Michigan medical marijuana caregiver and local grower, Vincent Sheffield, cares for five Detroit-area patients who have been prescribed medical marijuana and he says he can attest to the multiple benefits of the health care initiative.
During rolling out’s discussion with Sheffield, he emphasized the importance of distinguishing medical marijuana from weed smoking and the direction Michigan lawmakers may take. –roz edward
On medical marijuana …
We don’t even talk about weed … weed is illegal. Only medical marijuana has a legal status, and it is only for the purposes of relieving pressure and pain from different types of ailments, like for cancer patients and people with acute arthritis. The state guidelines are very specific about who is able to get medical marijuana. … It is an alternative to prescription medication to alleviate pain. Michigan law makers are so strict about the distinction that they even spell the word differently, it’s m-a-r-i-h-u-a-n-a!
Precautions for legal use …
There are mandatory state guidelines growers must follow. My space is isolated, secured, and locked so that is not accessible for regular use. I also have a security door. There’s a lot of scrutiny in this business. But ultimately, enforcement is up to doctors, legislators, patients and caregivers. We all have to enforce the guidelines. When patients sell to other patients, it’s a clear violation of the guidelines. It’s illegal to sell medical marijuana.
How medical marijuana is dispensed …
Caregivers can only accept donations from patients, under no circumstances are we allowed to sell medical marijuana, we don’t even use the word “sell” because it is against state law. My patients pay me for the costs I’ve incurred, and that’s a donation. I am allowed to grow 12 plants per patient, and I have five patients. So, they take care of the cost associated with bringing those plants to maturity.
The economic benefit …
The state of Michigan — just in application fees — profited well over a million dollars last year. It is a new industry and it’s a growth industry. There are all kinds or related businesses that are a part of it. … It can be expensive to get started. Growing a plant takes 75 to 90 days and there are significant electrical costs associated with that. My investment so far has been about $8,000. And now you can buy cloned plants for about $20 a plant over the Internet … so no doubt the market is there. It is creating jobs, business and sources of income.
