BOARD SUSPENDS DOCTOR OVER MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS

Officials Say Dr. Phillip Leveque Is "Grossly Negligent" in Endorsing
the Patients' Applications

Oregon's medical licensing board suspended the license Thursday of the
state's most prolific medical marijuana doctor, saying he "poses an
imminent risk to public health and safety."

The board suspended the license of Dr. Phillip Leveque, 81, a Molalla
osteopath whose practice consisted mostly of processing patients who
seek a doctor's signature on their applications for a medical
marijuana card.

Oregon law permits the use of marijuana for certain medicinal purposes
if the patient gets permission from a licensed physician.

Kathleen Haley, executive director of the Oregon Board of Medical
Examiners, said any physician statements for medical marijuana signed
by Leveque after Thursday are invalid.

Haley said Leveque has a history of signing permission slips for
medical marijuana without meeting the patients, verifying their
identities, reviewing medical histories or making physical
examinations.

"Patients who come to Dr. Leveque for the statement may have other
underlying conditions that render marijuana a danger to their health,"
she said.

Someone with a substance abuse problem, for example, could be harmed
by using marijuana, she said.

Leveque denied the charges in a telephone interview Thursday, saying
he meets and interviews patients, reviews medical charts and has a
nurse practitioner who performs examinations.

Leveque said he has signed more than 4,000 permission forms for
medical marijuana since the beginning of the program in 1999.

The physician is entitled to a hearing before an administrative law
judge but said he has not decided what to do.

On Thursday, the eight members of the medical board taking part in the
meeting voted unanimously to suspend Leveque's license. Three members
were absent.

The board's medical consultants found that Leveque was "grossly
negligent" in evaluating some patients and jeopardized their health
and safety, Haley said.

The suspension is the latest action in 20 years of wrangling between
the board and Leveque.

Haley said the board found that Leveque had not complied with an
agreement with the board that he signed in April 2002. Under that
agreement, Leveque was placed on probation for 10 years. He agreed
that during that time he would not sign permission forms for medical
marijuana without, among other things, meeting patients, performing
physicals, reviewing patient records and providing a written treatment
plan.

Oregon's medical marijuana law allows people who have certain
"debilitating medical conditions," such as cancer, glaucoma, AIDS or
severe pain, to grow and keep a small amount of marijuana.