POLITICS
Maine Office of Marijuana Policy’s Preliminary Draft Rules BY SUSA N MEEH A N
This is an important call to action to contact the Office of Marijuana Policy (OMP) and your legislators to let them know what is going on at the “rule level” of Maine’s medical marijuana program. On January 4, a letter with links to an 80-page draft was emailed to some stakeholders in the program. You can read the draft rules at http://bit.ly/OMP_Draft Note. OMP is currently editing the draft based on public comments, will then put forth an official draft, and then schedule a public hearing. Changes that will impact patient-healthcare provider relationships The draft rules propose that pediatric patients must fit a new list developed by the Office of Marijuana Policy. The list of “approved conditions” is: epilepsy, cancer, developmental disability, and intellectual disability. This list does not encompass the majority of our pediatric patient conditions. The inadequate list (applicable only to patients under age 18) does not include autism spectrum disorder, Asperger’s, spasticity, chronic pain, migraine, ADHD, anxiety, inflammation-related diseases such as Lyme, or any other physician-noted conditions that cannabis is known to resolve. Decisions for medical treatments for our kids belong between healthcare providers, patients, and parents. We request that these rules reflect our statutes that place these decisions in the correct place—among doctor,patient, and parent.
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There is no need for a list that is subject to a politically driven committee fed information by lobbyists with ulterior motives. Patients, especially pediatric patients, have a relationship with their providers that cannot be replaced by an inadequate committee-generated list of conditions. Section C (page 17) of the draft states that an examination by a non-primary care provider must occur at a “Permanent location that is clinically appropriate for conducting medical services and that enables the patient to return for follow up, consultation or assistance, as needed,” but Section D indicates that remote healthcare services (in our remote and rural state where telemedicine is widely used) is not prohibited. Which is it? Telemedicine is the current situation for many families who are impacted by COVID and dealing with government limitations and restrictions. There should be no requirement for a permanent physical location or visit that impedes patient access. The draft also limits locations and virtual avenues by which a doctor can establish and maintain a doctorpatient relationship. With current events and the reality that these children are often medically fragile, patients are far safer at home meeting a doctor via a phone or video conference method when they choose to do so.
