Quote Originally Posted by Nmnewbgrower
My original question which has still been left unanswered, maybe if I ask more directly. Why does legal medicine cost the same as illegal? You can put all the figures out there on dues, equipment, whatever you wish but still doesn't add up to a real answer. If you wanted to say because that's the market price I could understand, disappointed but understandable. It was just a simple question. Never intended it to be such an issue.
As for post #34 I was referring to the point that the llnp growers get their meds at a much cheaper cost and that their ailments were being treated. I in no way meant that to disregard or downplay anyone's ailments. You took that wrong like many of my posts. I did try several times to talk to the llnp here but the individual who works the front office was always in a hurry. Once I even talked to a woman there and she laughingly said "yea he's always rushing, the more ppl he sees the more money he makes." Again not judging the ppl, I don't know them. How am I to feel as a patient/customer after that? Not to mention I spent a good amount of money there. I even offered to help free of charge several times.
In the end they banned me just like you said they would. No bad mouthing of the staff nor naming of names was done on my part. I had/have no intent on harming the name of the producer, grower or anyone. I guess I expected different practices concerning this medicine. I didn't expect business to be the driving factor. I expected a low cost highly effective alternative to pills but all in all it is what it is.
Apparently you are "thatguyjrod"?

I can answer your question with another question....what did you expect to pay for organically grown, safe medicine accessed in a safe place? Or better yet...knowing all the costs involved, why would you "expect" a lower price for legal medicine as opposed to illegal medicine? Street dealers do not have the overhead and other costs that the legal producers have. They don't have to hire lawyers, accountants, patient consultants, etc., etc. They only have to buy their product from someone else (or grow it) and then sell it. The better question would be, why is illegal cannabis selling for more than legal cannabis. Why are their prices so high? I have been told that medical grade is selling for $20 on the streets of Las Cruces. Does that mean the patients are paying $15 and re-selling it for $20?

If you go back and look at some of the posts that have been critical of the LNPs, you will understand why some of us feel the need to defend their position.

You come back and say that your post at #34 means something other than what you wrote. Really? Even in your explanation you still make assumptions. Where do you get your information? Again, I will clarify...At your local producer, the board members pay the same price for their meds as you do. And if there isn't enough meds for the patients, the board members don't get their meds either. They have to purchase from other producers just like you do. Additionally, some of the patient board members have their own PPL and don't have to access the meds from the producer. What did I tell you before about assumptions?

And, your quote of what "a woman there" said to you ....really? Could be she made an assumption as well. The patient consultant at your local producer is NOT compensated based on the number of patients he sees. Appointments are made every 30 minutes, sometimes more, sometimes less. But as the patient numbers grow, the busier he will be. This is another reason patients must make appointments (which you criticized in one of your earlier posts). He is only one person and can see only so many people per day. People who show up without an appointment cannot be seen. There are only a few of the LNPs who submitted their proposals as "dispensaries", your LNP was not one of them.

Many patients have offered to volunteer with the LNPs. Think about the risk. What happens when someone gets pissed? How quickly do you think a disgruntled volunteer would go to the DEA or other federal entity if they felt slighted for some reason? Same for any patient. There is more risk for the producers than there is for any other entity. Their plant numbers are cummulative, not just at the time of a bust. The feds can seize their records and based on those records determine how many plants have been grown and how much medicine has been distributed by the producers. The greater number of plants, the higher the penalty. The people who run the LNPs are now all felons. I am sure they will be relieved to read that your intentions were not to harm them.

Your expectations obviously are not going to be met....at least not in the near future. When costs level out, I expect the prices will come down. You stated that you didn't think the patients should pay the start-up costs....why not? Are the producers supposed to be doing this out of the goodness of their hearts? I am sure many would IF they won the lottery or were otherwise independently wealthy. This is a business and needs to be conducted as such. A non-profit entity does not mean there is no profit, it means the State can have access to information that they would otherwise not be able to access. None of the LNPs are tax exempt (can you imagine the feds issuing tax exempt status to a federally illegal operation?). If there wasn't sales tax, the prices could come down at least a small amount. If there weren't these huge license renewal fees the prices could come down. What we, the patients, need to do is petition DOH to reduce the fees assessed to the LNPs and treat cannabis as other prescription medicine...tax exempt. After all, we are the ones actually paying for everything.

Perhaps if you contact the local producer and ask for an appointment you might be able to persuade them to reinstate you if you have been banned. I don't think you can have your cake and eat it too, however. If there is something that you feel you need to criticize, you should do so directly to them. If you were dissatisfied with your purchase, you should not have accepted it. You always have the right of refusal just as they have the right to refuse service.

Hope this helps.