Washington, D.C. — District voters overwhelmingly passed the
Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative nearly 15
years ago in 1998, but after passing several hurdles the law will
finally go into effect early next year, only weeks away. In
anticipation of this quickly approaching milestone, the country’s
leading advocacy group, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), and its D.C. chapter are teaming
up with the District Department of Health for a Town Hall forum to
answer questions about implementation of the law. Patients, in
particular, will benefit by finding out how they can speak to their
doctor about medical marijuana therapy, and whether they are
qualified to become patients under the new program.
What: Town Hall Meeting — D.C. Medical Marijuana
Patients Forum
When: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 7:30pm
Where: National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas
Circle NW, Washington D.C. (in the Community Room)
The D.C. Medical Marijuana Patients Forum will feature ASA Executive
Director Steph Sherer and Dr. Feseha Woldu from District Department
of Health, and will cover such topics as: what conditions are
eligible for medical cannabis therapy, how an eligible patient
registers with the Department of Health, how registered patients are
expected to acquire medical marijuana legally in the District, and
how patients can work with the local government to make the program
work best for District residents.
"It’s important to have medical marijuana patients, the ones most
affected by the law, be directly involved in the implementation
process," said Steph Sherer. "Patients should not only begin a
dialog with their doctors about medical marijuana, they should also
clarify their needs and contribute to the development of the program
— this is one of their chances to do that."
In addition to the December 12th Town Hall forum, patients will have
another opportunity to assist with the implementation of the program
through an online patient survey that is being conducted by ASA. The
survey asks prospective patients about their current knowledge and
previous experience with the therapeutic use of marijuana. Survey
data is collected confidentially and only anonymous survey results
will be shared with the Department of Health as well as local medical
marijuana cultivators and providers so they can best tailor and
modify the program to suit the needs of District patients.
The survey can be accessed at: http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/DC-survey.
After a Congressional ban was lifted in 2010, implementation of the
D.C. medical marijuana law began in earnest. First, the District
Council approved a new law and set of regulations, which allowed the
Department of Health to start accepting proposals for the production
and distribution of medical marijuana. Now, more than two years
later, with six cultivators and four dispensaries granted
conditional permits, the program is close to operational, and the
ability of local patients to utilize the District’s medical
marijuana law is finally in sight.
