ER out of sheer desperation, I went just so I could get comfortable enough to have a bit of sleep after a week or more of lingering in a painful place that seemed to be located in deep within the realm of a narcotic distorted pain haze, a no-where-land that seemed to be somewhere between life and death. The docs treated me as though I was an addict, and not a pain patient, AND I WAS MISERABLE!

Since I was approved for the medical marijuana registry I haven't needed near the amount of services from the medicaid/medicare program. In fact, aside from bit of dental work, a doctor visit and medications for a bad cold, I haven't seen a doctor at all. I haven't needed to.

Before I was on the MMJ registry, I was on so many medications.... Number of traditional prescriptions I take daily now - ZERO.

Now the government was paying for all those meds through medicare/medicaid, plus all the doctor visits to get, maintain, and change dosing on those prescriptions right? Some of those meds by themselves cost the government thousands of dollars a month!

I always felt guilty about my personal burden on the American Taxpayers. But this year I don't have to feel guilty cause I have a Christmas present to the American Taxpayer. I got on the MMJ registry. Now I do not go to the mainstream doc unless I need antibiotics, am off all prescriptions, and have even quit tobacco (been struggling to do that for more than a decade!).

The government is saving many thousands of dollars a year on me alone, and yet I have to struggle to obtain this money saver for the American taxpayer. That much cut in government spending on the part of an individual... I should get a freaking medal or something LOL

Herb Herb Herb Merry Christmas American Taxpayer!

How many others are there like me? Meanwhile, the price of my medicine increases as the MMJ movement grows. I am stuck having to make really hard decisions like, do my husband and I pawn our wedding and engagement rings to get my medicine? Or do I pawn them and buy some food? (I ended up pawning the rings, having nothing else of value to pawn, and buying both medicine and food.) We promised ourselves we would get them back, but I ended up crying my eyes out when I realized I can't afford to get them out of hock. I live in a 1968 Winnebago and am almost starving to death as it is. Now don't get me wrong, my life has been profoundly changed by this medicine, and any hardship I may have to endure is truly worth the benefits of this plant!

Each year, the government gives people on SSI/SSD a cost of living increase. I have had a cost of living increase of up to $200 per month in past years. This is supposed to be based upon the economy and how much it actually costs to survive, but this year my cost of living increase for my entire household is less than $5 a month for 2010. I won't disclose what that is an increase from, but I will say have no trouble qualifying as well below the federal poverty guidelines.The government actually told me in writing that the cost of living had not increased any this year!



Now the other side of the coin. The people who are inside the movement are making money on it too. If you are low income and can't afford your â??mainstream pharmacyâ?� medicine, you can go to various organizations and they will help you to buy your medicine, sometimes even on a regular basis if they are necessary and not covered by insurance, but that doesn't include mmj. If your medicine is MMJ no one is willing to help you unless you happen to be lucky enough to find a care giver who actually gives a care if you have medicine or not!

There is no fund or organization to help people like me get my medicine when I can't afford it. There is no way for a person who wants to help to donate money to people in a position similar to mine.

"So what," you say? Well let's look at this... The high price can force a person in my position to go back to buying their medicine off the street where it is less expensive, but also less potent, less safe, more dangerous to obtain, and the process of obtaining it can be a risk to your health with long periods in the cold and encounters with strange germs. I personally counted avoiding purchasing on the street as one of the largest pluses to getting on the registry, and yet I see people like me being forced back there.

I can't understand why the dispensary owners of various states haven't formed a fund for low income people independently or as a group. It would be a great promotional tool as well as an activism push, etc. There are many benefits if they will only drop the green of greed from their eyes and pick up the true spirit of the green herb.

I have no problems paying some for my meds... that is only fair. But I wanna know the money I spend helps others like me. I also don't need to be paying 50% of my income to stay barely comfortable. I'd like to be able to pay a reasonable percentage of my income and have all the medicine my body requires. I know that may seem a little unrealistic, but a girl in pain can dream. lol

Here in Colorado it is the wild wild west right now. If I happen to have to go somewhere other than my primary caregiver, my $$$ will probably end up in a growing bank account of some green gold rush eyed caregiver who could really care less if I have effective meds or not.

Also in the non-profit model there is room for patients to preform services for compensation in medicine. The Patient works at the dispensary/caregivers location according to the patients abilities and the dispensary/caregivers needs. My caregiver is for profit (there seem to be no NON profit dispensaries near me), but regularly trades my services in clerical/computer work either from home or in his office for meds when I am strapped for cash.



So the government ignores the money it saves, and many of the dispensaries in the area seem to have little social conscience about the price a person like me can pay to have their medicine. It costs me a minimum of 5% of my combined household monthly income for 3 days medicine, for 30 days, that's 50% of my household income - and that is using a bare minimum dosing. Someone needed to say something on this. I decided, I was as good a voice as any.

A Big social Problem, and a plan to begin to solve it... the lack - $$$
When your total family income is less than $1100 a month due to SSD/SSI, you can absolutely be forced back on the streets to get your medicine.

My medical condition requires a minimum of 1/8 oz of smokeable every 3 days to just to keep me off narcotics, not crying, and not be stuck in bed. I have NEVER had the pleasure of having enough medicine on hand to decide on what a good "comfortable" dosing schedule would be, even though I do have a relatively compassionate caregiver.

What I am trying to say is that there is something fundamentally very wrong with the fact that I am to poor to even know what the appropriate dosage of medication for my amount of pain is, yet the government is saving a bunch of cash and the MMj industry is getting the "lion's share" of the rest of my income. It is frustrating to feel like you are falling through the cracks even further. It is frustrating to see others get wealthy while you starve. Sometimes you feel invisible, and I know for a fact I am not the only one out there feeling this.

My dream is to be able to get some land and set up an initial grow op with an all environmentally friendly building/management philosophy that would end up growing into a Nonprofit MMj retreat/community/caregiver for patients like me to be able to get their medicine and/or live in a more affordable and kind setting, using their personal talents to benefit the community.

While I have the heart and the ability to do this work (given time and medication), I unfortunately have no capital for such a venture and am praying the universe will see fit to make it happen. I have researched many aspects of this and it is very feasible, however getting investment in such a venture is not my forte. This kind of setting would be great tool for a "for profit" dispensary to use. It would be publicity, demonstrate social conscience, and you could also offer my nonprofit meds cheap to their own low income patients. inquire further at [email protected] I live in an RV and am willing to set up shop in any state with a registry.

Is there someone, anyone out there who hears my plea and wants to help me actually do something other than sit in online forums and b*&@h about the problem and hope someone does something? I have plans, just need some help bringing them to fruition.

I have this planned out so that if I were able to obtain some land, I could be self sufficient (NO MORE SSI/SSD and I could actually contribute to charities instead of needing help from them!) and never have to worry about being hungry or without my necessary medicine as well. In time, many others could be helped with food and medicine grown on the land. I could be fulfilling needs rather than begging to have my needs filled.

Want to know what I'm looking at for my dream?: search [email protected] at
Amazon.com

Now that I'm off my rant for the morning. I just wanna say Thanks to all the people out there helping to make it possible for people who need this medicine to have it. Whatever you celebrate this season, may it be meaningful and may Blessings come to you all! :hippy::jointsmile:

That is a powerful post Breezy. I know there are a lot of folks out there who are in need of real medicine, and Cannabis is just that. I have tried to get my Mom to use it, she is paraplegic, and is on a bunch of pain meds, sleeping pills, anti-depression meds, etc. She has to take pills to counteract the side effects of some of her pills. I hate to see this, and I try to wake her up to the effective, health boosting properties that Cannabis can bring to one's life. There is a need for a Health reform movement centered around Medical Marijuana. There is a need to completely dispel the lies surrounding this herb, and really bring to light the actual medical research that shows time, and again that Cannabis is a miracle substance for those who need it.

So you are in Colorado? What are the laws like there for MMJ? What is the movement like for getting it legalized for medical patients, if this has not happened. I am curious, and would like more information, maybe some sparks can get started up....

:detective1:

Quote "So you are in Colorado? What are the laws like there for MMJ? What is the movement like for getting it legalized for medical patients, if this has not happened. I am curious, and would like more information, maybe some sparks can get started up...."

The laws in colorado are ok. The problem right now is regulations on dispensaries/caregivers here. They keep changing the regulations up on us and the price of meds is skyrocketing!

Information on non medical marijuana laws in Colorado and all other states as well as the states that have a medical program is available at norml.org The states who currently have a medical program are Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington state. I think Washington DC is working to reinstate their program too.

It is interesting to note that some states, such as Michigan (I have heard.... Oregon, Rhode Island, Montana too but am not sure of accuracy) have provisions for visitors who are licensed in other states (the legal term is reciprocity). Shouldn't someone set up a Medical Marijuana Retreat center for vacationing mmj patients?

Here is the literature NORML.org has on Colorado
Colorado's Medical marijuana program
SUMMARY: Fifty-four percent of voters approved Amendment 20 on November 7, 2000, which amends the stateâ??s constitution to recognize the medical use of marijuana. The law took effect on June 1, 2001. It removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess written documentation from their physician affirming that he or she suffers from a debilitating condition and advising that they "might benefit from the medical use of marijuana." (Patients must possess this documentation prior to an arrest.) Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act: cachexia; cancer; chronic pain; chronic nervous system disorders; epilepsy and other disorders characterized by seizures; glaucoma; HIV or AIDS; multiple sclerosis and other disorders characterized by muscle spasticity; and nausea. Other conditions are subject to approval by the Colorado Board of Health. Patients (or their primary caregivers) may legally possess no more than two ounces of usable marijuana, and may cultivate no more than six marijuana plants. The law establishes a confidential state-run patient registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients. Patients who do not join the registry or possess greater amounts of marijuana than allowed by law may argue the "affirmative defense of medical necessity" if they are arrested on marijuana charges.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA STATUTES: C.O. Const. art XVIII, § 14 (2001); §0-4-287 art. XVIII, Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-18-406.3 (2001) (interpreting the provisions of the ballot initiative and constitutional amendment), Colo. Rev. Stat. § 25-1.5-106 (2003) (originally enacted as § 25-1-107(1)(jj) (2001))(describing the powers and duties of the Colorado Department of Public Health)
CONTACT INFORMATION: Application information for the Colorado medical marijuana registry is available online or by writing:
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
HSVR-ADM2-A1
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, CO 80246-1530
Phone: 303-692-2184
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hs/medi...fullpacket.pdf

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Originally Posted by BreezyKiefAir

Information on non medical marijuana laws in Colorado and all other states as well as the states that have a medical program is available at norml.org The states who currently have a medical program are Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington state. I think Washington DC is working to reinstate their program too.

It is interesting to note that some states, such as Michigan (I have heard.... Oregon, Rhode Island, Montana too but am not sure of accuracy) have provisions for visitors who are licensed in other states (the legal term is reciprocity). Shouldn't someone set up a Medical Marijuana Retreat center for vacationing mmj patients?

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I think that is a GREAT idea! I was not aware of the reciprocity laws.

Here is norml's map below showing The Budding of America :jointsmile: and yes, I think you are correct about DC, I saw a post on here from Markass about that. I think the congress removed their ban on the DC voters will just recently (like weeks ago) so yes we need a fully mature bud green dot for Washington's district. :cool:

BreezyKiefAir,

Times are changing, you happen to be living through the gold rush days of medical cannabis. Lots of people are involved in this industry and like any other, there are a variety of reasons why people do it. There are lots in it for the money, and that's fair. Insurance companies have been sticking it to people for years. But eventually people will say enough is enough. This industry is shooting itself in the foot and they have no one else to blame except themselves. Conservative states which are routinely considered open minded are struggling with caregivers and dispensaries. States like California can be completely divided in view, some towns embracing it others rejecting it outright.

I live in Maine and we now have dispensaries allowed under state law, granted the Task Force is still piecing it all together and should be making recommendations to Governor by Jan 5th, 2010. So withing 90-120 there should be legal dispensaries here in Maine.

I have attended the Task Force meetings and can honestly say this might come out different for Maine than other states, The Task Force has looked at New Mexico's model and will tweak it for Maine. They are looking seriously at having the Department of Agriculture in conjunction with the University of Maine school system cultivate cannabis to be sold to caregivers and dispensaries. They are overly concerned on how to define "medical marijuana" which is way beyond their mandate or abilities. A suggestion has be put forward to meet the state half way. It would use the Department of Agriculture to maintain the nursery stock, growing clones and selling them to all registered or unregistered patients, caregivers, and dispensaries. The state would control genetic quality still offering a variety of strains. The would charge a fee for each clone sold, this would cover cultivation and a use tax. The state is happy; they have control and revenue generation to cover costs.

A lot of people reject this idea as having state government to involved. However, for this industry to survive and gain real traction state oversight in a positive fashion is needed before anyone will ever consider legalization.

The goal of this proposal is to have the state regulate pricing in much the same way they currently regulate alcohol. Unique to this is that regardless of strain or variety it would all sell to the patient for the same price, around $80 an ounce. Remember that Maine's dispensaries are nonprofits, but that still leaves plenty on the table for earning a living. Patients, caregivers and dispensaries would be prohibited under the proposal from keeping any mother plants. All plants would be purchased from the state at a point that they are ready to flower. This eliminates much of the unnecessary work needed to maintain mother plants, clones, worry about plant numbers, etc. Everything you have at your grow site would be in flower.

Everything would also come with a tamper-proof tag attached that expires in 120 days. Law enforcement and state inspectors will be able to inspect facilities quickly and know at a glance if anything is incorrect. Any grow sites discovered that have no valid tags would be deemed illegal because both registered and unregistered patients still need to purchase from the state facility. It does not effect current state law that allows someone to be an unregistered patient.

So inexpensive, quality, medical cannabis may arrive in Maine soon, and could become a model for other states. Remember, this is not about recreational smoking, this is about medical cannabis and how to provide it inexpensively for patients. Even caregivers would have to consider if it would be worth growing it for a few patients because they would have to buy the clones, grow them, sell them and all the while do this cheaper than a dispensary. Because in this proposal all cannabis is provided by the state which means everyone is growing and selling the same thing, or they are growing illegally. The state controls pricing which means a patient would not go to a caregiver that might have one or two strains when he/she can go to a dispensary and get up to 40 strains for the same price, $80 an ounce.

Long term this is good for the industry. I firmly believe that it should be sold like any other vice, it clearly is no more harmful for recreational use than many other vices. By the way, there is a reason the pharmaceutical industry is now pushing to have cannabis reclassified, and that is because the see all the money that the industry is generating and they believe they can make the case that they are in the best position to cultivate and dispense cannabis if doctors could legally prescribe it. This would be the death blow to this entire industry, and remember, in 1937 it was the same group that decided that synthetic drugs were far superior to herbal remedies. They do not have your best interests at heart.

Johnny

I know of no medical person who wants any state to have total control over cannabis. Why let the liars and hypocrites take charge after what they have done to innocent people. They need to pay a price like we have also. And the LEOs making decisions, you have got to be kidding me. Time for cannabis cops to go back to the beat or patrol. :thumbsup: