Doctor Fined Over Recommending Medical Marijuana!
A doctor was fined by the Montana Board of Medical Examiners for not having spent enough time with several medical marijuana patients before prescribing treatment, according to a report on KECI News. Dr. Patricia Cole of Whitefish was fined $2,000, and Casey Kyler – West, Communications Director of the Department of Labor and Industry, shared: “They want to make sure that doesn’t happen especially with these travelling clinics for lack of a better word. They want to make sure that doctor/patient care meets that standard.”
Dr. Cole, however, told KECI news that there is a need to come up with more specific guidelines regarding doctor – patient care. According to Dr. Cole, the patients for whom she prescribed medical marijuana to had legitimate conditions that make them eligible for the treatment. She gave as an example the fact that labor and outdoor activities lead to injuries to a lot of people in Montana, and that she is “relieved” that she is able to offer them something else other than narcotics.
Dr. Cole believes that the state is trying to make an example of her at a time when there are no set standards in place yet.
Dr. Cole shared: “A number of people have been prescribed narcotic medication. So, it’s been exciting for me to be able to prescribe or recommend to people marijuana because many people are able to decrease the other medications they are taking. Marijuana, in my view, is a much safer alternative.”
The doctor paid the fine, but said that she will continue to prescribe medical marijuana to patients who need it.
