AP analysis: Medical pot takes hit when weed legal for all

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – An Associated Press analysis has found existing medical marijuana programs take a hit when states legalize cannabis for all adults over age 21.

In the most extreme case, the AP found the number of medical cardholders in Oregon dropped by nearly two-thirds.

Alaska’s registry dropped by 63%, followed by Nevada with nearly 40% and Colorado with 19%.

Patients in those states who rely on medical marijuana say they are left with fewer and more expensive options.

It’s a paradox playing out nationwide as more states take the leap from care-centered medical programs to recreational models aligned with a multibillion-dollar global industry.

David Mangone, director of government affairs for Americans for Safe Access, says states see a “massive exodus” of medical patients when they legalize marijuana for all adults – and then, in many cases, the remaining ones struggle.

“Some of the products that these patients have relied on for consistency — and have used over and over for years — are disappearing off the shelves to market products that have a wider appeal,” he said.

Cost also goes up, a problem that’s compounded because many of those who stay in medical programs are low-income and rely on Social Security disability, he said.

In Oregon, where the medical program shrank the most following recreational legalization, nearly two-thirds of patients gave up their medical cards, the AP found. As patients exited, the market followed: The number of medical-only retail shops fell from 400 to two, and hundreds of growers who contracted with individual patients to grow specific strains walked away.

Now, some of the roughly 28,000 medical patients left are struggling to find affordable medical marijuana products they’ve relied on for years. While the state is awash in dry marijuana flower that’s dirt cheap, the specialized oils, tinctures and potent edibles used to alleviate severe illnesses can be harder to find and more expensive to buy.

Read more here: https://www.apnews.com/8f70e32aaf544508930df2049f410d7a