Caregivers?

[Onthepoint]

As much as things change, they stay the same. With Dr's recommendation in hand, I began calling caregivers. Several are not accepting new patients, one told me the price was $450 for outdoor skunk, $600 for hydro! Another told me that he could only provide about a half a month until his crop came in, sometime in October. I finally made an appointment with one who seemed decent enough, offering Blueberry & AK-47 for $300. It would be three days before he could deliver. So I wait, and wait. Thirty minutes after he was supposed to be here, he calls with car trouble. Can't make it this morning, maybe this afternoon.

Dealers...caregivers = Chronic Liars

Anybody recommend a decent caregiver in Maine?

 

[Onthepoint]

Just spoke with a nice woman...5 days to process the paperwork. Within 3 days, a caretaker will be assigned. Prices and strains cannot be determined until after I sign the paperwork since it will be determined by the caretaker assigned.

So let me get this straight...you want me to sign an exclusive contract with you to buy an unknown product at an unknown price? Where do I sign? Take the contract and put it in the Cow Pasture!

Seriously, it seems as though there are more reputable black market dealers than licensed caregivers.

 

[BagseedSamurai]

Dealers...caregivers = Chronic Liars

Hey now. That's a big, generalized statement.

 

[Onthepoint]

I wish one wold prove me wrong! Two more calls made this morning...one only accepting patients who have registered with the State although it is not required until January 2011, the second says he can deliver in 2 days, $400 for "good stuff with a few seeds" or $550 for "headies". That does not include the delivery charge of $100 per ounce.

 

[dank.frank]

Fine...I'll prove you wrong. Not in Maine, but I am a caregiver.

My patients receive their cannabis entirely free. However, club membership dues of $200 a month allow for two strains maintained in their personal garden and 2.5oz of medicine.

There...your wrong.


dank.Frank

 

[Onthepoint]

I apologize to all the honest caregivers out there, wherever you are. Have you thought of moving to Maine? Maybe because MMJ is relatively new here in the State, but it seems to me that too many of the available caregivers are dishonest. I would love to find a caregiver or a network that is as honest and compassionate as dank.frank.

But tell me, as a caregiver, how do you feel about caregivers abusing their patients with inflated prices, poor service, illegal grow-ops set up in patients homes, piss poor quality, and with the attitude of "it's all you got". If I were a physician, I would have to think long and hard about recommending MMJ to a naive patient, someone like my elderly neighbor with cancer. The woman would not stand a chance dealing with the 'caregivers' I have contacted. Can anyone explain why a caregiver insisted on copies of medical records in addition to the doctor's letter? One application I received asked for my social security number. My point is, here in Maine, the predators seem to greatly outnumber the honest ones. Perhaps as the State evolves, things will change and honest caregivers will be the norm. Until then, it seems as we are cursed with caretakers, wanting to take more than give.

 

[dank.frank]

Okay...this is my theory, and how it is I came to my pricing scale.

I asked and surveyed over 100 people on their OUT OF POCKET expense for the current medications via Big Pharma. The average person on disability, social security, medc-are/aide is spending on a monthly basis between $150-300 a MONTH for prescriptions.

If then, a patient is unable to find a consistent supply of TRULY MEDICAL QUALITY cannabis at such a price that reflects the current cost of their Rx medications....

WHO ARE WE TO SAY ANYTHING EVER ABOUT BIG PHARMA. We then become WORSE than they are.

I KNOW first hand cannabis CAN be and IS medicine. I refuse to allow it to be made a hoax and a joke in my state. What this means, is I'll never get rich growing buds. Fine. What it also means, is I am actually benefiting and improving the quality of another's existence. The law was passed on the means and basis of compassion. In my opinion, part of "following the law", includes operating in the basis of which the law was passed.

Eventually, I hope others learn to follow such a model, and realize what their actions are doing not only to the movement, but also to the patients they are taking advantage of.

Onthepoint - Just because someone has a card and grows does not make them a caregiver. I shovel snow, I take out trash, I do miscellaneous chores...shopping and have even cooked meals and stashed them away in the freezer / fridge for later use. The term caregiver does NOT mean you care for the plants. It means you care for the PERSON.

A lot of people have lost sight of this and it is unfortunate. I wish you the best of luck in your search, and don't give up hope. If you shop around, just like when doing any type of consumer/market research...you eventually find what it is that fits your needs.



dank.Frank

 

[BlackBart]

DF you are right on brother . It was just a matter of time before the lowlifes would come out from underneath the woodwork . There are decent peeps out there but until things get more organized your going to see a lot of scammer's out there who just got in to this whole thing for the $ . Its really a shame and I hate it . I have given away pounds of weed in my time to people who have needed it . I don't know what all the answers are but I hope this can be sorted out and people can get there med's without being ripped off.

 

[tokinafaty420]

I wish one wold prove me wrong! Two more calls made this morning...one only accepting patients who have registered with the State although it is not required until January 2011, the second says he can deliver in 2 days, $400 for "good stuff with a few seeds" or $550 for "headies". That does not include the delivery charge of $100 per ounce.

That is more expensive than the black market. Few states south of ya it only costs $350 for oz of seedless headies.

 

[maxima32]

i admit that there are scammers out there or people who just do not know there ass from there elbow when it comes to being a patients caregiver . But from my experience the patient becomes alot of the problem ! Hold on dont get ready to blow my head off. I am just saying that in the beginning , everything is all great and they recieve there medicine on time and are very happy. Then they start asking questions, wanting more , and becoming more and more annoying about the amount they smoke per day or week or month. lets face it alot of patients take advantage of caregivers and be it that there are some that truly need free medicine there are also some that abuse there privilege and make the program have such a bad reputation .

 

[Onthepoint]

The caregiver who was suppose to show up this morning with 1 oz. "Blueberry" & 1 oz. AK-47 shows up this afternoon. We do the paperwork, he lays out a bag of green stuff and tells me that he will have more on Friday when he harvests. There are 7 grams, about 25 nuggets, he called it Blueberry. It smells green, it is damp, poorly trimmed, and fluffy. He claims to cure for 14 days but I doubt if he dries for 14 hours. He tells me his patients prefer fresh stuff. $78.38 including sales tax. Sure it works, but here is a case where quantity trumps quality.

I respect the caregivers out there who treat with compassion and take pride in what they do. The replies posted here give me hope that one day the majority of caregivers in Maine will emulate their counterparts elsewhere. Staying legal means spending the same money (plus sales tax) and putting up with inferior product.

The other option will be to dust off the green thumb. Can anybody tell me if growing has changed much since 1976?

 

[eddie.saw]

since 1976... alot has changed! lol not that i was even born then but the advances are numerous.


things like this make me wish i had the money and certification to become a caregiver in this state. When it first crossed my mind, the money thing did ring a bell in my head but after thinking about it and hearing 'reviews' of different caregivers in this state it has totally changed my mind about what a caregiver should be, i truly believe that one should care and be compassionate about their patients and not be all about making ridiculous amount of profit.

The way Dank Frank does his buissnes seems like the way to go but i'm not sure that could work here with the sales tax.

Anyway i hope the best for you Onthepoint in your quest to find a good caregiver with good meds and reasonable prices.

Best of luck!!

 

[emerald city]

onthepoint
If you just became medicly legal and are new to the maine marijuana sceene i feel for you,....As the law is just evolving, you wont find too many caregivers who have filed paper work with DHHS to be compliant by the january deadline and if the did[follow all the new rules] they usualy are booked up with a waiting list...We have found a few[caregiver group] who refuse to work within the law yet claim that your safe under thier"legal" contract....Scary times if your not up on the law..
As ive said many times before,Us patients need a clone bank to buy/trade cutiings.If i can get my 2,fresh clean cuts every month to grow my own, it's all i need to run a small perpetual harvest and keep me out of the dispensery or caregiver's greedy hands...

Be patient,take what you can get for now,learn to grow and make friends,you'll wind yer way up the food chain...
You must be new to the area?? good luck fellow patient....E.C/out

 

[emerald city]

That is more expensive than the black market. Few states south of ya it only costs $350 for oz of seedless headies.

for maine grown green 200$-400$ anything more then that is pricegouging...it aint newyork city folks....as for south of us ..its always been a couple buck MORE not less...Boston has the highest per capti puffers and prices anywhere.....

 

[Onthepoint]

Eddie.saw, it was actually my son that brought me up to speed on the latest growing techniques. As any father would do, I ignored much of his advice to my detriment.

Emerald...just moved here from The Garden State after realizing it is never going to happen there. I was tired of being a criminal. $460 would buy beautiful Jack Herer, cheaper than the stuff they mention in the latest songs. I learned long ago...show me the birth certificate.

Give me some time and we can talk about clones. Still trying to decide on seeds...it's like picking a dog, so many and all so different. I am thinking SCoG is the way to go considering the six plant limit. 12" x 12" or less can be a decent nursery.

 

[dank.frank]

I was asked for more details on what I do in a PM, so I've decide to share a bit more:



I sit down and discuss what they are treating, look over their medical records, see what current medications they are taking...and discuss with them what they are uncomfortable with in regards to their current pills...which ones don't work well together, etc. From there, I get a fair concept of WHAT their expectations and goals are in regards to using cannabis as MEDICINE.

Then we start picking and going over/narrowing down which strains (2) are going to work best for their situation. Yes, two. It prevents building a tolerance to treatment. Yes, 2.5oz a month, b/c that is the state legal limit for possession at one given time. This also allows the patient to experiment with concentrates and extraction without being afraid of not having something to smoke. HOWEVER, I often times make sure my patients DON'T smoke for time periods, and schedule them on a rotation of edibles, tinctures, milk, topical...the works. The point for such is to ensure that when the ingestion methods just don't seem to cut it...or say a back spasm and you don't have 45 min. to wait...THEN SMOKE. Then the smoking aspect of it becomes an intense INSTANT treatment that they are otherwise not accustomed to. Either way, they have access to a specific amount of each strain every month depending on WHAT their exact needs are, no necessarily 1/2 of one and 1/2 of the other. It can be split 2oz of one strain and only 1/2oz of the second...just depends on the needs of the patient.

It is all about incorporating the ENTIRE spectrum of what cannabis is and can be, and giving them the best I can to ensure they are getting the relief they need, and thus truly improving their quality of life.



eddie.saw - Thanks for the comment. However, the law in my states says it is still ILLEGAL to sell cannabis. I do not SELL cannabis. The money paid, CANNOT be taxed via a "sales tax" because there really isn't a "sale" happening. They pay monthly dues for membership to a private club and as a member are entitled to specific benefits....just like any other private club. The monies are directed back to the club (non-profit) and used to either pay off the costs of nutrients, electricity, time spent, facility rent, etc. Such a transaction DOES NOT constitute the sale of cannabis...



dank.Frank

 

[Onthepoint]

I am impressed dank.Frank, and envious of your patients. Are you the exception in your State or do most caregivers operate similar to you....not the business side, the compassionate side. How long before the methods you use became the norm? As far as I know, there is no caregivers central or a textbook. Or is there? Is there an organization working on behalf of caregivers?
We as a community of medical marijuana patients and caregivers remain splintered, having been driven underground by laws pushed by organized interests. The grass roots organizations in each state are the closest thing we have to a representative organization, but they are often at odds with the real interests of the patients and caregivers.
Someday, and I hope it will be soon, there will exist national organizations working on behalf of MMJ patients and caregivers. Maybe then, with a unified voice, it will be "about incorporating the ENTIRE spectrum of what cannabis is and can be, and giving them the best I can to ensure they are getting the relief they need, and thus truly improving their quality of life."
My vote is for dank.Frank for President of the National Association of Registered Caregivers! As your first official act, I suggest changing the name of NARC.

 

[emerald city]

There are many kind folk through out the state who have the experience and knowledge to help you....The hard part is to getting into a close nit circle of friends[local M.J growers] when you've just arrived from away....Us locals have a hard time trusting new transplants..I would suggest geting involved in the medical MJ movement,go to some of the meetings/seminars etc where you will be able to meet and network with others...Im sure friends and connections can be made in a reasonable ammount of time...
enjoy the day and we'll see ye around.....E.C/out
P.S There is "ecsd" on the medicinial market going for 250 a zip,fair?? just gotta be in the right circle..peace.

 

[dank.frank]

No, I've never heard one single person ever come up to me and say anything CLOSE to what it is I offer....there is no such "standard" so to speak. I would love for it to catch on like wildfire. In fact...one of my main goals with such a concept was something that was logical and practical from a MEDIA standpoint. Not only that, but I honestly use the slogan, "The new gold standard in medical marijuana provision." There is nothing more I could ever hope to come of my efforts; if another state is looking to legalize to point and say, "Look, see...it can be done right and it can be an asset to a community."

"NARC" - hahahhaaaaa! yeah, that would have to change...lol. TOOOOO funny.

I honestly don't think that my business model is perfect for everyone. I am very limited as to how much money is able to be made as a result of how I operate. I accepted this a long time ago. I realize, I'll never get rich doing things this way, but I can enjoy a much more peaceful and meaningful existence, knowing I am bettering the lives of others first hand by my efforts. While my services are directed towards those that are truly otherwise unable to afford it any other way...there will always be those patients that say, "I don't care how much it costs, I just want the best"...and they pay. There is a market for such people as well. Some folks feel better about themselves for wearing Prada and driving a imported automobile...some folks feel better paying $400 an ounce...DON'T UNDERSTAND this mentality, but because such people run rampant, there will always be people out there looking to monopolize on such a mindset. And rightfully so...the consumer creates the marketplace...it is up to the business to understand it's target market and structure itself in a manner that meets their needs/wants/demands.

One more thing I should make note of... ALL of my patients sign a contract outlining EVERY single detail. What this does, is it ensures they understand what it is I am providing to them, so the patient can never attempt to take advantage of the caregiver. (and wow, yes, this DOES happen...remember not everyone with a card is looking for healing as much as they are looking to get away with something...) BUT what the contract also does, is it gives the patient a legal leg to stand on. (yes, it puts my back against the wall) This means, if I ever falter or attempt to do anything that would negate one aspect of the initial agreement, they have the legal right to sue. OUCH. I know. But, this is just like any other RESPECTABLE business or service provided. It is to the advantage of ALL involved.


dank.Frank

 

[emerald city]

Frank,out of curiousity,do you work in maine?? If memory searves me correctly,maine caregivers are allowed 6 patients x 6 plants per patient= 36 female plants in bud...Probly half gets harvested a month[18]..SO 6 patients can get 5 z's per month=aprox 2lbs...At the collective fee of 400 per patient[figures you provided] means you recoup 2400.00$..unless your growing huge tree's.
After expences your lucky to pull a paycheck of 500 a week,before taxes[unless your a 5013c corp...Thats awesome for your patients if you can afford to run that way...Shows how much markup the {non profit][ dispenseries will be making at 3 to 5oo a z...
More power to ye frank...loking to pick up any more patients??
E.C/out