Where the hell is our medicine?!

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Another delay from the RI DOH……..

Health department delays medical marijuana center decision

PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS  7 March 2011

Chris Barrett

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Health has delayed the decision to name the state’s first medical marijuana dispensary by one week.

The health department was slated to make the announcement this week but announced on Monday that its new interim director needed more time to review the applicants looking to open what state law coins “compassion centers.”

In a news release, the department said that Interim Director Dr. Michael Fine has been on the job just one week and needs more time to “thoroughly review” the applications. The department also noted that Fine spent much of his first week in budget talks as Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee prepares to unveil his proposed budget on Tuesday.

“Health staff have been working diligently on the review of the 18 applications and we are dedicated to maintaining the highest integrity of the decision-making process,” Fine said in a statement. “This has been a challenging budget season requiring much of the department’s focus and energy. In order to make an informed decision about such a complex issue, I will need a few more days to finalize the department’s decision on compassion centers. We are firmly committed to making a decision by March 15.”

State law allows the department to approve the opening of at most three centers; however, health staff have repeatedly warned that the department could find none of the applicants qualified, as it did during the first round of applications last year.

1 COMMENT

  1. JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU CAN STAND PROUD AND SAY WE LIVE IN A STATE THAT ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT IT’S PATIENTS HERE WE FLIPPIN GO AGAIN!!! I MEAN SERIOUSLY HOW MUCH MORE RED TAPE ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO CUT THROUGH TO GET AN ANSWER AND A LITTLE MOTHERFLIPPIN DIRECTION! LET’S GET IT TOGETHER RHODE ISLAND….

  2. For once, the Dept. of Health actually has a reasonable excuse. At the same time, for once, the Dept. of Health is actually making a reasonable request.
    Dr. Fine, the Interim Director could be very receptive to the program and Compassion Centers. Personally reading each application took me hours each day for over a week, and I’m not the one suddenly being asked to make this monumental decision for our state’s patients.

    I have lived in Rhode Island my whole life.
    I have been a voter for over a decade. I follow the political climate closely on this issue, as well as education, prisoners’ rights, workers’ rights, etc.
    I have been an advocate for the state’s program since its inception.

    In my experience, though frustrating for us all, already waiting for so long, this is the one time that the Dept. of Health is making a reasonable, understandable request.

    I look forward to Dr. Fine’s final, well-informed decision in the near future.

    Catharine Leach, 420ghostwriter@gmail.com

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