KALMAZOO MM COMPASSION CLUB

Kalamazoo now has a Medical Marijuana Compassion Club that meets at the
Oshtemo branch of the Kalamazoo Public Library bi-weekly. Compassion Clubs
inform, teach, and most importantly, support patients.

At the first local meeting Monday, February 2nd, supporters discussed the
Michigan Medical Marijuana Act of 2008, qualifying conditions, obtaining a
medical marijuana recommendation, talk-ing with your doctor, becoming a
caregiver, finding a caregiver, and enrolling in the MMM program.

MMC Clubs have sprung up all over the state of Michigan since the passing
of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act in 2008. Several club meetings are
being held in Paw Paw, Coloma, Kalamazoo, Cheboygan, Traverse City, Bay
City, Monroe, Mount Pleasant, Grand Rapids, Owosso, Flint, Escanaba,
Manistee, Marquette, Wayne County and Ann Arbor. The clubs are sponsored
by the MMM Association, the largest, patient advocacy group in the state.
The first Compassion Club meeting was held in January at Hydrobiz in
Lansing.

Patients find out about these clubs by notices on the MMM website and
word-of-mouth. Greg Francisco, Southwest Michigan coordinator for MINORML,
says that patients get the "same thing they would get out of any patient
group, support." He goes on to say that they won't get medical marijuana
or seeds to grow plants for medicinal purposes.

"It is a private medical matter and patients owe no one any explanation,"
said Francisco, "patients may still rightly fear the stigma (of smoking
marijuana), but they no longer need fear agents of their own government."

Caregivers that assist and support patients are also involved in the MMC
Clubs. Caregivers are not growers as one might think; according to
Francisco "being a caregiver means assisting the patients with his or her
total medical needs, not just as it relates to medical marijuana."

Locally, the Oshtemo Library Branch was chosen for its location, (it is
easy to find, right off US-131) as organizers came from Berrien County,
Holland, Three Rivers and Grand Rapids to learn how to launch their own
MMC Clubs.

The MMM Association was organized as an umbrella group serving the entire
state of Michigan. The MMM Act prohibits smoking medical marijuana in
public and smoking the substance is outlawed inside public buildings in
Michigan.

"These meetings are a place where people who have lived in the shadows for
too long can finally come together and openly support each other," said
Francisco.