State regulators have filed complaints against two naturopathic physicians accused of rubber-stamping medical marijuana authorizations at last year's Hempfest event in Seattle.
The Department of Health says Drs. Carolyn Lee Bearss and Dimitrios Jimmy Magiasis treated more than 200 patients seeking permission to use marijuana, and the examinations they conducted were sub-standard. Officials say they did little to review patient histories, document the 15-minute exams or their diagnoses, and failed to establish an ongoing patient-doctor relationship.
One of the patients Bearss authorized was a Seattle Times reporter who wrote a front-page featureabout how easy it was to get cleared to use pot in exchange for a $150 or $200 fee.
“I was one of the first in line Friday, no medical records in hand but curious about how the process worked. After watching a short instructional video and meeting with a naturopath for 11 minutes, I joined the uncounted but growing number of Washingtonians able to legally posses 1-½ pounds of cannabis and 15 plants,” Times reporter Jonathan Martin wrote.
Bearss didn't immediately return a call seeking comment, and Magiasis declined to speak with a reporter.
