MMMP Registry, Ken Beyer and the MX Card by Ben Horner
When Allegan County Sheriff’s department arrived at eleven in the evening on a quiet July night, Ken Beyer was startled from his work. He was informed that the officerswere investigating complaints regarding marijuana odorspermeating from Ken’s house. The officers had no warrant and Ken knew that he didn’t have to let them in, but Ken was curious.
See, Ken is the owner of Michigan Testing Authority (MTA), which is a cutting edge medical marijuana testing company, and at the time of the unannounced visit he was knee deep in testing. Coincidentally he was in the process of pioneering a new Medical Certification ID Card, (MX card) to replace the state issued Michigan Medical Marihuana Program ID card. This card focuses on certification forms signed by the Doctor approving patients to the program and a legal affirmative defense, given new grounds by the Supreme Court cases, Kolanek and King.
Ken invited the officers in. They asked him if he was a grower. Ken explained the testing that he doing and the Wayne State study that his data was being used in. Info from the Znos testing machine is given to Dave Peters, who is the lead researcher on the study. That’s when the officer asked Ken for his medical marijuana card.
Mr. Beyers handed them his new MX card and chuckled as they examined the card. On the MX card was Kens’s picture, address, and a statement from a physician stating his approval to the medical marijuana program in Michigan. After they had scratched their heads toponder over his new card, Ken found his paperwork application and doctorattestation and handed it over to the officers. This document was familiar to them and they quickly acknowledged that Ken was in fact a legal MMJ patient. Ken later admitted that the situation made him nervous.
Michel Komorn from Komorn law, likes the idea. He explains, “These cards can help protect the privacy of patients while at the same time it reinforces the bonafide-patient relationship. This card system will encourage standardization of medical marijuana practice by promoting follow-up care. The data collect will help the doctors better advice their patients to use medicine in appropriate applications. The medical efficacy is the key to using a medical marijuana defense in court as well treating the patients for their specific condition”
As patients become increasingly more concerned about there person medical information being kept private these new cards may be the answer. Some legislation being considered in Lansing seeks to provide law enforcement with access the state MMMP registry. By privatizing the ID cards will patients be safer? Will this be the end of the state registry program? Only the future can tell for sure.
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