CARIBOU, Maine — Micmac Farms in Caribou hosted a Medical Marijuana Health Fair last week, sponsored by Ginger Rose Natural Farmacie.
Canna Care Docs, a division of Med-Eval Corp. in Virginia, provided a wealth of information about medical marijuana, the qualifying conditions for a prescription, how to become a medical marijuana caregiver, and even how one should go about discussing these topics with their children.
Bob St. Peter, of Ginger Rose Natural Farmacie, provided information about his Medical Marijuana Caregiver Training Program. A Medical Marijuana Caregiver is essentially an individual who grows and provides medicinal marijuana to patients who qualify.
The program includes small business training for new caregivers, hands-on learning, planning and assistance for various types of grow sites, patient safety, how to make extracts, edibles, or topical preparations, and up-to-date information about the legal status of medical marijuana.
“I am motivated to help people who are interested in becoming primary caregivers get the experience and technical skills they need to be a good caregiver,” said St. Peter.
“That doesn’t just include the production of quality medicine, but also how you relate to people. Compassion is absolutely essential. We’re not in the business of helping people who want to be pot dealers. We’re interested in training people who are committed to health and wellness,” he added.
Until recently, states with medical marijuana risked penalization and even raids from federal government agencies. St. Peter explained how this is changing.
“The federal government has made steps toward recognizing state medical programs over the past couple of years. There was a document issued by the U.S. Treasury Department called the ‘Cole Memo,’ which instructs financial institutions on how they can work with medical marijuana businesses. I bank with the County Federal Credit Union and, before I showed them the Cole Memo, they were initially concerned that they could not keep our account open because of federal law.
“If I, as a caregiver for five patients, start showing up with $10,000 in cash every week, it’s going to signal a red flag. The federal government also agreed not to enforce any federal laws regarding medical marijuana on tribal lands. Most importantly, Congress recently passed an appropriations bill, which instructs DEA and Homeland Security officials that they can not raid state medical marijuana facilities, as long as they are operating under their state’s laws and rules for the program,” he added.
St. Peter encourages people to try other medicinal plants, and emphasizes the importance of drug-free alternatives to perscription medicine.
“It’s important to know how to talk to your kids about medical marijuana,” said St. Peter. “My friend has written a book called ‘Medicine Plants’ and it is about a young girl who grows medical marijuana for her grandfather. If you become a caregiver, it is important that your children understand the power and strength of the plant. We have to live with a security system in our home because of the risk of people stealing the medicine we grow. I am open with my kids about why this risk exists, as well as both the positive and negative aspects of marijuana usage.”
The caregiver role, he said, should not be taken lightly.
“One challenge we face is discussing our business with others,” said St. Peter, “especially when our children are around. They will sometimes try to make jokes about it, which is something we discourage. We take this very seriously.
“The social stigma that has been applied to marijuana needs to be reevaluated. Research has shown that medicinal marijuana has actually stopped or prevented the growth of cancerous tumors. The cutting edge of marijuana research right now has shown that other cannabinoids within the plant, those that do not have psychoactive effects or get the user high, can be isolated to treat numerous diseases,” he said.
Melodie Needham, a nurse practitioner in Bangor, spoke about the qualifying conditions for a medical marijuana license.
“The biggest qualifying condition that I see is chronic pain,” said Needham. “This is any type of significant pain that has lasted for more than six months. PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is probably the second largest. Other qualifying conditions include HIV, seizures, pseudoseizures, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic nausea, glaucoma, and Alzheimer’s. Many people think that anxiety and insomnia are qualifying conditions, but unfortunately they are not.”
Patients need to receive qualification from a licensed medical professional before obtaining a medical marijuana prescription.
“I have to have a box of tissues on my desk,” said Needham, “because when people find out they qualify, they’re so thankful that they often break down crying.”
