With the passage of Proposition 215, Compassionate Use Act of 1996, in California “qualified” patients are able to have and possess medical marijuana (as basically stated from Compassionate Health Options). Personally I don’t have a problem with medical marijuana. I do have a problem with the abuse of anything and that includes prescription medication and alcohol. Having seen users/abusers get high on chemicals for much of my young life due to the influences that were around me as I was being raised doesn’t foster a ton of sympathy within for them in one regard. In another regard I want to help those who have had this chemical mask placed over their true self. People that constantly get high, drink, or wallow in some other form of addiction destroy pieces of themselves every time they allow themselves to sink further into their personal Hell.
This brings me back to medical marijuana here in California. There are those who need it and get a prescription for it. On the flip-side there are those who are willing to do anything to acquire a Medical Marijuana Card just so they can get stoned legally. This is abuse. I am concerned that this abuse of a medical drug is being popularized, mishandled, and not respected by not just users but by those who own/run medical marijuana dispensaries and those who actually prescribe medical marijuana.
When doing a search on how many medical marijuana dispensaries exist in California estimates range from 500-1,000 such locations. As you can see in a relatively short time this has become a booming industry. It’s still an industry that is legal for the State of California but the Feds are also still performing raids upon these brick and mortar facilities too. There is conflict there and something I won’t address in this particular post.
I am concerned about the popularization of getting stoned via the abuse of the system that is in place today. When I see websites; such as WeedMaps.com (a mapping site for users to locate medical marijuana dispensaries) and it appears to be flashy, fashionable, and promote the recreational use of marijuana I sense a misuse there. Wouldn’t this be the same if a similar website was designed for those who used Vicodin, Oxycontin or Valium? Right on the site, WeedMaps, there are videos of marijuana users using the drug recreationally and having a great time getting high. Does this not send the wrong message? What if we endorsed videos of users/abusers/addicts having a great time ingesting Vicodin, Oxycontin or Valium?
Responsible use for medical purposes is key. What I’m seeing, with the gift of past knowledge, is a way to bypass the system and get marijuana for recreational use. That’s irresponsible. Our world, our country, and our state is in bad economic shape. Creating a large population of potheads is not going to help us to stay active, civic-minded, responsible citizens. Getting high warps reality, damages the body and the mind, creates a lazy demeanor, and stunts potential.
I agree with those who want to have some fun. Fine. But this fostering of abuse and making it appear flashy and cool is not how medicine should be portrayed. It must be seen as something that is serious as well as necessary to help those who need it. What is going on now is the complete opposite. How are our youth supposed to take marijuana seriously and any other medication seriously if it is treated so irresponsibly? We are doing a diservice to our community and our potential to bounce back as a strong nation of free people. It would be so much easier to just get stoned and have the government provide everything for you.
The ability to acquire a Medical Marijuana Card is pretty simple as well. I have heard for as little as a headache one can become a patient with a prescription for medical marijuana, hence the creation and the use of the Medical Marijuana Card. Places such as Compassionate Health Options, who have locations across the Bay Area and beyond, have medical staff who assess patients for a potential medical marijuana prescription. The simplicity to acquire the card is what bothers me. I know. People lie all the time to get prescriptions of one thing or another. And that is a problem. But it’s the glorification of marijuana, that it’s just a harmless plant attitude that bugs me. It’s medicine not lasagna.
There is a fine balance that needs to be followed. Unfortunately people aren’t always good at regulating themselves especially when going through difficult times as we all are now. In the bigger picture of balance the scales are being tipped in the favor of massive government regulation, dependence upon government, and the eventual loss of what we call freedom today. This is no joke. The downturn in the economy, the loss of American jobs, the flight of corporations to third world countries, the weakening of our dollar, the rise in the price of commodities, the attack on religion, the drug abuse of the population… these aren’t mistakes that happen on their own. It’s all coming together to place you into a state of ignorance and bondage to the growing government imo. Sounds crazy? Well just look around and do some research with an open mind.
I just wanted to state my real concern. I’m not advocating that marijuana be completely shut down. I’ve seen what it can do to people as well as other chemicals. Can we take a step back and address the way it is being promoted or should we all just get stoned?
Dodge
