New Mexico Finalizes Pot Rules
January 19th, 2009 by Perry
Roughly a year after a 2007 law went into effect legalizing medical marijuana, New Mexico has finally created a system whereby patients have a regulated program for acquiring medical marijuana.
A year. And they say that potheads procrastinate…
Health Secretary Dr. Alfredo Vigil said:
Now patients now can get medical cannabis for their chronic health conditions in a way that is safe and legal under state law.
A spokeswoman for the state department responsible for the regulations said there was an extensive list of qualifications which had to be determined before it could grant access for the 207 patients who applied for licenses.
The delay was to ensure patients received quality MMJ that was safe, but it also left several dispensaries who were acting in good faith with New Mexico law, subject to arrests and seizures. The law was to be enacted sooner, but public comments caused lawmakers to revise the legislation to allow the waiving of license fees if a grower’s income is low, to allow for the possession of more than 6 ounces if a doctor explains the need for larger doses, and the option to petition to add new medical conditions to the established list that marijuana can give relief from.
Currently, the applicable conditions list looks like this:
- HIV/AIDS
- Cancer
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Spinal Cord Damage with Intractable Spasticity
Get the details and see the fine print at New Mexico’s own cannabis program page.
