{"id":3956,"date":"2021-02-22T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-22T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CBMifWh0dHBzOi8vY3RtaXJyb3Iub3JnLzIwMjEvMDIvMjIvbWVkaWNhbC1tYXJpanVhbmEtaW4tY29ubmVjdGljdXQtaGFzLXByb2JsZW1zLWxlZ2FsaXppbmctYWR1bHQtcmVjcmVhdGlvbmFsLXVzZS1jYW4tZml4LXRoZW0v0gEA"},"modified":"2021-02-22T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-02-22T08:00:00","slug":"medical-marijuana-in-connecticut-has-problems-legalizing-adult-recreational-use-can-fix-them-the-ct-mirror","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=3956","title":{"rendered":"Medical marijuana in Connecticut has problems. Legalizing adult recreational use can fix them &#8211; The CT Mirror"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Connecticut has gotten right most aspects of its medical marijuana program, but some parts are broken. Legalizing adult recreational use of cannabis can fix what\u2019s broken and can prevent from breaking what\u2019s fixed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_926577\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-926577\" class=\"wp-caption alignright amp-wp-345a648\" data-amp-original-style=\"width: 125px\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"i-amphtml-intrinsic-sizer\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyBoZWlnaHQ9IjE4NCIgd2lkdGg9IjEyNSIgeG1sbnM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnIiB2ZXJzaW9uPSIxLjEiLz4=\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ctmirror.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Mark-Mathew-Braunstein.jpg?resize=125%2C184&amp;ssl=1\" alt width=\"125\" height=\"184\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-926577\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mark Mathew Braunstein<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1 \">\n<aside id=\"bs_zones-62\" class=\"bs_zones clearfix\"><\/aside>\n<aside id=\"bs_zones-61\" class=\"bs_zones clearfix\"><\/aside>\n<aside id=\"bs_zones-60\" class=\"bs_zones clearfix\"><\/aside>\n<\/aside>\n<p>What\u2019s working? Its ballooning rosters of patients, physicians, and dispensaries are hallmarks of a successful program. So let\u2019s look at those numbers.<\/p>\n<p>Medical marijuana (MMJ) was legalized here in 2012. By 2015, 4,914 patients had registered. In 2017, that mushroomed fourfold to 22,279. Last June, that nearly doubled to 41,292. As of January, 49,721 total. That means one of every 75 Connecticut residents is now a registered patient.<\/p>\n<p>In 2012, 13 conditions qualified a patient. By 2016, the list expanded to 17. In 2020, doubled to 38, when chronic pain of at least six months duration became a qualifying condition. Long term or short, chronic pain has opened the floodgates.<\/p>\n<p>The commissioner who oversees the medical marijuana program predicted the June 2020 figure will quickly double. At this twofold rate, by 2023 every darn one of us Nutmeggers could be enrolled. So let\u2019s save ourselves the piles of paperwork. Let\u2019s legalize cannabis for adults.<\/p>\n<p>The roll call of physicians who sponsor patients also has steadily increased. In 2017, checkmark 801. In 2018, tally up 1,010. As of January, 1,381 total doctors.<\/p>\n<p>My doctor for treating my spinal cord injury since 1992 is one of them. When my permit came due for annual renewal, I simply emailed him a reminder. No special appointments, so no extra costs. Our routine appointments were fully covered by medical insurance. That\u2019s the way it\u2019s supposed to be. But when he departed my local hospital after its merger with Yale New Haven Health, I was left in the lurch.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, in search of a new sponsor, I learned that hospitals typically prohibit their hundreds of affiliated physicians from sponsoring MMJ. Their institutional bias emerged during my in-person appointments with specialists within Yale New Haven Health, at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, and at Mount Sinai Hospital in Hartford. My medical records state that my sole medication is MMJ, so cannabis does stand out. Without my asking, they bluntly stated that they do not sponsor MMJ patients. End of conversation.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"i-amphtml-intrinsic-sizer\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyBoZWlnaHQ9IjI5OSIgd2lkdGg9IjMzNiIgeG1sbnM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnIiB2ZXJzaW9uPSIxLjEiLz4=\"><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ctmirror.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MMJ-broken-336x299.jpg?resize=336%2C299&amp;ssl=1\" alt width=\"336\" height=\"299\"><\/p>\n<p>I hit the same brick wall within Hartford HealthCare, but with a twist. While supportive of my 28-year-long use of MMJ, the physician referred me to his go-to \u201cpot doc.\u201d Doctors even outside the umbrella of hospital networks dread dealing with bureaucratic red tape or risking being branded as pot docs. To meet patient demand, a cavalcade of pot docs has sprung to action.<\/p>\n<p>Search the internet for \u201cConnecticut medical marijuana doctors.\u201d You\u2019ll discover dozens of doctors each with multiple offices, and multiple websites each with dozens of doctors. Even \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=Connecticut+pot+docs&amp;rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS661US661&amp;oq=Connecticut+pot+docs&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57.1487207j1j4&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connecticut pot docs<\/a>\u201d will get you there. If you dare click on the links, run for your life.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2 \">\n<aside id=\"bs_zones-69\" class=\"bs_zones clearfix\"><\/aside>\n<aside id=\"reblex-widget-2\" class=\"widget_reblex-widget clearfix\">\n<div class=\"wp-container-61f5b18667076 wp-block-group is-style-default has-secondary-background-color has-background amp-wp-d672fa5\" data-amp-original-style=\"padding-top:35px;padding-right:20px;padding-bottom:35px;padding-left:20px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center amp-wp-9628acb\" data-amp-original-style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Join in the work of CT Mirror<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center amp-wp-bf83cf1\" data-amp-original-style=\"font-size:18px\">You may not be on staff, but you can produce the journalism.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"i-amphtml-intrinsic-sizer\" role=\"presentation\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyBoZWlnaHQ9IjM1IiB3aWR0aD0iMTY4IiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIvPg==\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/medical-marijuana-in-connecticut-has-problems-legalizing-adult-recreational-use-can-fix-them-the-ct-mirror.png\" alt width=\"168\" height=\"35\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside id=\"bs_zones-78\" class=\"bs_zones clearfix\"><\/aside>\n<\/aside>\n<p>For instance, one pot doc maintains eight offices, six spread across our state from Greenwich to Hartford, plus one each in Miami Beach and Manhattan. \u201c100% online medical cannabis evaluations for an MMJ card in CT, FL, and NY.\u201d He must spend more time commuting between offices than treating patients.<\/p>\n<p>Few pot docs qualify with medical insurers, so their patients pay out of pocket, on the spot, and through the nose. The rock-bottom rates blared on the internet are $175 for initial appointments and $150 for annual renewals. Those who don\u2019t publicize their prices charge up to $300 a pop.<\/p>\n<p>Our MMJ law was intended to prevent reenactment of the Wild West of California where shyster doctors in shady clinics used to grant \u201cweed cards\u201d to anyone who shelled out the cash. Yet, our legislators messed up when they specified \u201ca bona fide physician-patient relationship.\u201d \u201cBona fide\u201d is a nebulous quality, and qualities elude quantifying. \u201cLong-term,\u201d indeed \u201cone year,\u201d would be clearer. How to banish pot docs from Connecticut? The same way that California shut them down. By legalizing recreational.<\/p>\n<p>Our MMJ law sought to boost the state\u2019s economy by requiring that cannabis be grown within our borders. Initially, three of our four cultivation labs were Connecticut-based companies. Likewise, our six startup dispensaries were run like mom-and-pop stores precisely because most of them were owned by moms and pops.<\/p>\n<p>In just eight years, two of the four grow labs were acquired by larger out-of-state corporations, while six dispensaries grew to 18. Thanks to the state\u2019s puzzling choices in granting new licenses, our nation\u2019s largest cannabis corporation that already grew cannabis here now also owns four dispensaries here. CEO\u2019s call that vertical integration. Regulators and watchdog agencies call that monopolizing. Aptly, that behemoth\u2019s newest dispensary sits diagonally across the street from a Walmart.<\/p>\n<p>Years ago, we patients rhapsodized in online forums and political rallies about our MMJ community. Presently, grow labs and dispensaries tabulate in spreadsheets and annual reports their MMJ industry. Community has been lost to industry. Has anything been gained?<\/p>\n<p>Granted, cannabis now is safer and cheaper. But not cheap enough to compensate for annual license fees and, for patients forced to consult them, pot docs\u2019 renewal fees. Patients would save more if we could legally grow our own, same as next door in Rhode Island since 2006 and in Massachusetts since 2012.<\/p>\n<p>In Massachusetts, recreational cannabis is heavily taxed, while MMJ is not. Connecticut could collect its fair share of revenue by taxing recreational consumption. Then, patients who chose to retain their permits sponsored by \u201cbona fide\u201d doctors would avoid paying both recreational taxes and pot doc fees.<\/p>\n<p>A massive billboard advertising a Massachusetts pot shop greets drivers on 1-95 in Providence. That\u2019s Massachusetts\u2019 way of tacitly thumbing its nose at Rhode Island. While our legislators dally, another billboard might yet be posted to greet drivers on I-84 or I-91 in Hartford. And Massachusetts will duly be taunting Connecticut. Unless legislators stop fiddling while MMJ burns. Unless legislators act to legalize recreational cannabis.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.markbraunstein.org\/medical-marijuana\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mark Braunstein<\/a> of Waterford has provided in-person testimony in support of Connecticut\u2019s medical marijuana bills at seven of the eight public hearings held from 1997 until its passage into law in 2012.<\/em><\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3 \">\n<aside id=\"bs_zones-87\" class=\"bs_zones clearfix\"><\/aside>\n<aside id=\"bs_zones-86\" class=\"bs_zones clearfix\"><\/aside>\n<aside id=\"bs_zones-75\" class=\"bs_zones clearfix\"><\/aside>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<p><em>CT Viewpoints welcomes rebuttal or opposing views to this and all its commentaries. <a href=\"https:\/\/ctmirror.org\/yourviewpoint\">Read our guidelines and submit your commentary here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"wp-container-61f5b1866e56f wp-block-group end-of-story-modal\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<h2>Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.<\/h2>\n<p>The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You&#8217;ll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Connecticut has gotten right most aspects of its medical marijuana program, but some parts are broken. Legalizing adult recreational use of cannabis can fix what\u2019s broken and can prevent from breaking what\u2019s fixed. Mark Mathew Braunstein What\u2019s working? Its ballooning rosters of patients, physicians, and dispensaries are hallmarks of a successful program. So let\u2019s look at those numbers. Medical marijuana (MMJ) was legalized here in 2012. By 2015, 4,914 patients had registered. In 2017, that mushroomed fourfold to 22,279. Last June, that nearly doubled to 41,292. As of January, 49,721 total. That means one of every 75 Connecticut residents is&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3956\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}