CA: How Easy Was It For A News Reporter To Get A Medical Marijuana Card?

[Robert Celt]

My husband and I didn't know quite what to expect as a petite woman in neon green scrubs escorted us to a small tent.

Waiting at a folding table was a gray-haired plastic surgeon from Los Angeles in a white lab coat. Large headphones covered his ears, and he was snacking on nuts.

"What is your condition?" he asked without making eye contact. His pen was poised above a medical marijuana referral form.

I was about to experience firsthand a process the state is working to reform: how Californians get medical marijuana cards.

I didn't intend to test the system, which has remained largely unregulated in the 20 years since voters approved medical marijuana. But it was my first week on the job as the Register's first "pot reporter," and I was intent on covering High Times magazine's Cannabis Cup.

I knew going into the San Bernardino festival that a "medicating area" would be restricted to medical marijuana cardholders. Within minutes, however, we discovered that all 300 vendors showing off the latest cannabis industry products and even the food trucks were in that cordoned-off area. The rest of us were limited to attending a concert that wouldn't start for hours and a sparsely populated seminar room.

Then we noticed The Green Doctors, a Venice-based business that had set up a mobile clinic just inside the festival.

Out front was a sign suggesting ailments that might merit a medical marijuana referral. It included migraines, which I've suffered from since high school, and insomnia, which my husband battles after 20 years in the nightlife industry.

We asked a clipboard-wielding man who was buzzing around the entrance how much it cost to get a card. He said $20 for the exam and $25 for the card.

We handed over our driver's licenses and each received a two-page form. It had some biographical questions. Then there was space to list health conditions we've had for six months that we felt might be helped by the use of cannabis.

Soon, we were at the table with the doctor. Within a minute, he had signed referrals for us both.

He didn't ask follow-up questions about our conditions. And the doctor didn't offer advice as to how we might treat those maladies, such as what type of cannabis would best ease my migraines or how much my husband should consume to help him sleep.

Broader concerns about the industry's vetting procedures inspired portions of Senate Bill 643, authored by Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg. The bill, one of three being rolled out as part of the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act, requires the state Medical Board to prioritize discipline of physicians who have repeatedly recommended "excessive cannabis" or cannabis without a "good faith examination."

My husband and I didn't realize when we left the doctor's table that our "exam" was over.

We were ushered to a second roped-off area in front of another tent. We expected more medical questions or maybe a physical check. We waited. Then we waited some more.

The crowd of mostly young men in the holding area was getting restless. The scent of marijuana and lure of music from the medicating area kept reminding those still on the outside what they were missing.

After nearly two hours, it was our turn to head into the second tent.

Lucy Khalil, general manager of The Green Doctors, was waiting with a white lab coat on. She told us it was $80 for a three-month referral or $160 for a year. She also encouraged us to splurge for a $25 photo ID card, assuring us it would be the best thing to show police if we were ever stopped.

We told her we had been quoted a price of $45 out front. She insisted we must have misunderstood the man with the clipboard due to his accent.

My husband decided it wasn't worth it and asked for his ID back. Khalil said fine, but it would still be $40 for the exam.

Dozens of online Yelp reviews and a Better Business Bureau complaint by people claiming to have been customers of the Venice Beach shop raised "bait and switch" concerns, claiming sidewalk hawkers quoted them a price of $40 that more than doubled before they had cards in hand.

Khalil later told me The Green Doctors has never engaged in misleading pricing or promotion practices.

McGuire's bill, which took affect Jan. 1, includes a ban on deceptive advertising.

Khalil pointed out that her clinic has to pay to participate in events such as Cannabis Cup. She declined to share the cost or how much money The Green Doctors made during the five-day festival.

My husband and I had a choice. We could each be out $40 and two hours or spend another $40 and step into the heart of Cannabis Cup.

We forked over our debit card. Khalil handed us our driver's licenses, a list of potential cannabis side effects and certificates with gold foil seals. She quickly secured paper wristbands and set us free to enter the medicating area.

Inside, dispensaries were offering free bong hits and marijuana-infused gummy bears. I didn't partake, instead collecting quotes and story ideas.

A Santa Ana dispensary owner I spoke with later laughed when I told him how much we had paid. He showed me the website HelloMD, where a video chat with a doctor can get you a 12-month card for $49.

He also chuckled about the exam process, saying it's essentially just a formality at this point. Whether California voters approve recreational marijuana use as expected in November isn't as big a deal as some suggest, he added. "It's basically already legal."

Khalil noted that state law leaves referrals to a physician's discretion. "This is just about a doctor's opinion," she said.

And to be fair, patients share similar stories about how easy it is to get prescriptions for painkillers and other drugs that can be much more addictive.

News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: CA: How Easy Was It For A News Reporter To Get A Medical Marijuana Card?
Author: Brooke Edwards Staggs
Contact: The Orange County Register
Photo Credit: None found
Website: The Orange County Register

 

[OlderGrower]

Bet it was harder then the same reporter buying a 1/5 of whiskey or a carton of cigarets. I also would go so far as to say, I bet that same reporter could just as easily go to a doctor and get a prescription of pharmaceutical pain killers or antidepressants just as easy, yet I do not hear anyone complaining about how easy that is.
I am sick of this double standard when it comes to Marijuana, it is a plant that kills no one. You can not make that claim about any of the others listed above!

 

[Canna Bus]

Bet it was harder then the same reporter buying a 1/5 of whiskey or a carton of cigarets. I also would go so far as to say, I bet that same reporter could just as easily go to a doctor and get a prescription of pharmaceutical pain killers or antidepressants just as easy, yet I do not hear anyone complaining about how easy that is.
I am sick of this double standard when it comes to Marijuana, it is a plant that kills no one. You can not make that claim about any of the others listed above!

I heard that OG.

I am as sick as you are of this double standard when it comes to Marijuana. Double standards and the making of issues out of non issues are very affect tools for the spreading of disinformation and confusion and Does Not searve us at all.

 

[Bearded Budz]

I heard that OG.

I am as sick as you are of this double standard when it comes to Marijuana. Double standards and the making of issues out of non issues are very affect tools for the spreading of disinformation and confusion and Does Not searve us at all.

Your both so right about this false topic, my wifie just got back from a teaching seminar on mental health and the effects of drugs on a young developing minds and she was just blown away with how the discussions went. Now she s never touched any kind of drug, maybe a little residual from me but yea, she said the "expert" hosting this discussion had nothing but false and misguiding information regarding pot... Saying how "it concentrates in your fat cells and how that ll just come out and git ya someday..." And because the pro side is still taboo and with all the superiors there she just had to sit and bite her tongue! Then when they came to the topic of pharmaceuticals they just glazed right over it not even regarding the mass amounts of deaths and addictions created by sloppy doctoring/diagnosing! Now we live in Canada where the topic of legalization is a big thing right now and I m so disappointed in the people of power and how ignorant they can be because of their position of power..... Seriously though people, when are we gonna really look at the topic at hand and begin educating the masses!? Ignorance is such a sick and twisted trait to pass down to anyone and THESE are the people shaping the lives of our youth, wow!

 

[stones55]

It's not so much about "ignorance" these days as it is "Us vs. Them" . I know that that sounds like a battle cry, but really ------ when you have millions of people losing their freedom for anywhere from five hours to five years for possession and use, then it IS a battle cry. OUR government has victimized millions upon millions of lives for the sole intent to control something that they cannot control ---- actually two things ----- the proliferation of increased use of a plant that has never damaged anyone, AND the American Public who has had way too much of the lies and strong-arm tactics OUR government uses against its own citizens. MANY TIMES, FOREIGNERS ARE TREATED BETTER BY OUR GOVERNMENT THAN US --- ITS OWN CITIZENS !

OUR government sucks (or blows) folks. It's time for an overhaul ---- and I don't want to get political on anyone, but it's time we put someone in there other than a Bush (we are FINALLY DONE WITH THAT EVIL FAMILY ! ) , a Clinton ( SHE IS JUST A DANGEROUS, OUTRIGHT LIAR ! --- WITH A CAPITAL "L" ! ), OR any other professional politician. Let's focus on OUR (lack of) freedoms here before we fight for freedoms everywhere else !

It's time we take back OUR country, folks. Make sure that you vote this coming November and if "your" candidate is not 420-friendly, then find someone who is. This issue is one that we can make a stand on, even IF it's indirect. IF there is no vote going on in your state, then at least hammer your representatives with any petition that comes up that will further and progressively put this issue in front of not only our representatives, but hopefully IN FRONT OF THE VOTERS in the form of a ballot initiative.

IF you live in a state where the State wants to control you through legislation, then your fight is much more of a challenge. AND if you are a resident of New York State, then the King has to be removed first.

Whatever means are made available through OUR government, seize the opportunity to employ those means.

This crap has to stop.

 

[Takelababy]

In Canada the "compassionate" clinics are charging as much as $500 for a card and the doctor's visit is often by Skype or similar. It's illegal for doctors to charge that so it's done thro a so-called clinic. They are popping up everywhere and will continue to do so until the gov't legalizes mj. Kind of a "grab your money and run" for the doctors.

 

[BrokrnEyes]

I realize that I will be in the minority for saying this, but if the reporter was being unbiased in their article, then doctors such as the green doctors are doing far more harm to the legal cannabis movement in terms of PR than a politician ever could. At best, more and more Americans are seen marijuana as a medicine Roseanne and illegal street drug, so to have a Doctor Who won't even look at you in the eye, let alone take their headphones off, and is actively contributing to what clearly is a bait and switch scam, is likely going to drive people who are willing to try it away. In my personal medical history, to which unfortunately I'm not even 30 yet and I have a large enough amount of experience that most people would think there was something seriously wrong with me, I have personally told five doctors to go to hell for a range of issues from incompetence to outright being a bigger asshole than When Hugh Laurie played Dr. House. I don't pretend to be the poster child for someone seeking a medical card, but I have enough experience to know a good doctor when I see them in a bad doctor when I see them and had my doctor been so blasé while writing me a cannabis prescription, I simply would've ripped up and from his face and told him to go to hell before The bait and switch scheme and, provided that I hadn't given them my debit card yet, would have told him to F*** off as I left ( Hell I probably would've contacted my bank and told him to block the payment if I could).

My point is, if I were someone that never tried marijuana before as a medicine ( or even someone who had), and had experienced that from start to finish the way the reporter had, I probably would've said to hell with it and still go to the corner to get my Medicine and just wait until it became fully legalized I could get it from my main doctor or just by walking into a Walgreens , which of course would mean that my voice would be silent in the discussion. We can't afford to let our guard down until the federal government has fully legalized it, otherwise the opportunists will hinder the movement ( which is what many politicians, and the entire pharmaceutical industry, would want). I would go so far as to say that medicinal cannabis users who are in the area of events like this should find out what Dr. group is writing the prescription up and if it's groups like the green doctors, should consider boycotting/ protesting the event to prevent first time users from getting a bad experience, at the very least it would shine a uncomfortable light on the scammers.

 

[Eddie83]

We've had a similar controversy in Colorado lately. There were some MMJ doctor mills in Denver, so now the State is clamping down on all doctors to be more rigorous in who they allow to have a MMJ cert. Which is going to drive up the cost of an MMJ cert because the MMJ doctors are going to have to spend more time with clients. But you know what? In Colorado, where recreational cannabis is legal, this issue is really about making sure the State gets more revenue from the higher tax on recreational cannabis.

 

[cleanslate]

In a just and sane world we would not need a special dispensation from the government and a doctor to purchase cannabis. No more than we would purchase and consume any other herbal supplement, or food for that matter. I should be able to plant cannabis in my backyard garden this spring along with all the other vegetables and herbs; with cannabis being the centerpiece of the garden. Then I would have plenty of fresh cannabis leaves and flowers to used in tasty and very healthful recipes.

But this world is far, far, far from a just and sane world. Isn't it?

 

[Eddie83]

In a just and sane world we would not need a special dispensation from the government and a doctor to purchase cannabis.
...
...
But this world is far, far, far from a just and sane world. Isn't it?

There is absolutely no reason for the government to outlaw any plant, other than to control invasive species. There is certainly no reason for the government to outlaw plants used for spiritual purposes, but they have.

The older I get, the more I realize that homo sapiens is deeply flawed, so flawed that it appears we have no long-term future on this planet. In recent years, the skyrocketing incidence of chronic illnesses, and esp. mental illness, shows how little intelligence the species has WRT fouling our own nest. The refusal to act decisively to stop poisoning the atmosphere, is the single biggest indicator of just how deep the flaw is.

100 years from now, if there are any humans left, I think it is certain that people like James Inhofe will be seen as the not-so-mythical follow-ons to Sauron.

 

[TanR]

Here, here cleanslate! I completely agree!

Wouldn't it be fun to get some pro-cannabis legislator to introduce a bill to ban tomatoes or peanuts (from which people do actually die!) and see if everyone didn't completely flip their collective wigs and begin to look at it for what it is - a plant.

Maybe ban Coffee, because caffiene is also a psychoactive drug - that would get some folks talking and perhaps seeing things differently.

 

[Takelababy]

Remember when magic mushrooms were popular? Never heard of raids for that stuff. It grew wild. I can't recall the spelling but it was referred as Paiute Buttons.

 

[cleanslate]

Here, here cleanslate! I completely agree!

Wouldn't it be fun to get some pro-cannabis legislator to introduce a bill to ban tomatoes or peanuts (from which people do actually die!) and see if everyone didn't completely flip their collective wigs and begin to look at it for what it is - a plant.

Maybe ban Coffee, because caffeine is also a psychoactive drug - that would get some folks talking and perhaps seeing things differently.

The thing about coffee is that it contains a real neurotoxin, caffeine, that certain plants (coffee tree, tea cacao tree) developed as a natural insecticide. Cannabis, to the contrary, is neuroprotective and yet it is on schedule one of the CSL while caffeine is entirely unregulated.

Caffeine, unlike cannabis, can result in a lethal overdose if too much is consumed. While it would take something like 70 cups of coffee to cause a lethal overdose in an adult; children can suffer a lethal overdose by consuming several energy drinks and very young children have gotten into large dose caffeine tablets (i.e, NoDoze) and died from caffeine poisoning.

There recently has been some studies touting some health benefits from drinking coffee, but most of them are attributed to the flavonoids in coffee beans and not the caffeine. Yet cannabis which has plenty of flavonoids, as well as the hyper-therapeutic cannabinoids, is dismissed as having no redeeming medicinal value and is so harmful that it is classified as more dangerous than Meth; denying its benefits to millions, including children.

It really is a mad, unjust world.

 

[Takelababy]

The issue of legalizing pot is about controlling the masses, under the guise of protectionism. Our Cdn govt has 6 mos to iron out some rules on those needing pot for medical issues and it could be at least two yrs, maybe even after the next election before it's decided on recreational use. Our province of ON is broke and deeply in the hole. It needs the revenues from recreational mmj. yet the feds are dragging their heels.

 

[Radogast]

Remember when magic mushrooms were popular? Never heard of raids for that stuff. It grew wild. I can't recall the spelling but it was referred as Paiute Buttons.

Peyote Buttons are a cactus, not a mushroom. As of 15 years ago, peyote was legal two places in the USA, a native american reservation in New Mexico where the peyote is harvested, and a tiny (6 acre?) native american reservation in a suburb of Phoenix where peyote is a protected religious ceremonial plant.

I lived near Phoenix at the time and there were peyote raids.

- - -

There are several mushrooms known as magic mushrooms, most commonly Amanita muscaria with a bright red cap with white spots featured in the original mushroom illustrations for Alice through the looking glass and believed to be the colors behind the current Santa Claus costume. Most magic mushrooms are unlawful to posess in the USA. For discussions of magic mushrooms and other psychedelics not permitted on the 420 magazine website. I suggest you go someplace like Amber Lyon's reset.me website, where active psychonauts post their opinions and experiences.

 

[Takelababy]

Fat lot I knew about that stuff. Never did get in to any of that stuff or would have been more knowledgeable.

 

[mlang52]

"Peyote" is a plant that grows wild in the western US, used by native Americans, as an hallucinogen! The parts ingested were called"Peyote buttons".

 

[mlang52]

Peyote Buttons are a cactus, not a mushroom. As of 15 years ago, peyote was legal two places in the USA, a native american reservation in New Mexico where the peyote is harvested, and a tiny (6 acre?) native american reservation in a suburb of Phoenix where peyote is a protected religious ceremonial plant.

I lived near Phoenix at the time and there were peyote raids.

- - -

There are several mushrooms known as magic mushrooms, most commonly Amanita muscaria with a bright red cap with white spots featured in the original mushroom illustrations for Alice through the looking glass and believed to be the colors behind the current Santa Claus costume. Most magic mushrooms are unlawful to posess in the USA. For discussions of magic mushrooms and other psychedelics not permitted on the 420 magazine website. I suggest you go someplace like Amber Lyon's reset.me website, where active psychonauts post their opinions and experiences.

"Amantidine" mushrooms are what produce the chemical used in amantidine, brand name Symmetrel, an antiviral medications, Psilocybin mushrooms are the ones more commonly referred to as "magic mushrooms" and do not case physical dependence, either, if you don't mind eating something that grows out of a cow patty! But, as you point out, they are not cannabinoids.

 

[Radogast]

"Amantidine" mushrooms are what produce the chemical used in amantidine, brand name Symmetrel, an antiviral medications, Psilocybin mushrooms are the ones more commonly referred to as "magic mushrooms" and do not case physical dependence, either, if you don't mind eating something that grows out of a cow patty! But, as you point out, they are not cannabinoids.

I stand corrected.

It has been a long time since I read "Plants of the Gods" (Prof. Albert Hoffman et al.)