Marijuana Possession Limits Under Debate in MA

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Nicholas Handy, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Medical marijuana dispensaries have been attracting a lot of attention as of late in Massachusetts, but concerns have been growing in regards to how much medical marijuana a patient is allowed to possess.

According to current Massachusetts law, a patient who holds a medical marijuana license is permitted to possess 10 ounces of marijuana every 60 days. Out of the 21 states – as well as the District of Columbia – that have a medical marijuana program, Massachusetts ranks third highest in terms of possession limits.

“The Massachusetts Medical Society has had concerns about the supply of marijuana available to patients since the regulations were first proposed, indicating that the suggested amount may be too much,” said Rick Gulla, the Media Relations Manager at the Massachusetts Medical Society. “We noted [at a testimony before the Department of Public Health in April 2013] that organizations such as the American Society of Addiction Medicine have compiled numerous papers on the impact of heavy use of marijuana on brain function. We still think the suggested supply is unsupported by clinical evidence.”

There are many arguments made on both sides of the issue, with those for the current limit saying that it encompasses the needs of all patients, while those against the regulations state that the increased amount could lead to diversion into the recreational field, which is currently illegal in the state.

Advocating For Patients

While there are those who are opposed to the current possession limits for medical marijuana patients, many are still advocating that the limit is designed to encompass all forms of dosages and routes of administration.

Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance is just one of the many groups that keeps patients in mind. The organization’s goal is to aid patients in having safe access to all forms of medicine, regardless of the dosage, provided it is right for whatever ailment they have.

“What people need to keep in mind when looking at the possession limits is that every dosage for every patient is different,” said Matthew Allen, the Executive Director of the MPAA. “Every patient has a different body build and method of ingestion. In a lot of cases, patients are encouraged not to smoke the marijuana directly, which would require a higher dosage.”

Allen says that many patients choose to vaporize their marijuana or even eat the marijuana through an edible option, with edibles requiring the highest dosages because of how they are made.

Higher dosages of marijuana may also allow patients to get off other drugs, ones that could be more harmful to the body like Oxycodone, Percocet, or Vicodin.

“We have seen in some cases that patients have used increased marijuana dosages to get off other more harmful prescriptions,” said Allen. “We just recently had a patient email us saying that she was able to use an increased marijuana dosage to completely get off a whole list of other drugs.”

The point of the higher possession limit is to allow for all patients, no matter what their dosage needs are, to have access to the proper amount of medicine. While not every patient needs 10 ounces in a 60 day period, there are some that do, which is why the limit should be as high as it is.

“I’m not saying that every patient needs the full dosage,” said Allen. “The public policy is designed to cover the whole range of dosage requirements, from the smallest to the highest. I think that people need to take a step back and realize that patients need this medicine.”

Potential for Diversion

Not everyone in the medical field is on board with the current possession limits for patients. As a matter of fact, some doctors are concerned that the limit may be too high.

Dr. Sharon Levy, who is the Director of the Adolescent Substance Abuse Program at Boston Children's Hospital, has expressed concerns about the current possession limits as well as whether or not marijuana should be used as a treatment option.

“Are we really creating public good by loosening the access to medical marijuana?” said Dr. Levy. “There has been very little research completed as to what the proper dosages should be. What will someone do with the other eight ounces of marijuana if they only need two? When marijuana access is loosened, there becomes an increased chance of diversion into the recreational market.”

There is a growing concern that having increased amounts of medical marijuana in Massachusetts will lead to the marijuana being sold or given to others for recreational usage. Dr. Levy says that the comparison could be drawn to opioid pills, a huge issue both state and nationwide.

Dealing with adolescent substance abuse for a living, Dr. Levy has seen her fair share of addiction cases. Although not ready to say that there is a correlation between adolescent substance abuse and the high amounts of medical marijuana patients are allowed to possess, she certainly has her concerns.

“I think that we really have to take a closer look at these possession limits; they seem really high,” said Dr. Levy. “There are a lot of large organizations that are openly opposed to these possession limits. The bottom line is that this is just a bad public policy. How could we ever recommend a medicine like this without the proper research; it just seems like a major disservice to me.”

Recreation and Medication – One and the Same

Many who have been debating the various marijuana issues as of late have been placing issues into one of two categories: recreational use or medical use. While most believe that they are two separate issues, others believe that they should be seen as the same issue.

“The first issue that I see with the marijuana debate is that people are treating medical and recreational use as two separate issues but in reality they are one and the same,” said Wayne Reiss, a drug policy advocate. “To me, these two are not separate issues and they should, in no way, be seen that way.”

Reiss, who has been a drug policy advocate for over five years, says that the battle of trying to restrict patient usage is getting away from the real issues about marijuana, mainly keeping the drug away from children.

Although children will find a way to use the drug if they really want to, Reiss says that the best way to keep the drug away from children is to regulate the market to create a better watch on the product.

“This is exactly why we have a black market right now,” said Reiss. “People want to use marijuana and it is proven that they will use whether it is legal or not. Children right now are saying that they have easier access to marijuana right now than alcohol or cigarettes. A regulated market would help to divert marijuana from the black market – which is where children are getting most f their weed right now.”

Reiss believes that the marijuana issue should be handled just like the current alcohol situation. Alcohol, which is much more dangerous of a substance that marijuana, is legalized and is lot more positively favored in the eyes of the American people than marijuana currently is.

“You can go into a liquor store anywhere in America and fill up a shopping cart full of alcohol – an amount great enough to kill your whole family – and no one will even say boo,” said Reiss. “I am in no way advocating for alcoholism, but when you think about it, it is much more accepted in society.”

Reiss acknowledges a lot of other commonly accepted activities in society that are commonly accepted that could be just as dangerous, if not more dangerous than smoking marijuana. While comparing prayer to marijuana use may be seen as ridiculous by some, Reiss says that it definitely opens the issue up to a whole new discussion.

“Historically, religion and prayer have caused a lot of problems, but these things aren’t typically seen as issues,” said Reiss. “The First Amendment typically steers us away from that debate. Much like people believe it is human nature to pray, I believe that it is human nature to do drugs. People do a lot of other really dangerous things in life, but people are not advocating to have these activities wiped off the face of the planet. I’m not saying that marijuana isn’t a dangerous substance; I’m just saying that we need to think a little more.”