Senate Bill 660 • Corporatizing Medical Marijuana Under the Erroneous Guise of ‘Safety’

It is nice to see progress with Medical Marijuana in Michigan with Doctor & Senator Roger Kahn recognizing the medical benefits of THC’s and CBD (some of the active ingredients of marijuana).  It’s the trend nowadays with greater scientific knowledge spreading across the country, which is indisputably undermining decades of government propaganda against this safe and natural plant; as just a few months ago we witnessed CNN’s Dr Gupta make headlines as he famously changed his stance on marijuana in his realizations that this wonder plant is actually the best option for many patients suffering many various conditions and illnesses.  

 

Sen. Kahn, as a doctor, should be commended in his initiative to not just publicly recognize this reality, but also attempt to help make marijuana more available to patients that need it with legislation aimed at stocking pharmaceutically tested marijuana at your local pharmacy (and hopefully, also covered by your insurance).  

 

Senate Bill 660, which was introduced by Kahn and passed by the Senate within 2 weeks of it’s introduction to committee, while hailed as progress, is unfortunately upon closer examination, more of a symbolic gesture than anything; as it requires both the DEA and FDA to change their respective  policies on marijuana, making it unlikely any of the solid provisions contained with it will become law,  even if the House passes it and if Snyder signs it.  

 

Despite the pro-medical marijuana rhetoric heard from President Obama, his actual record reflects no indication of any change for the better of treatment towards the medical marijuana community by his departments, as his policies have actually increased the persecution of them when compared to that of his predecessor.

 

The recently passed Senate bill in Michigan is not without its detractors, even in the medical marijuana community,  who correctly note that the Canadian company lobbying the bill - Prairie Plant Systems, also lobbied the Canadian government over a decade ago and became the country’s only licensed provider of medical marijuana.  

 

And that’s one of the catch’s. Since Michigan’s voter enacted law of 2008, Lansing has continually modified the law, both legislatively and judicially, and continually restricted the availability of marijuana to cardholders in Michigan.  So while supporters of SB660 declare that this is a new parallel system that will not affect the  original system, it’s hard not to be skeptical that the new system is but a Trojan Horse that will be declared such a ‘success’ that the older, antiquated system should simply be replaced with the superior system created by our wonderful politicians.

 

This is actually a very real threat, given that the author of this bill, a doctor, is openly proclaiming the original voter enacted law is improperly using medicinal terminology and that there are underlying safety concerns.  While Sen Kahn assures us his bill is simply an alternative, these are very serious concerns that he expresses, and therefore should be more closely examined.

 

Sen Kahn’s safety concern is centered upon potential contaminants such as molds, pesticides, and residual nutrients that may be found in marijuana from inexperienced or unprofessional growers.  This is an admitted problem within the medical marijuana community that experienced growers acknowledge. While we may wish that growers would correctly cultivate the plant, there will likely always be those who cut corners, or are simply unaware of proper techniques to ensure ‘clean weed.’  

 

The other concern raised is regarding dependable levels of active ingredients for more controlled dosing.  On the surface this seems reasonable enough.  When acquiring marijuana, it would certainly be helpful to know what strength or level of active ingredients you are acquiring and consuming.

 

As a physician, Sen Kahn needs to understand that there is a huge margin of error in dosing marijuana. Study after study has shown this is a non lethal substance.  The amount needed for a lethal dose, in the hundreds of pounds per minute, is only lethal because to inhale this much you would not receive any oxygen until you asphyxiate.  This is not only an incomprehensible amount of marijuana to partake in a short period of time, it is also impossible with current law to even possess such amounts that one could even be capable of testing this “lethal dose.”

 

Consequently, while the medical marijuana community appreciates Dr. Kahn’s safety and dosage concerns, it’s safe to say that these concerns are overblown, given that even the most common over-the-counter medication such as Tylenol or Aspirin have not only lethal dosage amounts;  but death statistics associated with them every year in our country, yet we are allowed to self medicate with them.

 

These dosage concerns are virtually non existent with marijuana.  That being said, the ‘sub-section’ of danger contained in the Senator’s bill pertaining to the ‘dirty weed’ seems to be an overblown concern at best.  But this does not mean the medical marijuana community doesn’t want clean weed.

 

This point is not to be marginalized. The medical marijuana community has already created enough of a demand for certified clean weed that Iron Labs was founded in Walled Lake, MI to test marijuana and marijuana products both for contaminants and levels of active ingredients.

 

Kahn’s colleagues in the House of Representatives also recognized this when they pressed an effort to reopen dispensaries around Michigan with HB 4271(renaming the dispensaries Provisioning Centers) after they were (for the most part) shuttered by a court decision.  This bill, which allowed caregivers to sell to provisioning centers whom could then sell to patients, required the caregiver to have the marijuana certified by a ‘Safety Compliance Center’ like Iron Labs. This would certify it was free of contaminants before it could be sold to a provisioning center, and force them to label the levels of active ingredients in all their products before being sold to a patient.

 

Though HB 4271 was introduced back in February and has 17 bipartisan sponsors, it has been long awaiting a December 5th Judiciary hearing.  While I am in no way touting this bill as perfect, it would effectively make certified clean marijuana more available to patients who need it.  In compliance with local law, it would also reverse the Court’s decision and allow provisioning center’s to open that are by law only providing certified clean weed with levels of active ingredients labeled.

 

So there are some big differences between these bills that seem to aim for similar goals.  The Senate’s bill is toothless, solely dependant on the Federal Government’s action.  It also has a questionable sponsor who lobbied for similar bills in Canada, eventually becoming their medical marijuana monopoly.  

 

More disturbing however are documented complaints of low quality marijuana, and subsequent testing that found unusually high levels of phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium in the  Canadian marijuana manufactured by this firm; all flowering nutrients that are present with inadequate flushing techniques before harvest.  

 

More alarming was the presence of lead and arsenic, apparently because their grow operation is in a retired copper and zinc mine.  To put the cherry on top, Prairie Plant Systems plan is the same for Michigan, as they have already  purchased and set up some grow operations in an old copper mine in the Upper Peninsula declaring it the most cost effective temperature control available with year round temperature stability 1,000 feet below the ground.

 

As a proactive sponsor for legislation in Michigan that eliminated the presence of lead in toys that were sold in Michigan from Korean companies, this should be a paramount concern for the Senator.

 

Senator Kahn, some of us are skeptical of the corporate interests related to and behind your bill.  Additionally, the bill being essentially symbolic, doesn’t actually do anything (unless the Feds do) which leaves us in the medical marijuana community to wonder - will you also take real non-symbolic action that will make clean marijuana more available to those who need it?