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Rx for Reefer

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from: Bonnie Goldstein

Posted Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2007, at 9:49 PM ET

Along with 11 other states, California permits citizens with a doctor's recommendation to grow or purchase marijuana. Marijuana laws in California have long been lenient, but in 1996 the Compassionate Use Act made cannabis legal in the state when used for medicinal purposes. There is no state agency that tracks the doctors who prescribe the good herb or the patients who smoke it.

Prices vary. A one-eighth medicinal dose of "Golden Goddess ( … relaxing effect just short of couch lock, long lasting, cerebral with nice dense buds and lots of crystals)" or "Hawaiian Mist (… full body, social and energetic)" sells for $65; other brands can be had for as little as $30. Although the treatment is not covered on most health insurance policies, patients on public assistance may qualify for reimbursement. Most neighborhood drop-in clinics offer a variety of cannabis substances including, "kief, hash, hash oil, edibles, tinctures, and marijuana plant clones." Some sellers provide door-to-door delivery service. Once inside the caregiver's private office, a patient can often purchase additional medical supplies such as rolling papers, grinders, and vaporizers.

California residents seeking a physician who agrees on the "benefits of marijuana for treatment of cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief" can find referrals on several websites including here and here. Some providers, like this one, have offices in several locations. Patients looking for the closest reefer dispensary in, say, West Hollywood, can search by zip code. Several spots are open until 10 PM.

Below is a one page "physician's statement"—in effect, a prescription, though the text, for legal reasons, disavows that definition—from medicinal cannabis proponent David Bearman, MD, former medical director of the Santa Barbara Regional Health Authority. The patient (whose name Slate removed to protect privacy) will require a "repeat visit in approximately 12 months." The particular medical condition benefiting from "therapeutic use" remains confidential between patient and doctor. Doctor Bearman's statement does not specify whether this patient's symptoms are physical, emotional or cognitive, but notes that "literature supports the medical benefit of cannabis." As a caveat, Dr. Bearman points out that neither the California statute nor his considered medical opinion provides any immunity from U.S. drug laws, which classify marijuana as an illegal Schedule I drug. On occasion federal agents assert this authority by raiding dispensaries.

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hot document
entries
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from: Bonnie Goldstein

Posted Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2007, at 9:49 PM ET
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Bonnie Goldstein is a former special investigator to the U.S. Senate and investigative producer for ABC News.
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