White House anti-drug office asks Mass. for medical marijuana data

[DonViejo]

By Dan Adams GLOBE STAFF AUGUST 25, 2017

An arm of the White House’s antidrug office has asked Massachusetts and several other states where medical marijuana is legal to turn over information about registered patients, triggering a debate over privacy rights and whether state officials should cooperate with a federal administration that appears hostile to the drug.

Dale Quigley, deputy coordinator of the National Marijuana Initiative, or NMI, has asked Massachusetts health officials for data on the age, gender, and medical condition of the state’s approximately 40,000 registered medical marijuana patients. Quigley is a former police officer in Colorado with a long history of speaking out against legalization.

The NMI is part of the federal High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area initiative, a law enforcement effort directed by the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy.

In an interview, Quigley said the data are for a routine research project, in which he is looking for any correlation between how strictly states regulate medical cannabis and the rates of marijuana use among different age groups within the general public in those states.

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http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/08/25/white-house-anti-drug-office-asks-massachusetts-for-medical-marijuana-data/FIiAccGpbD7az3wfUyoMbK/story.html

[Achilleaze]

1. "Screw the whole State's Rights thingy." - republicans

"The eternal, holy, unshakeable republican value and legal principle of States Rights only applies when we say it does. Ha Ha. We've got you proles by the pussy and the nuts, and now we're really going to start squeezing. Get used to it."

- Non-respectfully,
Your BIG GOVERNMENT KristoFascist republican PARTY. Inc. against honesty, integrity, consistency, common sense, and liberty.

[BigmanPigman]

2. I thought obtaining medical information was private and protected under the law.

Last edited Sat Aug 26, 2017, 09:44 AM - Edit history (1)

Or did 45 eliminate that too while we were distracted?

[smirkymonkey]

5. Yes, last time I checked it was. Is this something they can legally get around?

If so, it's a big deal. How long before they allow our employers to have access to our medical records?

[Flaleftist]

6. It looks like they are asking for statistics not names.

That might not fall under HIPPA protections.

Now they may try to use that data to justify a crackdown.

[tymorial]

3. Is the White House intending to intentionally violate HIPAA

[spanone]

4. sure sounds like it....any violation for political gain.