Melinda Haag, United States Attorney, is attacking landowners renting to marijuana dispensaries. In her letter she claims landowners will have their property confiscated for two reasons: first being that these business are store-front marijuana dispensaries, second they some are located within a certain close distance to schools. I could see using the argument that they are located within a certain close distance to schools. I mean that is somewhat reasonable. But how many times are we going to hash out the issue of the legality of storefront marijuana dispensaries? Mrs Haag needs to wake up and take personal responsibility for her role in obstructing patients access to their medication. This isn’t a game of cat and mouse, this is human suffering and human disease. If anything can be learned from the “Occupy Movement” its that every individual needs to take responsibility for their actions in this society, from the blue collar to the white collar we all need to take care to perform our jobs with impeccability.  See the letter for yourself here:

US_Attorney_Landlord_Letter

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As the dust of Prop 19 settles,  we as marijuana clinicians and you as patients using marijuana will begin to further expand our knowledge base of how cannabis really works.

Sativex is a prescription drug available in Canada and in Europe.  It is a CBM (cannabis based medicine) that contains standardized amounts of THC and CBD, much like you can get in quality herbal alcohol based extracts.  THC is the psychoactive compound of marijuana and CBD is a lesser known but increasingly studied compound that has been specially selected by researchers for its properties as a anti-anxiety, anti-psychotic, serotonin increasing compound.  We believe that CBD balances out the psychoactivating properties of THC to make marijuana more tolerable.  So as a patient you can advance your marijuana knowledge by seeking out medicine that contains high levels of CBD.  We know that routine cannabis has less than 1%.  High CBD cannabis has up to 6-7%!  This will hopefully (we don’t have studies done yet) allow you to feel less intoxicated and feel more symptomatic relief.  At  the clinics here in Pasadena and Alhambra of the San Gabriel Valley, I strive to educate you fully on this medication that has so many complexities to it.

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There are lots of questions surrounding what will happen to Prop 215 once Prop 19 passes. Will there be any need for Prop 215? Will there be any need for medical marijuana? The facts are that yes medical marijuana will still be an important part to allowing patients to obtain their marijuana. Prop 19 does not set up a location or locations for people to obtain their marijuana, it just opens the door for that possibility. Most likely it will take at least a year for Prop 19 entrepaneurs to establish reliable points of sale of marijuana and until that time medical marijuana patients will need to continue using the current system to access their medicines.

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Finding a legitimate doctor in the field of cannabis medicine can be a challenge due to the high level of demand for this care and the lack of professional credentialed doctors educated on how to do this.  Please verify prior to going to your cannabis doctors office that they are in fact authorized by the medical board to practice medicine in this capacity.   If you click through the link below you will be led to the Official Medical Board website that will give you the credentials and practice information of your physician.

California Medical Board Doctor Verification

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Well here it is, quite an amazing piece of legislation that is bringing to California voters this most controversial issue.
This proposition takes me outside of my medical office and into the heart of California and its collection of recreational users of cannabis. Without a shadow of a doubt I can say that I support this bill. The NAACP supports this bill. My mom, Olivia, a quilt maker and tax preparer supports this bill particularly because it won’t allow public use. My father Anthony a retired Los Angeles Superior Court Investigator supports this bill because he knows it is the right thing to do. And finally I support this bill because it will end one of the last fronts of the war on the poor.
We can finally stop putting in jail people who use marijuana for recreational purposes. They still can’t use marijuana in front of children, they still can’t use marijuana in public, they still can’t use marijuana if they are under 21, they still can’t sell marijuana, and they still can’t use marijuana if they are driving.

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After much controversy, the city of Pasadena has fully certified the MCC (Medical Cannabis Caregivers) as a legitimate Pasadena business. The city does have a moratorium on cannabis dispensaries and cooperatives, leaving patients that reside in the area of 91101 to 91107 to flee to Los Angeles for support and care. If you do reside in Pasadena please call your city council member and ask them to end the moratorium on marijuana in your city.

http://trueslant.com/matthewfleischer/2009/11/04/african-americans-in-pasadena-disproportionately-targeted-in-marijuana-arrests/

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One of the greatest responsibilities a physician has is to maintain his/her standing with the California Medical Board. This is the agency that polices physicians. We must all comply with their standards of care in the practice of medicine. One of these standards regarding cannabis evaluations is evidence supporting our recommendation or approval of a patient. By not obtaining this seemingly unimportant documentation, we can be putting a patients life in jeopardy. Cannabis is not the solution to the root cause of the varies sources of human suffering it is a medication that helps humans cope with their condition. It is the role of the primary care doctor to do the investigation to find the root cause and see if a solution is possible to heal the patient from the source. So by bringing in those pieces of the medical record you assure a cannabis doctor is not skipping the most important part of your care: finding the source.

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Be aware of illegally operated doctors’ offices. These are likely either people posing as doctors, or businessmen/women illegally operating a doctor’s office, or a doctor without a valid California Medical Board license. By choosing a provider in any of these categories you run the risk of having an approval that is worthless: either in the courts, local police or when you need to obtain your medication. The process of collecting/storing medical records, doing an appropriate evaluation, educating each patient about the risks/benefits and how to properly adjust medication doses takes time. You deserve it!

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Walmart Fires Cancer Patient for Legally Using Medical Marijuana | Personal Health | AlterNet.

This goes to show that we have a long way to go in stopping the persecution of patients legally and justifiably using medicinal cannabis.

If you see fit, please click below

http://walmartstores.com/7663.aspx

-click: email customer service, then click: company feedback and Leave them a nasty message, to get this poor guy rehired.

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Los Angeles County Medical Marijuana ID Card
State Medical Marijuana ID Card
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
241 N. Figueroa Street, Room 128
Los Angeles, California 90012
Phone: (866) 621-2204

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