100% Confused right now

[MimbresValley]

.... As a person who has experience, PLEASE understand and take it from me...growing for yourself or "on the side" or hobby or whatever you want to call it ------ totally different from producing for hundreds of sick patients where quality is of the utmost importance. If you think its the same thing - wrong.....

PLEASE understand this, we both have experience, I have been growing 8 years, and was a caregiver to several patients over many years out in hawaii.

....
.....I didn't say we had experience growing medical for hundreds of patients. We have experience in large non cannabis greenhouse operations - though my personal grow experience is with cannabis.... ..

You want me to take it from you, because you have "experience",to me that sounds like your are implying you know what you are talking about when it comes to producing for hundreds of patients.

So if you have not grown for hundreds of patients, where is your experience coming from, from your personal growing experience??
I do not see whats different than about your personal growing experiences and mine.:wtf:

[BuddingHopeNM]

As I type, we are producing for hundreds of patients. We are putting systems and procedures in place to enable us to do this at a professional level. It hasn't been but three months, but yes, I can tell you it is very different. As a person who has discussed the situation with other producers, it is very different because there are unforseen challenges.

You have great experience. You should write up a plan, create a non profit and apply for producership or a co-op. You can style it any way you like.

I am not here to give life stories on grow experience. We are remaining subtle and professional. We are here to help the patients of New Mexico.

And I am not implying. I am not assuming. When I say that large scale professional is different from a few thousand watts in a private room in your home...it is because it is.

I have to get back to work. If you have anything constructive, please email me and we can implement them. If you are looking for a board position, email me and we can meet. If you are looking to help the patients of New Mexico, start a non profit and apply to become a producer and help the patients. Sounds like you know the ropes, just gotta get in there.

[MimbresValley]

I already have all the paperwork, have copies of two Approved producers applications, I just haven't decided if I want to throw my hat in the ring.


I get the feeling buddinghope you think the only way to make a change is to become a producer myself, I got to tell you, thats simply not the case. I am not trying to make money from sick folks, help them yes, take there last dollar, no.


It only takes one person to make a big change, don't ever forget that.

If I can help/force the producers to lower their prices even by half, then I will have helped more people in NM than if I started a production facility, the town I live in only has 8 patients who do not have PPL,(accordig to the DOH release earlier this year).

[oldhaole]

Pardon my ignorance. Have no dog in this fight.

One simple qustion. Must you produce only indoor? I've been to your state. Outdoor looked doable to me? What's keeping you all inside?

[MimbresValley]

If anyone out there thinks one person can not make a difference, look at Stormy Ray from Oregon.

I personally do not agree with her 100% on her policies, but I have talked to several patients from Orgeon who do, several that don't.
It seems most patients support, most growers do not.
Go to the California section of any of the cannabis forums, most people who smoke pot want it legalized, but talk to some growers, I would say about 70-80%% of Californian growers want it to stay illegal, otherwise they may possibly loose their cash cow.


But regardless, Fellow Patients of NM, Don't ever count out your voice in making a change.



Ending the Medical Marijuana Gold Rush
by Stormy Ray

"As a patient, I know what it is like to suffer needlessly. As a mother, I know that disabilities and sickness strike indiscriminately. As a Grandmother, I know we must protect this valuable medicine so it will be available for all of us. As a citizen, I stand up because I care.

Many Oregonians have thanked me for my involvement in passage of last yearâ??s Senate Bill 1085, which amended and clarified Oregonâ??s Medical Marijuana Program. I have also been harshly criticized for helping to remove the ambiguities within our law. The most important change SB-1085 made was giving the ownership of all medical marijuana produced, and marijuana plants grown, exclusively to the OMMP patient. The Oregon Medical Marijuana Act still allows patients to grow their own medicine and assign a caregiver to help them. A patient can assign their grow site card to their own location, the location of their caregiver, and now, to a person responsible for their grow site location. Patients can reimburse their caregiver or grower for the actual cost of electricity and garden supplies used to produce their medicine. Caregiver and growers must work on a voluntary basisâ??they cannot charge or be compensated for their time or labor. And finally, caregivers and growers must surrender all medicine and plants to their patient upon request.

This is a good law, given what we are up against with current federal law. I believe that, for our program to have any credibility, we must separate the issue of medical marijuana from the legalization of marijuana. Over the last six years, I have stood against many attempts to take this program away from patients. This includes the 2004 ballot initiative Measure 33 that would have established dispensaries in Oregon. Giving ownership of the medicine to the caregivers and growers would have caused the same problems for us that it is causing in California, problems that threaten the survival of the program.

Although I strongly believe marijuana laws need to be revisited so that we can stop putting people in jail for something that should not be a crime, I cannot condone using sick and disabled people as pawns in this war on drugs.

It is my belief that there needs to be a way for all patients to access medical marijuana, but dispensaries like in California are not the answer. Prohibition and the black market have increased the street price of marijuana beyond what most patients can afford. As long as the price is artificially inflated by marijuanaâ??s prohibition, medical marijuana will never be sold at a reasonable price. California dispensaries are selling marijuana for higher prices than on the black market: a price that rivals that of gold. We need to stop the gold rush!

California dispensaries are out of control, jeopardizing medical marijuana not only in California but also for the entire United States. Many who supported medical marijuana in the past now question its validity. This cannot happen in Oregon!

During the 2005 legislative session, SB-1085 had strong bi-partisan support in both houses, and had strong support from the Oregon law enforcement community. SB-1085 created bright clear lines that both law enforcement and patients could understand.

The changes in SB-1085 preclude organizations and dispensaries from selling medical marijuana. Under Oregon law, only patients and their caregivers/growers are protected by the OMMP. Organizations and businesses cannot be registered cardholders and can never possess or control medical marijuana.

Patients can freely â??giveâ?� their excess medical marijuana away to other cardholders, but it remains illegal to sell marijuana to anyone in Oregon. Caregivers cannot decide how much medical marijuana their patients will receive from a harvest or decide where the excess medication will go. Caregivers should never charge their patients for their medicine by the ounce. Itâ??s against the law! All medicine belongs to the patient.

Medical marijuana has medicinal properties that are unlike all other medications. One patient experience I had just after measure 67 passed illustrates how badly this medicine is needed! A woman called and set an appointment for her husband who has cancer. They rescheduled their appointment because on the way over they ended up at the hospital. When I opened my hotel door, I wasnâ??t prepared for this man who was a ghastly grey color. Iâ??d never seen that color on a living body. His wife helped him to the nearest seat in the room. The intensity and desperation was like a heavy fog. I handed him a small pipe. He inhaled. I witnessed color come back into his face as he gave the â??Honey Iâ??m OKâ?� glances to his concerned wife as his breathing improved. I witnessed the tearful relief in her eyes as she saw his glances. This man regained his quality of life and was even able to return to his Sunday school class duties.

Medical marijuana must be protected for all of us because of the relief it gives to so many. No matter who you are, a sickness or disability can happen to you or to a loved one. Medical marijuana may not be a cure, but for over 14,000 registered Oregon Medical Marijuana Program patients, it means a better quality of life.

I would like to give a special thank you to Oregon caregivers and growers who selflessly help patients grow a garden and have the medicine they need. I would also like to invite anyone that would like to help a patient with their garden to become a part of this wonderful program.

Oregonâ??s Medical Marijuana Act protects caregivers and growers so they can help registered patients. Caregivers and growers can possess marijuana and have a medical marijuana garden at their location.

If you would like more information about Oregonâ??s Medical Marijuana Program or about becoming a registered cardholder or caregiver, please contact the Stormy Ray Cardholdersâ?? Foundation at 503-587-7434, or visit our web site at Stormy Ray Cardholders' Foundation
God Bless Oregon for this great program!

Stormy Ray has been active in the movement to legalize marijuana for the purposes of medical treatment for over a decade in Oregon. She was a Co-Chief Petitioner for Measure 67 that became the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act (OMMA) in 1998. The Stormy Ray Cardholdersâ?? Foundation is a non-profit Oregon medical marijuana information and support organization dedicated to helping patients utilize this law. Stormy currently serves on the OMMPâ??s Advisory Committee on Medical Marijuana. Stormy has represented â??patientsâ?� on the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) Advisory Committee convened 3-23-06. She has served on the Oregon State Rehabilitation Advisory Council for two Governors, and the Federal Disabilities Determination Advisory Board for four years. As president of Malheur Butte Productions, a non-profit disabilities awareness organization, Stormy worked to help improve access, inclusion, and awareness for Oregonians with disabilities. She is currently the president of the Stormy Ray Cardholdersâ?? Foundation (SRCF). As a non-profit, the Stormy Ray Cardholdersâ?? Foundation is successfully helping Oregonians understand what this medicine means to patients."

[alfonso2002]

nice post hope patients in NM get the message and don't just sit idle.

[MimbresValley]

last question BuddingHope.

Since most of the costs you listed are initial startup costs, after a year or two of operation, wouldn't it seem logical the price could be dropped significantly?
For instance if you buy a ballast, most ballast have a 5 year warranty, and you probably wont have to buy ballasts again, for at least 5years, most likely ten years,( i have had a ballast for 8 years now, still works great)
after all your welding is done, and your facility is done, you wont be doing constant construction, etc..

[alfonso2002]

Pardon my ignorance. Have no dog in this fight.

One simple qustion. Must you produce only indoor? I've been to your state. Outdoor looked doable to me? What's keeping you all inside?

here are the requirements http://www.health.state.nm.us/idb/me...%206-28-10.pdf

[BuddingHopeNM]

Most certainly. However, its not about producers setting the price. There is a market price. Its sad. But yes there is a market price. Producers don't 'set' it. DOH doesn't 'set' it. The state doesn't 'set' it. Simple supply and demand sets it. Lets say all producers were to sell at 5.00 per gram. Patients would end up reselling it at 3x the cost....simply because there is not enough supply and too much demand. If we were to do that, DEA would be all over us. And that is the truth.

By becoming a producer, you would help a whole lot more people as opposed to complaining about the market price. When you grow your own, you are out of the market. When you buy or sell, you are part of the market.

If you have some Alan Greenspan skill at affecting the cannabis market that noone else knows, by all means have at it. But by petitioning and telling the DOH to 'set' the market price, that will absolutely never happen due to the simple economics of supply and demand. Add supply = lower prices. This is how you affect the market:

"Until the removal of cannabis from Schedule I drug status, reasonable and rational drug policy is adopted federally, more producers are licensed, the plant count is raised from 95, the federal stance on taxation on medical production and distribution facilities are agreed upon, market prices cannot be easily reduced."

Cannabis market is very localized because of the nature of cannabis. You likely aren't ingesting cannabis from 800+ miles away like we do toilet paper/food/tvs. Heck, everything we got nowadays is made in China. So that is why you see different prices in colorado and california. They are their own market. Markets don't necessarily take forever to change, but they require more than vocal persistence. They require action. More producers - more patients - more caregivers(that can actually tend plants) - larger plant limits - removal of Schedule I status - Federal acknowlegment of medical value - Federal Fiscal and taxation reform.

Look at colorado. Colorado blew up wild wild west. Thats why prices are what they are. Hopefully New Mexico can find some kind of happy - pun intended - medium. New Mexico program is great - but it is very young and it is not big enough to tackle the supply and demand of cannabis in New Mexico. When it does become big enough, you will surely see the market price go down. Thats the way markets work.

And yes, you should throw your hat in. Throw every hat you have. BH hasn't sold an ounce - literally. But it sure is very heartwarming to correspond with such nice patients and people in the program. We are here to help and we want to do this TOGETHER!:hippy:

[deserthealer]

Pardon my ignorance. Have no dog in this fight.

One simple qustion. Must you produce only indoor? I've been to your state. Outdoor looked doable to me? What's keeping you all inside?

Outdoor grows are do-able. I had 3 plants in a backyard garden, urban residential neighborhood. High cement block walls. Pit bull.

Cost? I guess I could say the price of a bag of potting soil, since they were temporarily in pots.

It was a great experience for a first legal grow. And the end result is