As of mid 2011, the federal government has been shutting down dozens of medical marijuana dispensaries in California due to the widespread usage of the drug for recreational purposes. However, the problem shouldn’t be addressed by shutting down dispensaries. The problem lies in the corruption surrounding the process by which Californians can obtain medical marijuana cards.
California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana following the passage of Proposition 215 in 1996, and for the past 16 years, the state has been famous for its liberal policies regarding the naturally grown hallucinogenic drug.
In 2009, the Obama administration stated that it wouldn’t focus on shutting down marijuana dispensaries in the 16 states that currently allow the sale of medical marijuana, despite the fact that federal law bans the sale of marijuana regardless if it is for recreational or medicinal usage.
It is no secret that California has paved the way in leading the country to legalize marijuana. The current system in California, however, is flawed and needs reform.
The California government should more closely regulate the sale and issuance of medical marijuana cards.
According to state law, California residents can qualify to obtain medical marijuana cards if they are 18 and over, or if they are under 18 and accompanied by a parent or guardian. In order to qualify, the applicant must suffer from anorexia, arthritis, cachexia, cancer, chronic pain, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, migraine headaches, persistent muscle spasms, multiple sclerosis, seizures, epilepsy, severe nausea, or a chronic medical symptom that interferes with the applicant’s quality of life.
Although the effects of marijuana usage may vary from patient to patient, it has been reported to be an effective remedy in alleviating the adverse symptoms of serious illnesses, such as reducing pain and nausea, relaxing a tense patient and increasing appetite.
Marijuana should be available as a possible option for people seeking a better quality of life despite their chronic illnesses. The answer is not a massive federal crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries—the focus should be on the proper licensing of medical marijuana doctors and a close regulation of the process in which California residents are able to obtain a medical marijuana card.
People who don’t have a medical problem, but wish to use marijuana for recreational purposes, can easily get an inexpensive medical marijuana card without seeing a physician or providing their medical history. These cards are the equivalent of fake IDs used by minors to purchase alcohol and cigarettes.
To try and stop the sale of fake or illegitimate cards would be near-impossible, but reformers should focus on standardizing and enforcing a thorough evaluation that physicians must carry out on individuals applying for medical marijuana cards.
A complete medical history should be provided to the licensed physician, and a full checkup should be administered on the applicant in order to ensure that the applicant is not falsifying their symptoms.
It may be an impossible endeavor to stop people from using marijuana for non-medicinal purposes in California and in the 15 other states that allow the sale of medical marijuana, but if less individuals hold medical marijuana cards, a more appropriate number of dispensaries would exist to mirror the number of people who hold a card for legitimate reasons.
By reforming the process by which medical marijuana cards are obtained in California, the people who depend on marijuana to lessen the discomfort that accompanies their chronic illnesses will continue to be able to access the drug. And those who are merely seeking legal sanction for an illegal drug will be out of luck.
