101 SIGN UP FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Applicants Eager to Begin Getting Relief From Pain, Ailments

Renee Wolfe, surrounded by supporters, slowly rolled her wheelchair
to the registration table at the state Department of Community Health
in Lansing.

Applause broke out as she became the first of 45 Michigan residents
to submit an application during a mass registration effort organized
Monday morning by the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association.

"We made it," said Wolfe, who said she suffers shooting pain
throughout her body due to multiple sclerosis. "I am so overjoyed (at
the turnout). I knew that I wasn't the only one that I was helping."

Wolfe, 48, of Ann Arbor, campaigned last year to win passage of a
state ballot measure authorizing use of medical marijuana.

If her application is approved, she will be issued a card within 20
days allowing her to acquire, grow and use marijuana to ease her pain.

To accommodate Monday's registration drive, the state health
department set up a registration table in its lobby, said James
McCurtis, department spokesman.

The Michigan Department of Community Health received 85 applications
Monday and 16 over the weekend, for a total of 101, McCurtis said in
a statement.

"I feel elated," said Charles Snyder III, 31, of Flint, who
registered Monday to use marijuana to ease symptoms of nail-patella
syndrome, a bone disorder. "It's a monumental step. It's a long
overdue moment to legitimize cannabis as medicine. It's been part of
mankind's pharmacopeia for 10,000 years. In 10,000 years, there
hasn't been one overdose."

The perception marijuana is safe compared with prescription drugs is
what led John Cuc, 58, of Detroit, to register.

Cuc, who suffers chronic pain in his knees, hip, back and shoulders,
said he stopped taking one prescription drug for pain because of
reports it causes heart attacks.

"I don't have to worry about whether the (marijuana) I'm taking is
going to kill me on down the road," Cuc said.

Greg Francisco, executive director of the Michigan Medical Marijuana
Association, said he expects as many as 50,000 to register statewide
within the first year or two of the law's enactment, based on what's
occurred in other states.

McCurtis said state officials are not sure how many will apply.

"We simply don't know," he said. "We're taking a wait-and-see approach."

Regardless of the number who apply, Francisco said he is glad to at
least see Michigan residents have access to cannabis as a pain
reliever. Francisco applied because of pain he suffers from a degenerative hip.

"After 10 years (of campaigning), it's very liberating," he said.

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RULES FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA

What medical conditions are eligible for using medicinal marijuana?
They include cancer, HIV, Crohn's disease or other conditions
involving chronic pain, nausea or muscle spasms.

How do you apply? Register with the Michigan Department of Community
Health, Bureau of Health Professions, P.O. Box 30670, Lansing, MI
48909. Forms are available on the department's Web site,
www.michigan.gov. Applicants must fill out the form, pay a $100
application fee and offer physician's written certification of
eligibility. If the applicant is under the age of 18, a legal
guardian must provide signed consent.

How long does it take? The agency must approve or reject an
application within 15 days. It must issue a registry card to the
applicant within five days of approval. The applicant must renew the
card annually for a $100 fee.