California native and junior at the University of Oregon Matt Zebro has been disappointed by a certain aspect of living in Oregon.
He can’t get a medical marijuana card.
Zebro was approved for a California medical marijuana card in April 2012. He obtained his card to help manage stress issues, which worsened when his mother was diagnosed with cancer.
He also used the herb to mitigate pain caused by a detached retina in his right eye, with the recommendation of his eye surgeon.
“I went to my primary doctor (in Oregon), and he said I didn’t qualify,” Zebro said. “I don’t have glaucoma, so I can’t use it, even though it does help my eye. It’s not a qualifying condition in Oregon law.”
Both of his conditions — which were approved for medical marijuana use in California — were denied by his primary doctor in Oregon.
“It’s probably the only thing that’s helped keep my sanity. When my mom was sick … it was bad. She was going through chemotherapy, I was here (in school) … It was literally the only thing that helped me.”
The Oregon Medical Marijuana Program lists a handful of conditions that qualify for medical marijuana treatment, including severe pain, spasms, seizures, nausea, cancer and glaucoma. Post-traumatic stress disorder was just added to the approved list this year.
Zebro and his mother were disappointed and concerned that he couldn’t get approved for a medical marijuana card in Oregon. If caught with the drug, the legal consequences would jeopardize his financial aid. The added pressure of school, and his need to keep good grades for financial aid, hasn’t helped his stress.
Chris Campagna, the supervisor at the Oregon Medical Marijuana Clinic of Eugene, said the OMMC sees a lot of patients who struggle with the stricter process for Oregon cards.
“Oregon is unique in that out-of-state residents can get cards,” Campagna said. “It’s one of the only states that allow that, and it’s a bit more challenging to obtain medical cards in Oregon.”
Even if approved Zebro wouldn’t have been able to afford a card.
The approximate cost of an assessment appointment at a medical marijuana clinic is around $175. The Oregon Medical Marijuana Program fees are another $200. Though there are state-approved discounts, there are none for low-income students who are not currently on benefits programs like food stamps.
Despite the factors that prevented Zebro from obtaining a card, the number of cardholders in Oregon has seen a dramatic increase in recent years. As of April 1, 2014, the Oregon Health Authority website reported that Oregon currently has about 59,000 medical marijuana patients, and around 30,000 card-holding caregivers.
For reference, as of January 2009, only 21,541 patients in Oregon had an MM card. That’s about a 175 percent increase in patients with cards in the last five years.
The number of card registrants in Lane County was listed at 6,275 — the third highest in the state — behind Multnomah and Jackson counties. The OMMP denied about 1,800 card applications last year. It is possible that Zebro was one of them.
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