RIPAC E-News
February 2010 Edition
RI Patient Advocacy Coalition
February 2010 Edition
RI Patient Advocacy Coalition
Welcome to the monthly newsletter of the RI Patient Advocacy Coalition (RIPAC), the medical marijuana community of Rhode Island! Visit our website, www.RIpatients.org.
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In this issue:
1. NEW HOUSE BILL TO CURTAIL CAREGIVERS, ELIMINATE GIFTING
2. FINAL HEARING ON COMPASSION CENTER REGULATIONS TODAY
3. CLINICAL CANNABIS CONFERENCE APRIL 15-17, 2010 IN WARWICK
4. TIPS FOR PATIENTS
5. RIPAC OFFERS PATIENT AND CAREGIVER ORIENTATIONS
6. FEBUARY MEETINGS: COMMUNITY, PATIENT, REGIONALS
7. NEW JERSEY BECOMES 14TH MEDICAL MARIJUANA STATE
1. NEW HOUSE BILL COULD CURTAIL CAREGIVERS, ELIMINATE GIFTING
- A bill that could, if enacted by the legislature, give the compassion centers the authority to determine who would be able to cultivate medical marijuana has been proposed at the State House. If enacted by the legislature, patients and caregivers would lose the protections currently provided by the law in January 2012. Patients and their caregivers would be allowed to cultivate only if authorized by the compassion centers.
- It's important to keep in mind that a bill has many hurdles to go through before it can become law. While we are confident that the legislature will continue to support patients and caregivers, we also know that we cannot take anything for granted. We are closely monitoring the bill as we prepare for the possible upcoming hearing. We will send out an alert if and when a hearing date is announced.
- House Bill 7275, if enacted, would also:
- Eliminate the gifting provision which allows cardholders to give medicine to other cardholders as long as they are not selling or bartering.
- Permit board of directors of the compassion centers to reside out of state as long as the majority are RI residents (the law currently requires that all directors be RI residents).
- Allow the police to conduct compassion center inspections without notice (current law requires notice).
- To read the text of the bill, click here.
- The final hearing on the Compassion Center regulations is today, February 2, at the Department of Health at 2PM. Please note that this hearing is on the Compassion Center Regulations and not on House Bill 7275.
- Patients Out of Time, in association with RIPAC, UC San Francisco and the Rhode Island State Nurses Association will be holding an Accredited Medical Cannabis Therapeutics Conference. The conference will be held April 15-17, 2010 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, RI. Click here for more information including registration, continuing medical education credits, and a day-by-day schedule.
- Let your physicians and other health care providers know about the conference. This is an excellent opportunity for local physicians and other health care professionals. Please join us!
- If you have trouble ingesting your medicine via the smoking method and can't afford a vaporizer, try cooking with your cannabis. When eaten, the effects generally take up to an hour to be felt and tend to be more narcotic. Because the effects take so long to kick in, one must be particularly careful when measuring dosage. Too high of a dose can be debilitating and disorientating. When dealing with edibles of unknown strength, start with a very small amount and wait an hour before ingesting more. Check out the Vancouver Island Compassion Society's page with recipes for cannabutter and cannabis oil.
5. RIPAC OFFERS PATIENT AND CAREGIVER ORIENTATIONS
- Are you a newly licensed medical marijuana patient or caregiver? Are you looking for information about becoming a licensed patient or caregiver? Schedule a RIPAC Orientation.
- A RIPAC Patient Orientation is a one-on-one meeting with a RIPAC staff member or volunteer to explain the Medical Marijuana Act and answer questions. Patients get advice on choosing and interviewing caregivers. Contact RIPAC and request a Patient Orientation.
- A RIPAC Caregiver Orientation is a one-on-one meeting with a RIPAC staff member or volunteer to explain the Medical Marijuana Act and answer questions. We encourage patients to ask would-be caregivers whether they've attended an orientation. Contact RIPAC and request a Caregiver Orientation.
- Community Meeting: 6:30-8:00pm Tuesday, February 9th will be our open Community Meeting for patients, caregivers, advocates, and anyone else interested in learning more about medical marijuana. Please come to the conference room of Family Service RI (55 Hope Street, Providence 02906).
- Patient Meeting: 7:00-8:30pm Tuesday, February 23rd will be our Patient Meeting for licensed patients and their caregivers only. Caregivers are welcome at the invitation of their patients; patients should call to inform us if their caregivers are invited. Call us at 861-1601.
- Regional Meetings: Only patients living in South County are welcome at the South County Regional Meeting from 7:00-8:30pm Thursday, February 19. The Newport County Regional Meetings are in Middletown on the first Tuesday of the month from 6:30 to 8:30. Patients from Tiverton and Little Compton are also invited. Call us for directions to the at 861-1601. The East Bay Regional Meeting will be discontinued temporarily while the East Providence Public Library is unavailable. Caregivers are welcome at regional meetings when accompanied by their registered patients(s).
The New Jersey legislature passed the nation's 14th medical marijuana law this past January. Read the New York Times article here.
We would like to thank all volunteers who have rallied to help out with RIPAC activities at the office. Thank you all for your support, whether in the form of kind emails, phone messages, or financial contributions.
Wishing you a happy and healthy month,
RIPAC
www.RIpatients.org
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