The Medical Marijuana Assistance Program of America (MMAPA) was founded in 2009 in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Colorado, and worked to raise awareness and remove the negative

social stigma Social stigma is the disapproval of, or discrimination against, an individual or group based on perceived characteristics that serve to distinguish them from other members of a society. Social stigmas are commonly related to culture, gender, rac ...

associated with a patient's choice in medicine, namely

medical marijuana Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana (MMJ), is cannabis and cannabinoids that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restrictions ...

. MMAPA is the nation's first alternative treatment

preferred provider organization In U.S. health insurance, a preferred provider organization (PPO), sometimes referred to as a participating provider organization or preferred provider option, is a managed care organization of medical doctors, hospitals, and other health care ...

(AT-PPO) whose mission is to make alternative treatment accessible and affordable for disabled veterans, hospice patients, and the indigent. In early 2010, the MMAPA acquired and refurbished a 1968 Airstream Overlander International and launched Mobile Doctors of America to ensure patients had access to affordable physicians willing to recommend patients medical marijuana throughout

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. In February 2010,

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

toured with the staff of MMAPA and MDARX to document this first of its kind, controversial service in

Salida, Colorado The City of Salida ( ; spanish language, Spanish: , "exit") is the Colorado municipalities#Statutory city, Statutory city that is the county seat and the List of cities and towns in Colorado, most populous municipality of Chaffee County, Colorado ...

. Later that year, MDARX was covered by ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

s "

In the News ''In the News'' is an American series of two-minute televised video segments that summarized topical news stories for children and pre-teens. The segments were broadcast in the United States on the CBS television network from 1971 until 1986, b ...

" segment hosted by

Seth Meyers Seth Adam Meyers (born December 28, 1973) is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, and television host. He hosts ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'', a late-night talk show on NBC. Prior to that, he was a cast member and head writer for NBC ...

. As of April 30, 2012, the MMAPA has shut down, and is no longer providing benefits or services to its members.

References

''High Times''Huffington PostHuffington Post''Coloradoan.com''
{{subscription required Medicinal use of cannabis organizations based in the United States category:Organizations established in 2009 category:2009 in cannabis