HUMAN COLLECTIVE IN TIGARD AIMS TO LINK MEDICAL MARIJUANA USERS WITH GROWERS

TIGARD - In an unassuming, mostly unmarked building space off Pacific
Highway, Sarah Bennett is trying something different.

Earlier this year, Bennett opened Human Collective, a nonprofit
organization that aims to connect card-holding patients in the Oregon
Medical Marijuana Program with licensed growers for quicker access to
the medicine. The clinic also offers a program where patients can
receive small amounts of donated marijuana for free.

"I believe that we're one of a kind right now," Bennett said. "There
isn't any other place like this."

Under state law, licensed growers are allowed to possess only what's
needed for their clients, and no more. The idea behind the free
program, Bennett said, is to keep any excess marijuana from being
needlessly destroyed or, in other cases, ending up in the wrong
hands. It gives growers a safe outlet if their plants produce more
medicine than their patients require, she added.

"It's staying within the hands of those who are authorized to have
access to it," she said.

That's hard to quantify for Tigard in such a short time since Human
Collective opened, said Tigard Police spokesman Jim Wolf. But police
are aware of the new clinic, he said.

Many patients don't have the ability to grow their own medical
marijuana, Bennett said, which can take three to six months. That's
where Human Collective comes in.

Since the clinic opened in April, its patient membership had climbed
into the 70s by last week, said Bennett, founder and executive
director. That number continues to rise, she said. Each patient must
identify a personal grower under the law, and patients can choose
themselves as the grower. Human Collective's model provides patients
access to a multitude of quality growers and other resources, Bennett said.

Human Collective doesn't allow access to anyone not enrolled in the
state's medical marijuana program. A sign at the clinic's entrance
reads, "This establishment is for OMMP cardholders only."

The vast majority of patients who walk through Human Collective's
door are honest, according to Bennett, and genuinely need the help.

"They don't want to be criminals," she said. "They don't want to have
a bad reputation for using alternative medicine."

Daniel Davies counts himself in that category. The Tigard resident
said he recently began coming to Human Collective to find better
access to medical marijuana. He listed bipolar disorder and cleft
palate among the conditions he's been treated for.

"A lot of my body is pretty messed up," Davies said.

Davies said he appreciates the atmosphere and knowledgeable
volunteers at the Tigard clinic.

Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. People occasionally walk
in hoping to cash in on medical marijuana they don't need, Bennett
said, but volunteers have learned to spot red flags.

Visitors looking to abuse the system may ask for an unreasonably
large amount of marijuana, Bennett said. They may get caught feigning
a physical ailment, having approached the clinic without showing it
before. Or they may try to rush the process as quickly as possible.

In those cases, staff can --and do -- make a "judgment call" to not
allow access to marijuana, Bennett said.

Human Collective operates primarily on its membership fees, which
cost $350 per year for its first 100 members, paid upfront. After 100
members are signed up, the annual fee rises to $365, or a dollar per
day. Members can then access medical marijuana through MedExpress, a
sort of flex spending account used to reimburse growers that can also
be withdrawn by patients at any time.

Existing Oregon law prohibits the clinic or any licensed grower from
making a profit on a marijuana transaction. Human Collective
reimburses its growers for the exact amount it cost to produce their
product -- paid through members -- each time. Marijuana prices vary
widely, Bennett said, falling anywhere between $1 to $15 per gram,
depending on the strain or type.

Human Collective operates without a payroll, functioning with an
all-volunteer staff of about eight people.

Jaime Angel attested to the Tigard clinic's uniqueness. She manages
the Portland office of Mothers Against Misuse and Abuse, or MAMA, a
nonprofit that helps people register for the state medical marijuana
program. Angel said clinics related to the program are still rare,
and only recently began emerging. The state program formed in 1998.

Bennett said she's seen people with very difficult, painful
situations in the short time her clinic has been open. She described
the "phenomenal" feeling that comes from seeing patients find relief
from debilitating health conditions and often damaging treatments.
Most are simply looking for help, she said.

"Everybody who comes in here wants to work within the boundaries of
the law, and they want to do the things that are right," Bennett
said. "And we're just trying to help show ... this is how things go right."