Medical Marijuana Expansion Proposed

HONOLULU — Between deep pulls on her glass smoking bong, Teri Heede, 55, said she needs about an eighth of an ounce of marijuana every day to control multiple sclerosis symptoms. but bad weather and pests make her back yard pot patch unreliable.?I have to find it on the street and that is dangerous,? Heede said. ?And I always get bad product.?Hawaii?s 10-year-old law limits patients to four mature plants and says a caregiver can only raise plants for a single patient. but because of the difficultly patients, particularly in urban areas, have maintaining adequate, legal supplies, Sen. Will Espero, public safety chairman, said the legislature is ready to loosen the limits.?It?s just a matter of what numbers we would think would be best,? Espero said.Espero introduced his first proposal on the first day of the legislature. it would increase the number of plants allowed each patient from four to 10. it would also allow a caregiver to grow plants for as many as four patients at once, and those patients could reimburse the caregiver for expenses.Police point out that a caregiver for four people who is also a patient could grow up to 50 plants at once.Other elements of Espero?s proposal would keep private patients? addresses and the location of their plants and allow a doctor other than the patient?s primary physician to certify the patient has a chronic illness or condition that makes them eligible for medical cannabis.another proposal, from Sen. J. Kalani English, would establish state-run dispensaries, called ?compassion centers.? he said the state would charge large fees for licenses to dispense or grow cannabis and would tax the profits.he would also allow patients from other states to purchase from the Hawaii compassion centers.?The patients need to get access to the medicine and we can create a good economic base for the general fund,? English said.Heede said she would prefer to get her marijuana from a dispensary because of more consistent quality.?They?ll test it for fungus. They?ll test it for pesticides. They?ll test it also for THC content,? Heede said. ?It might cost a little more money but then we can also look maybe at some legitimate research.?A spokeswoman for the Honolulu Police Department said the department will fight the proposed changes. She said the department believes more marijuana in the community will mean more drug use, addiction and violence. it also disputes the claims of medicinal value.but Espero said most legislators have already disregarded those arguments and accept marijuana as legitimate medicine to which patients should have access. he said he also expects the new governor will be supportive of improving the law.

Tagged as: multiple sclerosis symptoms, police point, pot, public safety, urban areas