Physicians Recommend Michigan Medical Marijuana Card For PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and Parkinson’s Disease
Posted on | April 16, 2013 | No Comments
The Panel recommends Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Parkinson’s Disease be added to Michigan’s medical marijuana conditions
LANSING- On Friday April 5 a panel of doctors gave their final approval on a recommendation that would expand the list of ailments justifying a patient’s inclusion in the Michigan Medical Marihuana Program (MMP). Two conditions were given approval and two more were announced as under consideration.
This was the third hearing for both Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Parkinson’s Disease. The Medical Marihuana Review Panel is almost exclusively composed of physicians and is tasked with reviewing scientific literature and taking public testimony in determining if marijuana will deliver palliative relief or provide therapeutic benefits for the symptoms or effects of specific illnesses. These illnesses are introduced to the Panel through a petition process initiated by a Michigan citizen.
The recommendations will now enter the final stage of the process- approval by the head of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). As of January 31, Steve Arwood is the new Director of LARA and the man to whom the responsibility falls.
Arwood has plenty of information with which to make that decision. One of the hearings was held at the Michigan Library in Lansing, where testimony from patients was videotaped for submission to the Panel. The issue of Parkinson’s Disease had already been decided at that time, and the resultant videos were focused on PTSD and the effect it has on veterans and non-military sufferers. Researchers in Arizona are being blocked from conducting medical research at Universities by varying interpretations of state law regarding medical cannabis.
The next two illnesses to be considered by the Panel are autism and asthma. Michigan residents are already promising to come out in force to support the addition of these ailments to the list of qualifying conditions. The Panel’s next hearing date has not been set as of this writing.
Source: The Compassion Chronicles
Join Us For The 42nd Annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash Today!
Posted on | April 6, 2013 | No Comments
First Natural Wellness will be attending the 42nd annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash today. Our offices will resume seeing patients beginning at 10 AM Sunday morning as usual. Walk-ins are available Friday thru Monday from 10 AM – 6:30 PM. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are by appointment only.
Please come join us at High Noon today at Ann Arbor’s University of Michigan Campus as we march to the Monroe street fair to support the most medicinal plant in the world.
Michigan Medical Marijuana Cards Renewed For Two (2) Years Effective April 1, 2013
Posted on | March 28, 2013 | No Comments
The hard working folks who handle our paperwork for the Michigan Medical Marihuana Program confirmed that applications for renewals received on or after April 1st this year will be automatically renewed for two years on the cards the state provides. There will be no change in the filing fee for the card, so the price will remain $100 or $25 as a reduced rate for patients who can provide proof of full medicaid, SSI, or SSD.
Either way, we here at First Natural will help guide you along the path of staying legal for two years and continue providing follow-up care during the in-between times. Stay tuned for more updates coming soon.
We Interviewed The State of Michigan – MMMP
Posted on | March 2, 2013 | No Comments
The State of Michigan is still undecided on when they will implement the new 2-year renewal option. Amendments made to the act during the middle of December, 2012 indicated that the registry program would be implementing a new 2-year renewal mandate, but after a lengthy discussion with one of the representatives of the program it looks as though there is no definitive timeline for when they will actually make cards valid for 2 years. So now patients who are renewing around the April time-frame when the 2-year renewal was supposed to go into effect are left in the dark to guess if their cards will be selected for the 2-years or if they will join the many who will only be processed for a year. The state offers no guidance on these issues and said many times that they couldn’t discuss key changes in the program. Patient’s cards who expire in May will most likely be the first to get the 2-year renewal which the state says they will offer for the same rate as a 1-year renewal. John Reid, of Ann Arbor thinks the program is a joke. He has never received a card from the state within the 21 days that they are required to process them. “I think they are just delaying folks from getting their cards because they are unorganized and need more help. Where’s all this money going?” John has a good point. He also pointed out on his cashed check that the bank responsible for cashing the money is located in Indiana. “It’s a small bank. I looked it over,” he said in a telephone interview. John has his suspicions, and so do we. Until the state starts to get their act together they really shouldn’t be focused on targeting patients who they perceive as operating in so-called “gray” areas of the law. As John puts it, “They can’t even follow their own state law! What kind of example are they setting for the program? And then they target patients who are sick?”
Stay tuned as we provide you with updated information on the state registry program’s decisions and new implementations of the approved legislation.
Roman.
Michigan Medical Marihuana Program Updates & New Legislation
Posted on | March 2, 2013 | No Comments
Michigan Medical Marihuana Program
The Michigan Medical Marihuana Program (MMMP) is a state registry program within the Health Professions Division in the Bureau of Health Care Services at the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The program administers the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act as approved by Michigan voters on November 4, 2008. The program implements the statutory tenets of this act in such a manner that protects the public and assures the confidentiality of its participants.
NEW! Legislation was recently passed that amends the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. The Michigan Medical Marihuana Program is reviewing these recently passed legislative bills and is working to implement the changes in accordance to the bills. Please watch this website for further information.
Click on the links below to read the new legislation:
Public Act 460 of 2012 (House Bill 4856)
Public Act 512 of 2012 (House Bill 4851)
Public Act 514 of 2012 (House Bill 4834)
Helpful Information:
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Do not send duplicate applications. This slows down the application process and creates problems for our staff.
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If you submitted your application prior to the end of November 2012 and have not received your registry ID card, please call 517-373-0395 and select option #3.
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To assist our staff in expediting and processing a renewal application make sure you submit your application on a Renewal Application with your registry identification number on the form.
Program Statistics as of 1/31/2013:
- 355,398 original and renewal applications received since April 6, 2009.
- 126,739 active registered qualified patients.
- 26,404 active registered primary caregivers.
- 32,383 applications denied — most due to incomplete application or missing documentation.
- Applications are reviewed within 15 days of receipt. Incomplete applications are denied and applicants are then notified of denial by certified and regular mail.
- Complete applications, change forms and reapplications for previous denials are then processed in the date order in which they are received. If a denial letter is not received then the application is deemed valid. The statute currently allows for a copy of a valid application submitted to serve as a valid registry identification if the card is not issued within 20 days of its submission to the department.
- The Notice of Approval will be sent only with the registry ID card. If the registry ID card is not received within 12 weeks of the department’s receipt of a valid application, please call 517-373-0395 and select option #3.
- There is a reduced registration fee. For information on what documents must be submitted with the application click here for the Reduced Fee Eligibility Information