Professional Documents
Culture Documents
On
April
14,
2014,
Maryland
Gov.
Martin
OMalley
signed
twin
bills
HB
881
and
SB
923
into
law,
making
Maryland
the
21st
state
with
an
effective
medical
marijuana
program.
Maryland
joins
20
other
states
and
the
District
of
Columbia
in
protecting
patients
whose
doctors
recommend
medical
marijuana.
Wait,
I
thought
Maryland
already
had
a
medical
marijuana
law?
Maryland
is
transitioning
from
having
an
unworkable
research-based
program
to
having
an
effective
program
that
will
provide
real
access
to
patients.
In
2013,
Maryland
lawmakers
approved
a
medical
marijuana
law,
establishing
the
Natalie
M.
LaPrade
Medical
Marijuana
Commission,
but
it
relied
on
teaching
hospitals
to
implement
the
program
and
dispense
the
medicine.
Understandably,
hospitals
were
reluctant
to
be
involved
in
distributing
a
substance
that
is
still
federally
illegal.
HB
881
and
SB
923
do
not
remove
hospitals
ability
to
participate
in
such
research
if
they
so
wish.
It
simply
gives
patients
options
for
realistic
access
to
medical
marijuana
as
well.
In
addition,
in
2011,
the
Maryland
General
Assembly
approved
an
affirmative
defense,
which
merely
prevents
patients
who
have
been
charged
with
possessing
up
to
an
ounce
of
marijuana
from
being
convicted
if
they
prove
the
medical
necessity
defense.
That
law
failed
to
provide
for
access
to
medical
marijuana.
With
the
passage
of
the
2014
law,
registered
patients
will
not
be
arrested
in
the
first
place,
and
they
will
be
able
to
safely
access
medical
marijuana.
So,
generally,
what
does
this
new
law
do?
This
law
allows
qualifying
patients
to
possess
up
to
a
30-day
supply
of
medical
marijuana
(as
determined
by
the
Commission),
and
establishes
the
process
by
which
patients
can
qualify
for
medical
marijuana.
It
also
allows
licensed
dispensaries
to
distribute
medical
marijuana
and,
initially,
a
maximum
of
15
licensed
medical
marijuana
cultivators
to
grow
it.
There
is
no
limit
to
the
number
of
dispensaries
that
the
Commission
may
license.
When
does
the
law
take
effect?
The
law
takes
effect
on
June
1,
2014.
The
Commission
must
adopt
its
final
regulations
for
the
medical
marijuana
program
by
September
15,
2014.
How
do
patients
and
their
caregivers
qualify
for
legal
protection
under
the
new
law?
The
patients
physician,
with
whom
the
patient
has
a
bona
fide
physician-patient
relationship,
must
issue
a
written
recommendation
certifying
the
potential
benefits
of
the
medical
use
of
marijuana
would
likely
outweigh
the
health
risks
for
the
patient.
Physicians
must
provide
the
written
recommendations
directly
to
the
Commission,
who
will
then
issue
an
identification
card
to
each
qualifying
patient
or
caregiver
named.
A
patient
can
qualify
if
he
or
she
suffers
from
a
medical
condition
or
its
medical
treatment
that
causes
one
or
more
of
the
following:
Cachexia,
anorexia,
or
wasting
syndrome;
Severe
or
chronic
pain;
Severe
nausea;
Seizures;
or
Severe
or
persistent
muscle
spasms.
The
law
also
allows
recommendations
for
any
other
condition
that
is
severe
and
for
which
other
medical
treatments
have
been
ineffective
if
the
symptoms
reasonable
can
be
expected
to
be
relieved
by
the
medical
use
of
marijuana.
What
must
a
physician
do
to
be
allowed
to
provide
written
recommendations?
Any
licensed
physician
in
the
state
of
Maryland
may
qualify
to
recommend
medical
marijuana
to
his
or
her
patient.
He
or
she
must
simply
submit
to
the
Commission
a
proposal
that
includes:
The
reason
for
including
the
patient
in
the
written
recommendation,
including
the
patients
qualifying
condition;
The
reasons
the
physician
would
use
to
exclude
any
patient
from
a
recommendation;
The
physicians
plan
for
screening
a
patient
for
drug
dependence,
before
and
after
the
qualifying
patient
receives
the
recommendation;
The
physicians
plan
for
the
ongoing
assessment
and
follow-up
care
of
the
patient,
and
for
collecting
and
analyzing
data.
Where
can
patients
and
caregivers
obtain
medical
marijuana?
Medical
marijuana
can
only
be
legally
obtained
from
a
licensed
dispensary
or
directly
from
one
of
the
15
licensed
medical
marijuana
growers.
Beginning
June
1,
2016,
the
Commission
may
increase
the
number
of
licensed
growers
in
order
to
meet
demand
and
provide
for
patient
access
in
an
affordable,
accessible,
secure,
and
efficient
manner.
Can
patients
and
caregivers
grow
their
own
medical
marijuana?
No.
They
must
purchase
it
from
one
of
the
sources
listed
above.
How
much
marijuana
can
patients
possess?
The
law
allows
for
a
30-day
supply,
which
has
yet
to
be
determined
by
the
Commission.
Who
will
regulate
the
medical
marijuana
program?
Marylands
medical
marijuana
program
is
regulated
by
the
Natalie
M.
LaPrade
Medical
Marijuana
Commission,
which
was
formed
in
2013.
The
Commission
is
an
independent
group
that
functions
within
the
Maryland
Department
of
Health
and
Mental
Hygiene,
and
oversees
the
implementation
of
the
medical
marijuana
program.
The
committee
is
composed
of
15
members,
including
one
patient
representative,
various
medical
experts,
and
law
enforcement
officials.
Three
new
members
will
be
added
based
on
the
2014
law:
a
horticulturalist
appointed
by
the
Department
of
Agriculture,
a
representative
of
the
University
of
Maryland,
and
a
representative
of
the
Office
of
the
Comptroller.