Robert Townsend: End Fear Of Medical Marijuana

[+Silverblue]

There has to be a way to do this. There are legitimate certification clinics and there are the card mills. I want to see a very clear distinction between them. I think this will help us. Sorry to say I went to the bad one, those people gave me the creeps, after realizing my mistake, albeit too late, I felt I betrayed this whole community and had a severe emotional crisis over it. Ask Bb, he helped me through it, but it still hurts. After seeing the damage places like that are doing to our law, I think it's time to draw this line and hold the bad ones up to the light of day.

 

They are playing the economic card. I got a free cert, and do have records, and did see a dr. though I discovered a few months later, he had a mark on his record. Those people gave me the creeps- as hard as I tried to sweep that awful feeling away, I could not. I'm glad I can live without MM, though there's other places that have a similar setup, there's one that has a dr come in, but I still won't go, fearing if there was trouble, there'd be no one to stand behind me in court, and no one to monitor my progress. I've had it with the program, but I will defend patients' rights to apply. Even if this stuff didn't happen to me, I've seen too many accounts from others, and I've seen too many that lead me to believe these card mills are hurting us severely.

 

So again I have asked for help, though not for myself, thinking I'm doing something good for our community. My heart is sunk. I keep trying to help and it seems I'm getting nowhere. This is why I'm so stressed and depressed. I tried, honestly, because i love you all so much.

 

My eyes are wide open.

 

I'm sorry for those who have to go there because it's the best they can do. They're being taken advantage of because they are desperate to get MM and get some real relief. What a horrible world we live in that allows others to take advantage of someone in pain.

 

Sb

[phaquetoo]

Holy crap, missed the big article in Saginaw, he is calling for my license!

 

http://www.mlive.com...r_clash_ov.html

 

Dr. Bob

 

 

Very well wrote and explained!

Awsome Job! Keep up the good job Dr. Bob

 

Peace

FTW

Jim

[Dr. Bob]

The size of the list would vary a lot based on who compiled the list.

 

Dr. Bob himself would be on some lists because of the skype stuff.

 

The skype clinics I do are done the same way I do the live ones. If telemedicine is good enough for the U of M and many other practices, it is good enough for me. At least I meet the basic requirements of a 'real' clinic. I require records, I meet with the patients, and I do follow up. That is a far cry from an 'affidavit' that you aren't recording them and have a condition, with the doc to review (right) later in a cattle call.

 

If they don't like telemedicine, I have plenty of live clinics they can attend, most of which are in designated offices, not hotels. I don't do many clinics in hotels anymore, but the bottom line is all are done to the same high standards. That goes for office, skype and conference room.

 

Dr. Bob

[peanutbutter]

The skype clinics I do are done the same way I do the live ones. If telemedicine is good enough for the U of M and many other practices, it is good enough for me. At least I meet the basic requirements of a 'real' clinic. I require records, I meet with the patients, and I do follow up. That is a far cry from an 'affidavit' that you aren't recording them and have a condition, with the doc to review (right) later in a cattle call.

 

If they don't like telemedicine, I have plenty of live clinics they can attend, most of which are in designated offices, not hotels. I don't do many clinics in hotels anymore, but the bottom line is all are done to the same high standards. That goes for office, skype and conference room.

 

Dr. Bob

 

Please don't misunderstand me. I think what you do is right and legal.

 

But others don't.

 

I think that you might agree that there are few "mills" in Michigan. Perhaps as few as two or 3.

 

Some, such as the Senator, seem to feel that anyone that writes a letter of recommendation is running a mill. And you have been named specifically.

 

For us, the mmj community, to publicly agree they are a problem in Michigan, helps to set off a witch hunt. While the few could clean up their act, I don't want to help that senator to start a witch hunt against doctors.

[Dr. Bob]

The only benefit of listing them is to give some education on what to avoid. As you say, because of the actions of Alternative Solutions and other questionable 'clinic' we are all lumped into the same category of 'mills'. Do we let them shut everyone down, or do we shut down the bad apples ourselves? Knowing who they are and why are valuable points of education and a direction for the community to take action.

 

Gee, how much harm is there to making the obvious statement that if you show up to be certified and there is no doctor there, leave.

 

I am not interested in sending everyone off on a witch hunt. SB brought up a good point, who are the mills and why are they mills. Let's identify them and have them shut down. And lets do that ourselves before Jones and Kahn through the baby out with the bathwater.

 

Dr. Bob

[peanutbutter]

The only benefit of listing them is to give some education on what to avoid. As you say, because of the actions of Alternative Solutions and other questionable 'clinic' we are all lumped into the same category of 'mills'. Do we let them shut everyone down, or do we shut down the bad apples ourselves? Knowing who they are and why are valuable points of education and a direction for the community to take action.

 

Gee, how much harm is there to making the obvious statement that if you show up to be certified and there is no doctor there, leave.

 

I am not interested in sending everyone off on a witch hunt. SB brought up a good point, who are the mills and why are they mills. Let's identify them and have them shut down. And lets do that ourselves before Jones and Kahn through the baby out with the bathwater.

 

Dr. Bob

 

I think we have to avoid helping the senators.

 

First, how widespread is this problem? The senator seems to project this is a rampant state wide problem. Is this the major problem that the senator is making it out to be?

 

Second, if we take actions to back up the senator, there is a strong probability you will be on the "list" also.

[+Silverblue]

Good points Pb and Dr. Bob. Let's see how widespread the problem really is, then get the list and warn the community about the mills. Our community needs to understand why it's so important not to go to them. We have to do our own PR on this, ASAP, do a video, a simple video that explains how urgent this situation is, define the real problem, tell how these mills are hurting us because most primary Dr.'s aren't doing the certs, let them know how this problem was manufactured and what those bills would do to us, due in a large part to the existence of those mills. Inform them of exactly WHAT those bills will do to us and our law.

 

These lawmakers have blown the whole situation way out of proportion, creating problems to be fixed, so they look like heroes, "protecting the people," as if they really care, or even have a CLUE what's best for us. Yeah, right. Can you say, "emergency management?" It's all about what's best for THEM, it's ALWAYS been about THEM, and the sooner we all realize it, the better we'll be able to defend and protect ourselves with The TRUTH. They wanna keep us uninformed, or should I say, MISinformed.

 

I'm glad I got on the radio Wed. nite, though I hadn't intended to. When Dr. Bob answered my question, he said that the good Dr.'s and the mills are being lumped together, THAT inspired me awhile later. Thanks again Doc. The Solution is Obvious. We can use this to OUR advantage if we do it right. So, who should compile the list? Just to get the name of the places from someone who went to one of those places, along with the report of what was required or not, and if there was a dr. or not, and if there was, list the names, then we can look them up for marks on their records if we wanna go that far. I don't wanna see this get turned into a witch hunt either but those bad dr's have to go. Would it be agreeable for me to start a thread and have the list put there or is that inadvisable? Since I have the time, I could work on this project. It'd give me something to do and change my losing streak of failing to help this community. So far my batting average is ZERO, having struck out at least 3 for 3 in the losses column.

 

Anyway...What many fail to see, including me at that time, is the tradeoff of convenience, including price. The tradeoff is the consequences- no dr. to stand behind ya, though the facilitator assured me the dr would stand behind me, I didn't believe it, not that the facilitator lied but the so-called clinic rep lied. Further in the tradeoff, no solid dr/pt relationship, no record of progress or problems, nothing but punishment for the applicant, MEANWHILE the bad dr. still practices. I made this last point many times during the past year, especially after Dr. Bob shared a link on where the info about dr's is.

 

Sb

[Dr. Bob]

http://www7.dleg.state.mi.us/free/

 

That is the link to the medical board on line look up....

 

Robert L. Townsend

 

Leroy Lang, Jr

 

Michael Yff

 

The first one is me, the second one is the doc that was doing recs but NOT present at Marquette on July 25th.

 

The last one is the other doctor used by Alternative Solutions. Decide who you want backing you in court.

 

Dr. Bob

[peanutbutter]

Are you demanding that officials take corrective action ASAP?

[Dr. Bob]

The point was to educate folks who not to go to for certifications. I am doing what I am doing to protect my patients. What anyone else does with the reports SB is calling for is their business. Defending poor care or corner cutting for profits at the expense of patients does not help the cause PB. Using a brick of hash to smash a kitten doesn't make it ok. If anyone doesn't feel comfortable warning fellow patients on the chance a LEO troll picks up on it and takes out a mill, then don't put in a report. If you want to help protect the act and had a bad experience with a no doctor mill and want to share it, feel free.

 

I have nothing further to add. If others do they are free to do so.

 

Dr. Bob