[420 Girl]

Lynn Allen is his own pharmacist.

He grows his medicine in a bedroom closet in his Williamston home - five marijuana plants that promise relief from chronic pain caused by hemophilia and HIV.

He has little choice. A newly implemented medical marijuana law in Michigan makes no provisions for authorized patients to acquire marijuana at a pharmacy or other retail source.

They must either grow it themselves - with no guidance on how to legally acquire seeds - or find someone willing to grow a limited amount for them.

"There's a lot of confusion generally," said Allen, 52. "The people providing growing services are still trying to sort things out."

Such is the dilemma faced by medical marijuana users and caregivers with new rules implemented April 6 for the state's medical marijuana law. The law authorizes those with a doctor's recommendation and a state permit to grow their own marijuana for medical use or designate someone else to grow marijuana on their behalf.

A lack of guidance on acquiring marijuana means some patients must walk a legal tightrope - and rely on emerging support groups in Michigan - as they try to acquire medication to ease their pain and suffering. For instance, it's illegal to order or ship marijuana seeds through the mail, nor can they be purchased in Canada and transported into the United States.
Supply: 'A gray area'

"It's a gray area," Greg Francisco, executive director of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association, said of marijuana supply under the new law.

"The state had to be dragged into this all the way. They are not actively putting up barriers. ... They just don't want to touch it."

But James McCurtis, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Community Health, said supply is not addressed in the new rules, because it was not included in the model recommended by the Marijuana Policy Project. The national medical marijuana advocacy group has assisted states in launching medical marijuana efforts.

"Our basic job is to regulate who gets the license and who doesn't," McCurtis said. "We don't deal with enforcement."

483 have applied

As of Friday, 483 people had applied to the state department to become a medicinal marijuana user or caregiver, McCurtis said.

He said the state would begin issuing identification cards this week.

To address confusion over medicinal marijuana, "compassion clubs," a form of support groups, are sprouting across the state, including mid-Michigan. The clubs, which are being organized at the local level, provide patients information on the new law, advice on growing marijuana and networking opportunities for people new to the herbal medical community.

Although some users admit they had been using marijuana illegally in Michigan for years to ease pain before the practice was legalized last year, association members say many others will be growing and using marijuana for the first time.

"You can't just throw the seed in the ground and get medical quality cannabis," said R.D. Winthrop, 61, of Lansing, a medicinal marijuana user who has formed the Lansing-Eastside Compassion Club. It's holding an organizational meeting Tuesday.

Nevertheless, compassion club organizers say they are careful not to advise new users on where to acquire seeds because of the illegal nature of that act. Organizers say they also strongly prohibit any exchanges of marijuana at the meeting location and grounds.
No swaps

"It's not about a place to swap seeds and (plants.) We're very clear about that," said Roger Maufort, 56, of Jackson, who recently organized the Jackson County Compassion Club. "It's not only the goal that we are operating within the law, but that our members understand the law."

Winthrop said the goal is to encourage club members to form acquaintances and friendships with one another so they can share knowledge and supplies. Members also are directed to Michigan Medical Marijuana Association Web site, where novices can blog and exchange mail with more experienced users.
'System is workable'

As networking takes place, Greg Switala, 55, a medicinal marijuana user from Clio, said he doesn't expect marijuana supply will remain a problem among new users. Switala organized a compassion club meeting in Saginaw on April 11 that drew 70 people.

"I think the system is workable the way it is," Switala said. "I don't think it's a significant issue because qualified patients and respective caregivers ... are in legal possession of the substance and can transfer and deliver."

Eventually, Francisco said, he would like to see Michigan adopt the model now used in New Mexico, which has set up a system of regulated nonprofit cooperatives. In this system, a group of patients and/or caregivers join together in marijuana growing efforts for medical use.

"I think the system is going to evolve," Francisco said. "A way for caregivers and patients to find each other."

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