This week's Project for Deeper Understanding at St. Luke's Episcopal Church looks at the debate over Proposition 2, calling for Medical Marijuana on this November's ballot.
The event tonight will feature 10 panelists. Two of them visited KPCW Wednesday for an exchange of views.
The panel on September 20th takes place at St. Luke's near the Blue Roof at Silver Springs. It runs from 7:00 to 9:00 pm and will be broadcast live on KPCW.
On one side of the issue, State Rep. Brad Daw said he's not against Medical Marijuana, but this isn't the way to do it. He claimed that among many problems, Prop 2 cuts the doctor out of the process almost entirely.
"In other words, the doctor all he can really do is give somebody a right to shop card.” Daw explained, “Then they’re left to a completely untrained, and potentially uninformed bud tender to decide what exactly concoction they ought to take. That to me is the wrong way to do it. We want the doctor heavily involved, prescribing dosages and actually doing follow-up. Prop. 2 doesn’t really follow that model.”
Critics have said Prop 2 was put forward because state legislators didn't act on the marijuana issue. Daw disagreed with that.
"I myself, and others have passed numerous bills moving towards medical cannabis.” Daw continued, “Interestingly enough at every single step of the way the proponents of Prop. 2 have actually put up road blocks and fought against doing anything precisely so they can put out this—what I consider to be—less than honest message that the legislature hasn’t done anything. The fact is at any time during that process they were welcome to the table to engage in good faith negotiations. I think that had they done so we’d be much further down the road.”
He said lawmakers are moving ahead on a marijuana system.
"We have right now, a system in place where there will be production, there will be a dispensary in operation by the middle of next year.” Daw said, “Really what’s left to do is to decide what types of conditions medical cannabis should be available for. If nothing else happens, if Prop. 2 fails the legislature just has that one step to make to have medical cannabis available for everybody. The fact is, we have been doing a lot we’re moving ahead, and I believe that we can carry that ball across the finish line.”
It's been pointed out though that under the Legislature's proposal, access to marijuana would be granted only to patients in the last six months of life. Daw admitted that's the case.
"We can certainly say that the condition is very narrow, I will fully own that.” Daw answered, “It does get us to the point where adding conditions becomes just simply a small step because we have everything else in place in order to make that happen.”
On the other hand, Dr. Andy Talbott of Park City is a member of the pro-proposition group called TRUCE (Together for Responsible Use and Cannabis Education.)
He said he wants his patients to have the option to use marijuana.
"Definitely believe in cannabis as a medicine for most of our patients, especially most of my chronic pain patients.” Talbott explained, “I want you to understand that I don’t think that it’s necessary for every single patient. This isn’t a recreational bill this isn’t something that doctors will be pushing their patients or really having a financial windfall with their patients to put them on this medicine. This just needs to be available for all patients.
Dr. Talbott said he has patients moving out of state to deal with their pain.
"Sometimes they come in and they’re using cannabis already. I have to tell them, look this is illegal they can’t use it.” Talbott said, “I’ve had patients leave the state to go move away from their families to states where they could get this. These are people that have chronic everyday unrelenting pain. They don’t have six months to live they have years to live, years of pain. That’s why the current law in place for the right to try at the end of life was unsatisfactory.”
He said it's absolutely not the case that, as a doctor, he's cut out of the process.
"The Proposition 2 language states that physicians have to have an established relationship with their patients have a thorough work-up and documentation of the patient’s diagnosis to determine if they’re even a candidate for this.” Talbott continued, “Once they get the medical cannabis recommendation—and there’s an important distinction, physicians can’t write prescription because of federal law and the Controlled Substances Act—they would get their recommendation take it to the dispensary and be able to get the medicine that they need.”
However, Rep. Daw said Prop Two would allow, in essence, a right-to-shop marijuana card. He argued that it is a boon for the dispensaries, which would be motivated to upsell as much as possible to the patient.
Dr. Talbott replied that the card sets a maximum and a data base would keep patients from shopping around the state.
"You can call it a right-to-shop card I think that’s somewhat disingenuous.” Talbott said, “It’s still giving them a maximum amount of what they could get every two weeks.”
“I have to respectfully disagree with that doctor.” Daw replied, “You don’t write them a Tylenol 3 and they go in and get Oxycodone, you know that’s the truth.”
“Well those are different substances.” Talbott answered.
“Under Prop. 2 you could write them saying you need only CBD and they can go in and get full-strength Blue Diesel, or Death Star or whatever it is.” Daw argued, “It’s an entirely different drug.”
“I’m not familiar with that terminology” said Talbott.
“So, to say that they’re the same thing.” Daw continued, “That’s what I think is not exactly accurate.”
“Well it’s all coming from the same plant and we know the risks of this plant and they’re very, very low.” Talbott replied, “Nobody in the history of mankind has ever overdosed on this substance.”
Dr. Andy Talbott and Rep. Brad Daw, two of the panelists in this Thursday's session with the Project for Deeper Understanding.
