What Is Your Primary Source For Medical Marijuana?

[AlternativeSolutionsPlus]

Survey Results: What is your primary source for medical marijuana?

 

The latest results of a recent poll conducted by an advocacy organization for people who use medical marijuana is confirming what many have been loudly telling legislators: By a wide margin, dispensaries are the primary means of access to the drug for qualifying patients.

 

Representatives of the Marijuana Patients Organization say the reasons that over 70% of patients use a dispensary to obtain their medication are many, but the most common have to do with the amount of money and time that one must invest to produce their own medication. “There is a common misconception out there that growing marijuana is as simple as watering your houseplants when the reality is that it requires an amount of labor that presents a significant barrier to entry for your average patient. Even if money weren’t an issue, the time and effort required is often too much for a person with a debilitating condition.” says attorney Beth Gemellaro, MPO board member.

 

Gemellaro also noted that in the current legal environment, another often cited reason for using a dispensary is that cultivating in one’s home still feels very risky to many patients. “In some localities, prosecutors are all too willing to treat a cancer patient as a drug kingpin if they believe they’ve found even the most minor deviation from the law. Many patients, understandably, would rather have that risk fall on dispensaries and not themselves.”

 

This notion is supported by the poll’s other major finding that only 15% of medical marijuana patients had produced the medicine by themselves. Gemellaro states that while the MPO is fiercely supportive of the right of all patients to produce their own medication, dispensaries that are already under attack need protection in order to ensure access to the majority of patients. “I don’t see the percentage of those who grow their own trending drastically up in the coming years. This law has had plenty of time to set in and the results indicate how difficult it can be to produce your own medication. Many are content to leave this work to professionals.”

 

Gemellaro believes that state officials need to look at the results of surveys like the one conducted by MPO, as well as conduct surveys of their own so they’ll see that dispensaries should remain legal to ensure access for the majority of patients. He admits that this may be difficult as he feels it is likely that some state lawmakers are in a state of denial over the existing law. “There’s definitely a group of lawmakers in Lansing who are comfortable with their heads in the sand on the issue, but fortunately I think there are even more who are beginning to see that allowing dispensaries is a much more sensible policy than forcing each patient to cultivate or arrange for the cultivation of their own medicine.”

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The poll, conducted by the Marijuana Patients Organization surveyed 800 respondents and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.46%.

 

What is your primary source for medical marijuana?

 

•Dispensary 70.2% (570 respondants)

•Grow Yourself 15.6% (127 respondants)

•Black Market 5% (41 respondants)

•Caregiver grows 4.2% (34 respondants)

•Other Patients 4.1% (33 respondants)

•Other 0.9% (7 respondants)

[wingdings]

I could never afford dispensary prices. If caregivers had the rights afforded to them in the act (c2 any patient) more patients would have access to caregivers.

[Beans]

Hahaha

where did they conduct this poll ?

An exit poll at a dispensary sounds like to me

[Ezrah]

Hahaha

where did they conduct this poll ?

An exit poll at a dispensary sounds like to me

 

 

I was thinking the same thing, I would love to see these boards do surveys and gather information like this from our own members. I also think farmers markets and educating patienst to options is key, I hope we can all get past all the name calling so these boards can be a source of information for all.

[Croppled1]

If I had to choose I would prefer Farmers Markets within our closed community of cardholders . You can be sure of one thing Lawyers don't want Farmers Markets because they won't have the money to retain them in high profile cases . Niether do those in Government whom want to tax this and award licenses that run thousands of dollars . No other recommended ( prescribed ) medicinal items are taxed in Michigan or at the Federal Level . Infact their a medical deduction .

 

I am glad I was able to see a Farmers Market in operation and though I couldnt' afford one on a regular basis it serves a important supplemental need for medicine , med ables and starter materials after a event like a hospitalization or any event that causes a grow to die . . Most caregivers were patients without very limited abillity to be employed due to program participation and hidden disabillities . It is a good fit for our community and society to have a low overhead distribution method in safe locations around the State where permited by local Government .

 

As you can imagine there is huge resistance on the part of dispensary owners and special interests who wish to serve them , Lawyers , accountants , government regulators , local licensing boards etc . People have to remember this is a closed community with many participants that can't get out often or easily and whom don't want to meet strangers in their homes or have time to evaluate and change sources if required without supply . I have no problem having both but you can bet the dispensaries dont want to compete against Farmers Markets . They would have to compete on service for limited patient dollars and supply .

 

Except for the week of the raid in Kalamazoo by Authorities there has always been affordable quality supply at the markets at a lower cost then street prices and about 25% - 50% under non profit Western Dispensaries . I say this not to hurt those that were there but to point out how enforcement effects pricing of our medicine . The market activities also instil pride in patient caregivers who work at their own pace and have no other opertunities . I am for them 100% . They are a important part of rehabillitation and healthy activity for patient participants we need to have them protected as legal without question under state law . Until there is a better alternative I am also behind the legalization effort which would force a inhouse cleaning of Michigans overly severe cultivation penalties for personal use as well as , . zero tolerance laws effecting insurance , education and employment which actually create black market activity along with crime . Every year people that are good citizens otherwise are persecuted having their lives ruined by man made laws which profit a few . Prohibition has become a multi billion dollar industry and threat to everyones freedom as penalties have escalated to ridiculous levels because it doesn't work and enforcement is frustrated plus angry . .