Patients with debilitating diseases like cancer or HIV/AIDS aren't
physically able to grow their own marijuana or wait three months for
plants to mature, and the last thing we should be doing is putting them
in harm's way by sending them to drug dealers.
In other states with regulated distribution, state health departments
only need one or two staffers to manage the entire program, including
patient ID cards, which Vermont already processes. By setting reasonable
application and registration fees for compassion center operators, the
program could easily pay for itself. In New York, a dispensary system
was added to the Senate's budget proposal for the upcoming year because
it's expected to generate so much revenue.
This proposal won't change who qualifies. The law will still require
patients to have serious conditions and an ongoing relationship with
their recommending physician. Studies by law enforcement agencies in
Denver and Los Angeles showed that dispensaries there were less likely
to be robbed than area banks, and that they were no more likely to be
robbed than pharmacies.
Denny Lane
Warren
{loadnavigation}
