[420 Girl]

Jason Mitchell, 29, is a Commerce Township resident and president of the Waterford Area Compassion Club (WACC), a group that conducts outreach and education efforts involving medical marijuana use for patients and their caregivers, as well as members of the general public that may be interested in learning more about the issue. WACC is just one of many compassion clubs located throughout the state. The group has become a vital resource since medical marijuana use was legalized for qualified patients by Michigan voters in the November 2008 general election. Mitchell himself is a medical marijuana patient. He and his fellow WACC members are looking to dispel notions and stereotypes that outsiders may have about patients and the drug. WACC regularly meets at locations such as the Waterford Public Library. Mitchell recently spoke with the Spinal Column Newsweekly about WACC, his personal experiences and how more people can educate themselves on this controversial topic.

SCN: Please tell us about the Waterford Area Compassion Club, when and how it was formed, and its mission. How did you become involved with it? How do you respond to critics of your club who may not understand it or its intentions?

JM: The Waterford Area Compassion Club formed to reach out to patients, caregivers and anyone interested in medical marijuana, which is completely legalized in Michigan.

We're trying to get into a grassroots-type of situation. We're working together with the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA) and they're helping us develop these clubs throughout Michigan.

I started on the MMMA web site and through there, I found they were asking for volunteers to help host these meetings and get everyone together and I was able to do that. That's just something I feel comfortable with and I feel that's good for everyone.

Everyone has their reservations — it's something new. A lot of people are afraid of it. There's a lot of misinformation that's been out there. Anyone is welcome to come in and we try to educate them, and they're more than welcome to ask any questions they want and hopefully they can make a sound judgment on that.

SCN: Michigan voters approved the lifting of criminal penalties for medical marijuana patients last November. What do you think was the key to getting support for this measure?

JM: I believe that there's a lot of people that were already involved in it. There were 12 other states at the time (that had approved medical marijuana use), and people were seeing that there wasn't a major issue with it and it's helping people that may not be able to get a standard pill for medication because they can't afford it. This is something that they may be able to use on their own, something they can grow, and people are seeing that in these tough times in this economy.

SCN: Who are the typical users of medical marijuana and why is it important to them?

JM: It's a broad range. I've seen top level executives on down to your average person (being medical marijuana patients).

A lot of them that I've talked to are mostly interested in the fact that they can get rid of the medications that they've had before that have so many side effects, and they have to take other pills to take care of those side effects. With the medical marijuana, they're able to get rid of those pills or cut back on most of them.

SCN: Please briefly walk us through the official steps one would need to take to become a medical marijuana user. How does one become eligible, and what kind of documentation is necessary? Where would the patient get their "medicine?"

JM: With that, you would want to consult your physician first and ... the physician may not know, so there's pamphlets and things and we invite the doctors in. Or there's clinics that they can go to where there are medical marijuana-friendly doctors. From there, they must get a recommendation. It would depend on several conditions that are available and from there you have a state application that you have to fill out. Then you submit a $100 fee to the state for the processing and with that you'll get your card.

There is no part of the law as far as having stores or dispensaries or pharmacies (making marijuana available). Their options (for getting marijuana) are the patient can grow their own or they can acquire it however they need to, or they designate a caregiver for them that will grow it for them and supply them and help them with any concerns they may have.

There's actually quite a few diseases on the (eligibility) list. There's also qualifying conditions such a chronic pain, severe pain — all types of different things — and if you suffer from those, or from a treatment for (those conditions), you're also eligible for it.

SCN: Although approval of last year's ballot question reportedly authorizes use of medical marijuana in the state, federal law still prohibits possession of marijuana. How does your group advise patients on how to deal with this conflict? What kind of federal enforcement action, if any, do you expect in the state in response to the medical marijuana program?

JM: Basically, we say stay in (compliance) with the Michigan law. As long as you're in (compliance) — from what we've heard from the (prosecutors) — they won't be bothering people using medical marijuana. We've had a few incidents where legal patients have been raided and I'm hoping that stuff is going to die down.

SCN: Do you or have you used marijuana for medical purposes? If so, what can you say about your personal experiences with it and its benefits?

JM: Yes, I have. I've got major issues with my lower back. It helps me out where the pills that the doctor has prescribed for me, they have some severe side effects, almost to the point where I have to choose, "Do I live with the pain or do I take the side effects?"

With the medical marijuana for me, it helps me relieve the pain and to relax the muscles so everything gets a chance to recoup and heal. As for side effects with the marijuana, I really don't have any, but that doesn't mean someone else might not.

SCN: Tell us why you do or don't believe marijuana should be completely legalized? What do you see as the pros and cons of legalization?

JM: I believe that may be something we look at in the future. Right now I believe there's still a lot of things that need to be put in place before that happens — a lot of awareness, a lot of education, and the facts of what it actually is. A lot of people have stereotypes about it and people are going to react based on those. There's going to be too much confusion and too many problems.

Legalization is going to (reduce) the costs of a lot of crime fighting. A lot of people that are in jails or prisons are in there for minor charges and if it was something that was legal, a lot of costs would be cut out.

With the cons, you're going to have a lot of people using that you shouldn't have using. I don't agree that marijuana is for everyone, but there are people who want to use it and choose to use it because it's right for them.

SCN: Lastly, tell us about any upcoming meetings or events your organization will be holding to educate patients or the general public about the state's medical marijuana program.

JM: The best source for that is the MMMA web site. They have (event) calenders on there for everyone and there's also forums available. People can go in there and ask questions and they have a lot of one-on-ones with the groups that you can get into.

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/in...interview.html