# Ask The Doper Who Works At A Medical Marijuana Clinic **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 13, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292 "2011-04-13T22:16:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/1 "2011-04-13T22:16:24Z")
So, I’m a medical assistant at the first, newly opened medical mj clinic in my city. I’ve been working here for a week. My state passed the initiative in November. Ask away! Or don’t. Whatever. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/2 "2011-04-13T22:25:52Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Ask away! Or don’t. Whatever. 😛 Is your lack of commitment due to sampling your own wares? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/3 "2011-04-13T22:28:04Z")
Nah. We don’t sell it, we just certify people to obtain a card from the health department to buy it at a dispensary or grow their own. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/4 "2011-04-14T01:05:38Z")
What qualifies a person for obtaining a card for it? Only certain conditions? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/5 "2011-04-14T02:21:12Z")
How does the clinic make money? ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/6 "2011-04-14T02:25:18Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > How does the clinic make money? Its a plant, it grows. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/7 "2011-04-14T02:26:42Z")
They don’t sell it, the sell the cards. Seems like they might be temped to hand them out to anyone with a few bucks to spend. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/8 "2011-04-14T03:06:59Z")
How do I get a card if I don’t live in your state? Do you provide free shipping? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/9 "2011-04-14T03:18:50Z")
Actually, we don’t sell the cards. What we do is let you see a doctor, for a charge, who either reviews your medical records from elsewhere, or examines you and provides a diagnosis (for an additional charge), and then gives you a certification form. You submit the certification form to the health department, along with their application, and an additional fee, and they give you the card. You then take the card to a dispensary to purchase the product. And you do have to live in this state. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/10 "2011-04-14T03:24:01Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > What qualifies a person for obtaining a card for it? Only certain conditions? The qualifying conditions are as follows: Cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, Acquired immune deficiency syndrome, Hepatitis C, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Crohn’sdisease, Agitation of Alzheimer’s disease, or A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition (or the treatment for) that causes cachexiaor wasting syndrome, severe and chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures (including those characteristic of epilepsy, severe or persistent muscle spasms (including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis), or A debilitating medical condition or treatment approved by ADHS under A.R.S. §36-2801.01 and R9-17-106 ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/11 "2011-04-14T03:33:12Z")
I still don’t get the business model. Someone makes an appointment (and pays), and then the doctor that specializes in providing a diagnosis (for an additional fee) gives you the card? I grew up in Boulder. It’s not like in, say, the last 40 years that pot has ever been hard to buy there. Is that card really worth the effort? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/12 "2011-04-14T03:36:02Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > I still don’t get the business model. Someone makes an appointment (and pays), and then the doctor that specializes in providing a diagnosis (for an additional fee) gives you the card? > > I grew up in Boulder. It’s not like in, say, the last 40 years that pot has ever been hard to buy there. Is that card really worth the effort? No. The doctor gives you a certification form, which you submit to the state health department for the card. And yes, I do believe the card is worth it. Research does show marijuana to be very effective for the qualifying conditions, and what you buy on the street here in AZ is called “Mexican dirt weed” and it sucks. It’s very cheap, but it’s not very effective. What they sell in dispensaries is much, much better. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/13 "2011-04-14T03:50:59Z")
That makes sense. Does the doctor get paid if he says “no weed for you”? Until it is legalized, I do feel that there may be some unscrupulous doctors in it for the money. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/14 "2011-04-14T03:55:58Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > That makes sense. Does the doctor get paid if he says “no weed for you”? > > Until it is legalized, I do feel that there may be some unscrupulous doctors in it for the money. Yes, they have to pay up front, so the doctor does still get paid even if they deny someone. At first, people were told that if they weren’t approved, they wouldn’t have to pay. But then the doctor refused to do that, stating that she didn’t want to feel pressured to approve someone for pay. So now they pay no matter what. We feel that the onus is on the patient to research the qualifying conditions before they come in, and if they don’t have one, they shouldn’t come in. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/15 "2011-04-14T04:00:49Z")
Cool. I’ll shut up now. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/16 "2011-04-14T04:03:47Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > Cool. I’ll shut up now. I’m happy to answer any questions you have. I know it’s confusing and there are a lot of myths and misconceptions out there. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/17 "2011-04-14T04:09:54Z")
What percentage of your visitors are honestly there for real help? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/18 "2011-04-14T04:19:34Z")
Sorry. Shutting up for real now. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/19 "2011-04-14T04:21:59Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > What percentage of your visitors are honestly there for real help? They do have to have the appropriate records, tests, symptoms, and diagnoses for whatever condition they are claiming. You can’t just walk in and say you have whatever, it’s usually proven to a reasonable degree in some form or another. So I’m pretty confident that the vast majority are legitimately using it to medicate. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292/20 "2011-04-14T04:24:51Z")
Again, I apologize. I get it now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-doper-who-works-at-a-medical-marijuana-clinic/578292.md?page=2)