MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN R.I.

A Growing, But Still Problematic, Remedy

On a recent morning, Kirk Manter, 54, lifts a 3-foot-tall marijuana
plant grown in a house on a quiet street in Woonsocket. He shoves the
leafy plant ­­ packaged in a tall trash bag ­­ into his Jeep Cherokee
and drives it to a man in South County who is battling multiple sclerosis.

A wooden cross dangles from his narrow neck. His white T-shirt
features a picture of a caduceus ­ the symbol of the medical
profession ­ against a bright green plant.

Manter, an unemployed construction worker, is one of 581
state-registered caregivers helping sick Rhode Islanders find or grow
marijuana. Related links

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dispensaries in Rhode Island?

His patients include men and women suffering from chronic pain and
debilitating diseases, including cancer, hepatitis C and HIV.

The Warwick man is neither a physician nor a pharmacist, but he does
have a knack for growing medical marijuana, something he has done
since 2006, after a battle with Guillain-Barre syndrome.

I could do little but breathe," said Manter, recalling the sudden
attack on his nervous system. "I did a lot of soul searching."

During his recovery, he learned that Rhode Island had just legalized
marijuana for people with chronic pain and terrible illnesses.

It was a sign, says Manter, who launched the Rhode Island Compassion
Club for medical marijuana users.

After talking to lawmakers, the federal Drug Enforcement
Administration and state police officials, he put up a Web site,
rhodeislandcompassionclub.com/Home_Page.html, with a link to a guide
on how to grow marijuana.

He bought seeds, bathed his young plants in 1,000-watt light and
invited other patients to join him.

When I started it, I envisioned a kind of hospice situation," Manter
says. "I did it to help others."

IN 2006, legislators approved the Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C.
Slater Medical Marijuana Act, which allows patients with debilitating
medical conditions to possess up to 12 plants and 2.5 ounces of marijuana.

The law also allows an adult without a felony drug conviction to
serve as caregiver. Caregivers can help as many as five patients, and
possess up to 24 plants and 5 ounces of marijuana.

Since the law was passed, the number of patients has jumped sharply,
to 681 from less than 140 in 2006. The number of caregivers is up
dramatically too.

Manter is both.

But the laws aren't always clear or helpful.

It is up to you to decide whether or not to tell your landlord that
you are a patient" in the state's Medical Marijuana Program, or MMP,
says a state Health Department Web site.

Manter says his landlord is aware of his role as a caregiver. Other
Compassion Club members prefer to grow marijuana in private.

Many patients and caregivers do the same, says Manter. They grow
plants in bedrooms and basements, in rooms papered with foil to
evenly distribute the high-intensity lights. Plastic fans move the
air. An initial investment can run about $200.

In February, Attorney General Eric H. Holder announced that President
Obama's administration would not raid marijuana distribution centers
that are allowed by state law. In all, 13 states have legalized
medical marijuana.

But marijuana use remains illegal under federal law. And Rhode Island
doesn't advise patients how to get marijuana, how to grow it or how to use it.

There are more than 600 patients in Rhode Island, and they have to go
into a lot of sleazy places. A lot of them have been beaten and
robbed," says Rep. Thomas C. Slater, D-Providence, the sponsor of a
bill that would allow licensed dispensaries, or "compassion centers,"
to sell marijuana to patients with a doctor's note.

Members of the House, scheduled to vote on the bill Tuesday
afternoon, pushed the vote back to May 20 because of a crowded calendar.

MANTER, WHO opposes the legalization of marijuana, also opposes
Slater's bill. He contends state centers would produce a pot surplus,
create security problems and invite abuse.

He prefers smaller, patient-grown collectives, made up of a dozen
patients responsible for renting a space to grow and dispense
marijuana. "That way the people involved with it are the people who
can legally use it," he says.

The model is not unlike Manter's own Compassion Club, where members
swap plants and return excess marijuana.

The informal club has no dues, newsletter or regular meetings.

It's still federally illegal, so keeping records is nothing but
trouble," says Manter. Besides, he says, "most of the people I
consider members are not into getting out of bed to go to a meeting."

Manter does keep one official record: a $10 retail sales license from
the state Division of Taxation. He renewed it recently "to establish
a paper trail and maintain transparency, to show that I'm not hiding."

He says he doesn't sell marijuana, which the state can tax, or charge
for his efforts, "but if someone wants to flip me $100, I don't
mind," Manter says.

While most club members are low-key, Manter has appeared at State
House hearings on medical marijuana issues. Tall and thin, with a
gray mustache and a gravelly voice, he resembles the character actor
Richard Farnsworth, a fixture in Hollywood Westerns.

He rarely goes anywhere without his white T-Shirt and cap, which
sport his club's logo: a red cross, a caduceus and a marijuana plant.

He keeps a handful of business cards to advertise his club. His
title? "Plant Manager."

With reports from Cynthia Needham