By Kayla Anderson | Published by KOB Eyewitness News
KOB Eyewitness News 4 takes a closer look at problems created by a shortage of medical marijuana after receiving an email from one viewer accusing a producer of distributing their limited supply like a drug dealer.
Medical marijuana producer New Mexicann Natural Medicine says that increased demand has forced them to create a new structure for their ordering system.
The new system isn’t sitting well with some patients. In an email to KOB a person wrote “This seems more like drug dealing rather than a fair distribution of medicine.”
The owner of New Mexicann Natural Medicine, Len Goodman, admits that his new ordering system isn’t fair but says it’s absolutely necessary. He says his business opens for orders every other week at noon and sells out within just a couple minutes. Goodman says such high demand means some of their longest standing patients were getting squeezed out, and now those patients are allowed to place their orders ahead of time.
“One way or another, it’s not fair,” agreed Goodman. “But we decided that about 5 percent of our patients had to be able to get advanced orders because they were our longest-end patients who we have relationships with and they’re the most dependent on us.”
Business is busy for New Mexicann Cann Natural Medicine. Goodman says they have a patient list of about 1200 people and enough supply for about 200.
Earlier this month, the state bumped up the plant limit for growers from 95 to 150. The new rule will allow producers like New Mexicann to expand at the start of the year to better meet demand.
