'Mountn Ripp3r' owner sees great potential in his plants

JETTE HILL - With the snowy, blue Mission Mountains watching from the east, patients who step into James Dale's shop each day hope to step out with something to ease what ails them.

Perched atop Jette Hill next to Jette Store, Mountn Ripp3r Medicinal is one of the area's recently-opened medical marijuana dispensaries.

Behind the little shop's sliding glass doors, patients walk past a rack of industry magazines and an empty desk, but not much else. A video camera records all activity.

At the counter, they must show state picture ID, along with the patient card they received after registering through the state, and Mountn Ripp3r, as their caregiver, sells them a gram of marijuana.

Controversial or not, this process was legalized in 2004 through voter-approved Initiative 148. It has only recently been a topic of municipal government discussion as more storefronts open. The Polson City Commission held a hearing on Monday night and instituted a temporary ban on storefront operations shops like Dale's. The plan will not effect Dale because he is out of the city limits.

"I did that on purpose," Dale said in an interview with the Leader last week.

However, Dale seemed frustrated during Monday's meeting at the talk of curtailing the number of patients per caregiver, thus limiting the amount of plants that can be grown.

"The demand is more than the supply, that's really the bottom line," James said at the meeting. "People are really happy to have [more options] for medical marijuana."

On March 8, Ronan passed a temporary zoning ordinance to control where shops can be set up and that places permit fees on qualified shops.

"I believe what Ronan did the other night was the smartest way to do it," Dale said.

A registered caregiver and Polson resident, Dale opened Mountn Ripp3r on March 1. A patient himself who suffers from chronic pain, Dale was sick of the pharmaceuticals prescribed by his doctor and began using medicinal marijuana around 2007.

"Two members of my family are also injured," Dale said. "We decided together I would grow the marijuana.

It's now a full-time job for Dale.

"I'd say business is good," he said. Dale's begun to see one or two new patients a week, many coming from Flathead or Lincoln counties.

"A lot of what I see is people who don't want to take the lortab or oxycodine," he said.

Dale hopes his "high quality" product will draw those looking for a new caregiver, and cut expenses for patients who have been driving to Kalispell or Missoula.

According to DPHHS statistics, there are 294 registered patients in Lake County and 73 caregivers. There are 10,582 total patients with active enrollment in the state registry.

Qualifying patients must suffer from one of a long list of state-approved "debilitation medical conditions." A two-page new patient/caregiver registration form is available on the Department of Public Health and Human Services Web site.

Dale can tell each patient which strains of marijuana might help their particular condition most.

The Stavia strains are more for body relaxation, wile Indica strains are known to help things like migraines an sleep apnea.

"I read a lot of gardening text. All plants need to eat, they need light. There's essentials they have to have," Dale said. "I've heard Harvard doctors call marijuana growers the best gardeners ever."

He also knows that although his operation is legal, the stigma that comes with marijuana in no way has dissipated.

A top concern of law enforcement agencies is the increased chance of robberies at marijuana stores.

"There's no way to rob the store after hours," he said.

Signs make it clear no medicine or cash is left on the premise after hours.

The view that came with the storefront space is a bonus, Dale said, more importantly the shop is away from schools, close to a major road and to nearby friends who keep watch at night.

To combat concerns that the marijuana will fall into the wrong hands, Dale sells only 1 gram per patient per week. No one gets into the store for long without the proper ID, he said.

"We haven't made a mistake," Dale said. "There is no reason for anyone doing this to break the law."

Under federal law, it is still illegal to grow, sell, purchase, or use marijuana, even for health-related reasons.

Is the country ready to completely legalize marijuana?

"I don't think people are ready for it to be completely legalized," Dale said. "I think California is on the verge. . . We'll see how it plays out."

What Dale knows for sure is that as the 2011 Montana Legislature convenes, Initiative 148 will be a big issue.

Education about the issue is key for everyone - now and then - and Dale plans on helping to lobby is he needs to. He agrees more nuances could be added to the laws to make them solid, and to help ensure patients get the medicine they need.

"The whole point is safe access to legal medicine," Dale said.