This article was originally published on the Marijuana Patients Organization site on January 4, 2013.
Governor Snyder recently signed into law legislation that will alter requirements and standards for doctors when recommending medical marijuana to patients.
This week we had the opportunity to discuss these changes with Kumar Singh, DO, a Troy, MI physician that has specialized in medical marijuana consultations since the passage of the act and is a recognized leader throughout the State amongst those in the medical community. Doctor Singh has agreed to answer a few of our questions in order to better explain how these changes may impact you.
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Dr. Singh, how will your medical practice react to changes of the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act, specifically the standards of care?
GreenLite Clinic has always followed the Standards of Care that were set forth by the Michigan Board of Medicine. The Legislature merely adapted these Standards of Care as the new law. Therefore, GreenLite Clinic does not have to change anything with the passage of the new laws. Several other clinics in the area of Oakland County and Ann Arbor have never followed the Standards of Care, nor have they changed their practices with the recent passage of the new laws, placing Patients at a serious risk for arrest and prosecution.
Do you see these changes making it more difficult for a patient to get a recommendation?
Maybe for those with out a State issued identification. As long as a Patient has a State recognized Qualifying Condition, they will receive their Certification. Not much different in our practice.
Now that cards are good for 2 years, do you expect a decrease in business?
We do not care about huge profits, I make about half the money a Doctor with my level of training makes working at a hospital, but what we are worried about is that Patients will not be discussing their medical condition but once every two years. This is dangerous. I have Renewal Patients that voice complications to me all the time that need to be addressed. This does not prevent them from being renewed, but it gives me the opportunity to discuss their complication and resolve it. I think every patient should see their certification doctor at minimum once a year just to keep things safe. However, we cannot require that a patient returns but once every two years with the new law.
Are there any illnesses you would like to see added to the list of qualifying conditions?
Yes! I think anxiety should be added. Anxiety can be extremely debilitating. It can decrease a persons quality of life as much as severe and chronic pain. There are people with such bad anxiety that they cannot hold a job or even leave their house. What kind of life is this?
Do you have any other comments?
With the passage of the new laws, I would like to warn Patients that they need to check out their Doctor and Clinic before going to see them for a medical marihuana certification. Red Flags for Patients– (1) When a clinic refuses to provide you with the Doctors name (2) The Doctor will not show you his or her State Medical License ( Blue Form) if asked by the Patient. (3) If the Clinic the Doctor works at refuses to provide you with the Doctors Medical License number so that you cannot verify the Doctor through the State of Michigan website. (4) ANY Clinic/ Doctor that Certifies or Renews a Patient over the telephone or internet ( Even if you saw the Doctor in person in the past ) is violating the new laws and your Certification will provide you with NO protection in a Court of Law.
[pullquote cite=”Kumar Singh, DO” type=”left”]Kumar Singh, DO is a board certified physician and the medical director of the Green Lite Clinic in Troy, MI. He and his staff are available 7 days a week for consultations. To schedule an appointment or to learn more about his practice and the benefits of medical marijuana, call (855) DOC-CERT or visit him online at http://greenliteclinic.com[/pullquote]
Nice interview, well said.
These new laws will mainly affect those marginal ‘signature mills’ that didn’t require records, didn’t have the patient meet the doctor, or do any follow up. You should be able to find them when it comes time to renew the cards. It should not be like a visit to the DMV, where you feel like the most important part of the process is getting the paperwork filled out. It should focus on the patient and the doctor, and the paperwork is just the administrative part of the visit.
Patients should know who their certifying doctor is, and that doctor should have at least one actual office for follow up should the patient have questions or need an expert witness. Cannabis certification should be like any other doctor visit.
We too have no intentions (or need) of changing our practice, or raising prices as a result of the decreased visit frequency. The work is the same. Anxiety and hopefully PTSD, both of which are helped by cannabis, may be added to the condition list, so the weekly patient visits at a legitimate clinic will not change much anyhow.
I do agree with Dr. Singh that folks should have more frequent contact with their doctor (any of their doctors) than once every 2 years if for nothing else than health maintenance. As for the follow up requirements of the new amendments, we have always offered follow up and encouraged patients to take advantage of it by not charging, so really no change at all.
Dr. Bob
http://www.drbobmmj.com
The Governor did this to crack down on the Pot Card Mills that are everywhere throughout Michigan. Hopefully this new legislation will stop any one with a head ache and a few dollars from frequenting these pot doctors, most of whom couldn’t find any where else to practice medicine.
Thank you Governor Snyder.
Marijuana should be legal for all adults even the healthy ones. Mr Robinson you are simply a douchebag that knows nothing about the reality of marijuana recreationally or medically. Go back to your Budweiser and driving drunk. Must be a cop
I saw Dr Kumar Singh for my cert. He is a professional and legit guy. I will always just see him.
Dr Singh is great and think of him as more than just my marijuana card doctor. He is what makes this law so good. Him and many other compassionate people that help people like me. Would refer him to anyone that has questions and thanks for the information.
Steph
I feel the one area that was not thought out is, those of us that can not get our regular dr to sign, so we are off to a clinic, after that we have no money to see a dr again until next year.
Amy, we thought this out, so our clinic offers free follow-up and phone calls to address any medical concerns. Please call us for more information. 248-390-0574. Thanks.