DHS WEEDING OUT SHADY DOCTORS

Those who want Arizona's medical-marijuana law to serve only people
who have a genuine medical need should regard Will Humble as a hero.
As director of the state Department of Health Services, he has taken
the job of implementing the law very seriously.

In other states, such laws have descended into supply lines for
recreational users. If Arizona avoids that fate, DHS will deserve a
great deal of the credit.

The latest evidence of Humble's diligence can be found in complaints
filed against eight doctors.

According to reporting by The Republic's Mary K. Reinhart, these
doctors are responsible for nearly half of the 10,000 certifications
allowing people to legally use marijuana as medicine. One wrote an
average of 13 certifications per day, says Humble. One wonders if this
doctor has time for any other patients.

Try to set aside questions about how these docs came by such a
concentration of patients who qualify for the controlled substance.

Instead, look at the reasonable rules DHS set in place.

That's what Humble did.

Designed to protect patient health and safety, the rules require a
physical exam, a review of a year's worth of medical records and a
review of a state database that tracks certain prescription-drug use.

DHS took a look and found that the eight docs - three allopathic and
five naturopathic - had not reviewed the database. Three of them never
even logged on to the system.

The medical-marijuana law becomes a sham if a patient can get
certified for pot just by saying: "Doc, I got this terrible pain and
nothing else works." That's why regulations require doctors to look at
medical history and find out what medication has been tried.

In Arizona, 85 percent of those who got medical-marijuana
recommendations were "treating" chronic pain. This kind of complaint
is widely used in states where medical-marijuana laws have become a
legal avenue for recreational users to get high.

Humble promised to monitor compliance with the rules in Arizona to try
and prevent that. By referring these questionable cases, he has taken
action that may persuade doctors that he's serious. We hope he keeps
it up.

But Humble has no authority over the regulatory boards that govern
these doctors. He passed on their names. Those boards have a duty to
investigate. Lisa Wynn, executive director of the Arizona Board of
Medical Examiners, says three investigations will be launched of the
allopathic doctors involved. The Naturopathic Physicians Medical Board
could not be reached for comment.

Like DHS, medical regulatory boards have a key role to play in keeping
this law honest.

Marijuana is a street drug that can relieve symptoms for some very ill
patients. Arizona voters approved making the drug legally available to
those people. But it remains a popular street drug. Careful monitoring
by the DHS and medical boards will help prevent the medical-marijuana
law from becoming a source for recreational users.