Opinions

Lack of marijuana legality in California leads to use abuse

The medical marijuana industry is not as medicinal as it sounds.

The medicinal marijuana industry in California is a joke. It has taken the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 (Proposition 215) and the Medical Marijuana Program Act of 2004 (Senate Bill 420) and reinterpreted its meaning in a way that pot smokers can get high without being subject to arrest.

Due to the lack of control, and little regulations over the medicinal marijuana industry, California should just move forward with the process of legalization.

Without a doubt there are people out there who do use cannabis for medical purposes, whether it is for depression, fatigue, insomnia, glaucoma, chronic pains or various diseases such as cancer or AIDS. However, through my own observation as a patient, I’ve noticed a majority of users who own a medical card take advantage of the system just to get high.

All a person really has to do if they want their medical marijuana card is walk into a licensed physician’s office, claim to have anxiety or some other type of mood disorder and as long as they have the money, they can get a recommendation.

There are a lack of ethical standards and moral principles when it comes down to a physician evaluating whether or not a person qualifies for a medical card. Places like Affordable Medical Evaluations don’t check background history of their patients when they give out prescriptions. They ask a series of brief questions but no actual documentation of the patient’s medical history is required.

According to the Affordable Medical Evaluations website the typical office visit time for a walk-in patient is about 30-40 minutes, but in all actuality most of that time is used for filling out paperwork. The actual consultation with the doctor only takes about five minutes. Other than the initial consultation patients are only required to visit once a year to get their cards renewed. It’s a relatively quick and easy process.

At the end of the day, the more patients a doctor approve the more revenue that comes in for his or her office. The average cost for a medical marijuana card is $60, while existing patients pay $40 for renewals.

A study conducted back in 2011 showed that there are 750,000 to 1.25 million medical marijuana patients registered in California, according to California NORML, a non-profit organization group that focuses on marijuana law reform.

Originally, the state laws passed back in 1996 and 2004, were made with good intentions. They were set forth to help people with serious medical conditions to relieve their pain through the use of cannabis. But not all patients who use marijuana utilize it for its medicinal purposes.

By legalizing marijuana and tightening the grip on regulation, California would create a safe and open environment for medical and recreational marijuana users alike.

Colorado has already set an example by doing so. According to the Colorado Department of Revenue the state generated $12,811,437 in July alone. Colorado was able to please recreational smokers while providing discounts for people using it medicinally. The state was then able to re-distribute the money made from the taxes into funding programs that support healthcare, law enforcement, transportation and education.

My question is if this proved successful in Colorado, then what’s holding California back from doing the same?

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