MARIJUANA JOURNAL

Medical cannabis users wondering how to go about obtaining state ID cards
when the registration period opens in April need to be talking to their
physician -and by "physician" I mean an M.D. or D.O.-licensed in Michigan
- right bloody now.

Do not hesitate, get on the phone and start your due diligence regarding
your own medico-legal status. You'll need time to get paperwork in order,
and if your physician is not yet fully informed about the law and its
protections you may meet our classic foes, Fear and Loathing. We're
hearing of physicians who don't want to hear it.

Here's the bottom line: If your physician will certify your need for
cannabis, the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association believes you will
indeed receive medical quality cannabis, and will stand by your effort to
do so.

But you have to start with your physician. Now.

You can find all the information, forms, and personal support you need at
http://michiganmedicalmarijuana.org/ . Once you register (anonymously, if
you wish), all the information we gather is available, and you are free to
talk with anyone in the public forums we host there.

There were some interesting developments this month, notably the American
College of Physicians' shift in policy to openly endorse rescheduling of
cannabis and the ending of DEA attacks on medical cannabis programs. The
American College of Physicians is second only to the American Medical
Assoication in size and heft, and its open call for an end to arbitrary
restrictions on cannabis research is a serious blow against the prior
restraint which has all but killed truly independent research in the
United States.

This month has also brought good news from discussions with the Social
Security Administration and with independent Indian health and family
service agencies. The former assured us that eligibility of patients
enrolled in state programs such as ours will not bar benefits. There have
been reports in the past of denials, and our association is watchful.
Chats with Indian health and family service providers have been
wonderfully encouraging, uniformly noting the appropriateness of cannabis
to culturally embedded regimes of natural medicine and healing. We're not
going to have problems seeing that Michigan's Native population is well
served, and suffers no problems with recommendations.

We also had a osteopathic surgeon come on to our advisory board.

(Please visit the MMMA website at http://michiganmedicalmarijuana.org .)