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August 14, 2009
NPR coverage of medical marijuana in California
Yesterday, NPR ran these two interesting segments discussing medical marijuana in California:
Here is how the first piece gets started:
More than a dozen years ago, California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana for people with serious illnesses. Many used it to relieve pain or other symptoms — and that's still true. But medical marijuana has now become a thriving business in California that serves a lot more than just sick people.
In some parts of Los Angeles, medical marijuana is more common than McDonalds or Starbucks. Places where you can buy a Big Mac or a double tall mocha latte are outnumbered by pot stores, at least 2 to 1. All that's required to purchase the marijuana is a recommendation from a doctor. And a new iPhone app will even help you find the nearest dispensary.
August 14, 2009 at 09:00 AM | Permalink
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Comments
Medical Marijuana, although is turning into quite a money making business in California, is a fallacy. It was intended to assist people with debilitating or life threatening illnesses; instead it is now a debilitating illness in itself called addiction. Drs. in the area are recommending it (it can not be legally prescribed or dispensed by a pharmacy) for simple things as menstrual cramps, chronic fatigue, stress, headaches, etc. California found the loophole for its citizens to get high and stay that way if they so choose.
Oh, and I am a student.
Check out www.saveoursociety.org
Posted by: Jojenn | Aug 14, 2009 11:19:20 AM
If people need cannabis for a medical benefit, the doctor may prescribe Marinol. It is canabis in a pill. It reaches the same blood levels as smoking it, but far more slowly through the intestines. The dose is highly accurate, and may be adjusted to get efficacy or to reduce side effects.
Because of the slow upsweep of the blood level, it is less likely to get people intoxicated. The medical marijuana reject this medical alternative because treatment is not the real aim. It is to get high. And there is a risk of developing a dependence on cannabis.
Posted by: Supremacy Claus | Aug 14, 2009 1:06:30 PM
Intersting Article
Posted by: Bubona | Aug 21, 2009 2:11:37 PM
Actually all the doctors prescription gets you is the ability to buy a medi-marijuana buying card, which spells r-e-g-i-s-t-r-y, not p-r-i-v-a-c-y. So the state or the feds can, if they want, get your address. California DMV has gone thru address lists to start revokation proceedings for driving under the influence, unless you can get enough corroborating paperwork to verify your perfectly fine to drive. Frankly, most doctors don't want to take that risk because they know in any accident situation they can be called into the proceedings losing time from their practices and possibly be hooked for some of the liability. So the medi-marijuana doc that provides a prescription to get a medi-marijuana card is unlikely to want to get involved with writing letters of recommendation to the DMV. I do not know what the threshold is for DMV to pursue it but there are news reports of it doing this to some of the "lucky" people selected. There are not pot shops on every street corner in LA. Most of it is very discreet with no loud signs. The media picks the one obvious one and makes it sound like a landslide is happening everywehre. It is not. The city is revoking business permits right and left on these shops and making those that contest it to have to go to honerous hearings, throwing in delays, reviews, and still revoking them. LA and the surrounding towns are medi-marijuana hostile and the police will write you that ticket or worse, and two of those and you have real problems with getting things like jobs. Businesses are totally unsympathetic and most doctors think its a bad racket and bad in other ways. It really only works for the chronically unemployed, possibly on disability, with access to public transportation or generous friends with cars. Then there is the problem of the increased potency of marijuana today compared to the 60's. Its actually too potent for some people who simply want to use it as a mild palliative. Apparently there are several other active compounds in marijuana in addition to the delta9 thc, and they affect additonal endocannabinoid receptors in the nervous system and the gut. Some forms of it might be the choice of some over traditional allopathic pharmaceutical medication. I think that should be respected in a "free" society. But like all drugs it has side effects and its fat soluability makes it last a long time in the body. If you want a clean sharp mind, its not going to help. But ruining people's lives by criminalizing them for simple use is even worse.
Posted by: Brian | Aug 29, 2009 8:34:38 PM
@supremecy clause
Never heard of that pill....will def. look into it, thanks for the insight! Up to this point I had heard a vaporizer was the best way of reaping the benefits without the bad stuff
Posted by: Medical Marijuana | Mar 10, 2010 2:29:50 AM
hahah/ Wow!!! )
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