Can you tell me a little bit more what a dispensary is? I take it it’s not a typical pharmacy. Are they more like little head shops? I’d imagine these places would be prime targets for robberies & break-ins. Do these places generally have extra security of some type?
Many municipalities have a policy of not making arrests for pot. It’s still illegal everywhere in CA (without a valid perscription) but the cops choose to spend their resources on other things. As it is, unless you have a huge amount, you would just get your stash confiscated and a ticket. On job applications where you have to disclose crimes where you have been convicted, you are usually asked to exclude non-felony traffic and minor pot possession violations.
The medical pot thing is funny. There’s a distribution center not far from my house. It’s next door to a computer store that I use. There is no signage out front to tell you what is going on outside but the smell gives it away. I know two people who are “scripted” and they told me that it is easy to get on the program. If you ask, they will give you a list of local doctors who are activists and will pretty much give a perscription to anyone.
I treat chronic pain. I go to medical seminars on chronic pain. I’ve presented at medical seminars about chronic pain. I’ve kept up with the literature in the field, as it applies to my patient population. And I’ve formed a medical opinion.
My medical opinion is that marijuana can be an appropriate adjunctive treatment for malignant pain, wasting diseases, and intractable nausea. But that credible evidence is still lacking that it is an appropriate treatment for chronic, non-malignant pain, neuoropathy, muscle spasms, depression, autism, or elevated intra-ocular pressure.
And I won’t hijack the thread further by expounding on that opinion.
For what ailments is it prescribed, other than sciatica?
The one by my house is a little storefront on a side street. There is a computer shop, a couple of restaurants and a hair salon on the same street. You might think that it was a little medical clinic which I guess is what it kind of is. There is a small waiting room with a counter. The counter has one of those sliding glass window tops. There is a door to the side of the counter. I think that you have to be buzzed in. There doesn’t seem to be any more security than any other little store would have.
I haven’t been inside but it has been described to me. They have different varieties of pot inside with descriptions. You can buy it loose or rolled into cigarettes or in food form (brownies, cookies.) Pipes, bongs and other accessories are sold as well. I have seen people leave the place with small brown paper bags stapled shut with the persciption stapled to the bag.
In the case of one of my friends, it was prescribed for migraines. In my non-medical opinion, it was a bunch of bullshit.
You mean, it doesn’t help with migraines, or your friend doesn’t actually have migraines?
My friend is a stoner and has been a daily smoker for many years. She wanted a cheap(er) and easy way to get weed. She may actually get the occasional migraine but she is using recreationally.
If someone has the gumption to go through all the hoops to get legal, I don’t think they should be ostracised. But you have formed your opinion of your friend and that’s that. Could very well be true. I’m not saying that I don’t doubt the motives of some of the people that I’ve seen, clearly there are a bunch of stoners (not such a bad thing, there’s bunches of drunks too) who are in it for cheaper/better connections. Not having to hang out at a park or wherever and hope that some less-than-desireable person will be able to “hook you up” is in and of itself worth the money to me.
The dispensary I frequent is a non-descript storefront. There are two security guards that work the sidewalk and parking lot. I typically feel VERY safe. Inside, you must show your ID card at the front door before walking up the steps and then again at the door to the suite. They cross-check with their computer to ensure you’ve not expired. They’ve got copies of my driver license and my CoOp card ID. THEY KNOW WHERE I LIVE! Once you’ve made it through the verifications you enter a large loft-like room with long glass counters holding their variety of medications. You are not allowed to lean on or set anything on their counters. I conduct myself very conservatively now. The first time I visited I was like a kid in a candy store. Now I’m much more laid back about it all.
I’ve never spent more than $50 for an eighth oz. They have infused oils, butters, honey and other edible things like candy bars and cookies. I don’t know how they do it, but their Snickers bar knock-off tastes JUST LIKE a Snickers bar. At any given time there are about 15 different strains available, all with differing percentages, for example, what I have now is a 80/20 Indica/Sativa strain. They also have about 10-15 live plants available for purchase and seeds as well. You pick what you want based on the type of relief (head or body). Security in the room is tight. You have three people who help with each transaction. One to discuss and provide the product, one to count the cash, and one who bags the purchase. Again, you’d be amazed at the variety of people there. ALL walks of life, from the rich yuppie to the not-so-rich dirty person. I saw an older guy (65-70) walking out with a huge paper grocery bag full. That seems a little excessive to me. Maybe his card was coming due and he was stocking up. Don’t know, didn’t ask. I try to keep to myself as much as possible, but my last visit was spent chatting with a man of about 45 and he was talking of how he heard that a child was prescribed for ADD. That’s absolutely completely contradictory. If the kid can’t focus and pay attention, how exactly is this gonna help? I’m sure there are unscrupulous docs (maybe even mine!) that just don’t care and want the $$. Like I said above, if there were 40-60 people per session and three sessions a day @ $150 a head. Wow.
I’ve not seen any accessories sold there. We have lots of head shops in Hayward so maybe they don’t need to. They do, however, offer ONE free paper to each person.
A friend of mine used it for Crohn’s disease. I’m not sure about the spelling, but basically her intestines don’t like food - at all.
I have a friend whose dog has Crohn’s. (It makes her drink enormous amounts of water.) Which really broke his heart when it was diagnosed – he really loves that dog, and canine Crohn’s can be fatal.
No way to teach a dog to smoke (their lips don’t have the right muscles), but perhaps cannabis extract in a pill form . . .
But my friend is a rather conservative old fellow. I don’t think I’ll be suggesting this alternative therapy to him.
How does vaporization work?
Also, is there any way to guarantee that you’re not purchasing too much? Meaning, how can they prevent you (or any other MM user) from buying it cheap, and then distributing? I’m sure that the drug dealers are pissed.
Don’t get me wrong. Although I no longer partake, I was a daily smoker for years. I think pot should be legal with similar restrictions as alcohol. I am as certain as I can be that my friend is using recreationally and does not need the MM for her medical condition. I am not certain that she even has a medical condition and I know that her husband smokes up a lot of her medicine. My other friend shares his with a few of his buddies.
By the accounts of both of my friends, there really aren’t too many hoops. You go to the pot shop and get a list of docs, you visit the doc and tell him about your condition, the doc gives you a 'scrip and you go back to the pot shop with some cash. You could do the whole thing in a couple of hours if the doc has available time for an appointment. As far as gumption goes, that might be tougher to find in a stoner. 
I dream of stores like this, but not just for people that first have to suffer physical pain.
But I will!
IANAD, but I get the feeling that what QtM is saying, to some extent, is that if another drug does a better job for his list above, then that is what should be prescribed instead of marijuana. If Tylenol-3 works better than pot for muscle pain, then T3 is what should be prescribed, not pot, just because pot is pot, man.
Otherwise put, marijuana as a drug treatment should be treated just like any other drug. Doctors should prescribe what is proven to be effective, not what is socially/profitably/???
-Tcat
Active cannabinoids (THC) have a lower vaporization temperature than the combustion temperature of the leaves. Vaporizers heat the plant matter to just under the combustion point, releasing the THC, but none of the smoke. So you get all the psychoactive benefits and none of the tar or other toxins.
Speak for yourself, not for me.
Which is why I prefaced it with “I get the feeling” and “to some extent”, but if you are insulted, I apologize.
-Tcat
Perchance could you explain this to a furriner.
There are several levels of law enforcement. I live in a city, so there’s the City Police, County Sheriffs and State Police that are all “local”. I’ve read that if the City or State police really want to arrest someone for something they have no jurisdiction over (say the cops are aware of me, and don’t like me for some reason - which would be odd, I’ve got a close friend on the local force) they could call the Feds (National) police and say “we’ve got a pot-head here in Alameda County that we can’t arrest because our local laws allow it, but we really hate her and want her arrested. Can you do it?” There would have to be some serious hatin’ going on for this to happen, and I’m such a nice person! The Feds would investigate the claim, probably pull the dispensary records, and come arrest me on Federal charges of possession. On the City and State level, I’m golden, however the Federal government has yet to allow medicinal mj so they and, AFAIK, only they could be willing to instigate an arrest.
So, IMNSHO, I’m pretty well set. No worries!
I was gonna let this thread slip away, but people keep asking, so I’ll keep answering!