http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-943643.mp3
Phoenix, AZ – Proposition 203 provides some basic details of how a medical
marijuana system would work. For example, it lists conditions
under which a doctor who has a bona-fide relationship with a
patient can recommend the drug. But it left it up to the health
department to define exactly what that is. The draft rules say
that means a doctor who has seen the patient at least four times
and for at least a year. Allan Sobol who represents groups
interested in running one of the 125 marijuana dispensaries said
that's overly restrictive.
(That's unheard of anywhere in the medical industry. You can walk
into an emergency room tomorrow morning and complain about a
backache or something, and they'll prescribe you OxyContin on the
spot.)
State health chief Will Humble said the rules provide an
alternative: A doctor could write a recommendation on a first
visit -- but only by doing a full physical and medical history
and committing to the ongoing care of that patient.
(What we want to do is to make sure that physicians take that
seriously and before they write the recommendation that they
truly do a complete physical and do a full assessment so we don't
end up with these doctors that are seeing 40-50 patients a day
and just giving out recommendations every 10 minutes.)
But Sobol said even that alternative goes beyond what Humble is
allowed to enact. For Arizona Public Radio this is Howard
Fischer.