There are times when he smokes to help himself study. There are
times when he does it to relieve the pain in his knees.
Then there are times when Mike uses medicinal marijuana to
receive what he says is a smoother, much cleaner high than he can
get from the cannabis he could obtain illegally.
Mike, who declined to give his full name because doing so could
jeopardize his employment, is one of an estimated 200,000 people in
California who currently have prescriptions for medical marijuana,
which allows them to buy marijuana legally.
Their use of marijuana was made legal 10 years ago when
California voters approved Proposition 215, which made the state
one of the first in the country to legalize the use of marijuana
for medical purposes.
From subduing chronic pains to increasing a patient’s
appetite, the chemicals found in marijuana have proven therapeutic
and beneficial in certain illnesses, such as cancer and
arthritis.
Though the proposition has opened up more avenues to patients in
need of alternative medications for their illnesses, concerns still
exist about the legitimacy of the drugs as an appropriate therapy
and about patients who may be using the law to get marijuana for
recreational, rather than medicinal, purposes.
Mike said his doctor gave him a prescription for marijuana
because of pains he felt in his knees as a result of injuries
accumulated from his years as a high school wrestler.
Though he has noticed his pains dwindling as a result of the
unconventional medication, he said his initial motive for obtaining
a prescription had little to do with his ongoing knee problems.
“I wanted to get more, cleaner stuff,” he said.
Marijuana, a psychoactive drug, is collected and produced from
parts of the Cannabis sativa plant. The major chemical that creates
the therapeutic and euphoric effects of marijuana is
tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC.
The most common side effect is the high for which the drug is
popularly known.
But the high a user experiences depends on the way the plant was
cultivated, its species and hybridization, method of consumption,
and the user’s physical and mental conditions, according to
the Web site for Americans for Safe Access, a medicinal marijuana
legal protection organization.
To receive a state identification card for the legal use of
medicinal marijuana, a person must be evaluated and recommended by
a state-certified doctor, using proof such as X-rays and previous
medical examinations to confirm the patient’s illness.
But Mike said the process he went through two months ago to
receive his prescription was relatively quick and simple. He said
had found a flier for a cannabis doctor and set up an appointment.
After looking at his past medical records and before approving his
prescription, he said the doctor discussed with him other possible
alternatives to relieve pain in his knee.
He said he was approved for the prescription within 30
minutes.
“If you’re an adult and you feel like you need a
prescription, you can get it through these doctors. The state lets
me do this legally, so I might as well do the paperwork to do it
legally,” Mike said.
After the card has been issued, a patient can use it at any
marijuana dispensary. To filter out false identification cards,
with every purchase the dispensary reconfirms with the
person’s doctor that the prescription was given.
Depending on the patient’s illness, different modes of
consumption are offered, from inhalation to vaporization to
consumption in food products.
At marijuana dispensaries, an eighth of an ounce of marijuana
can cost up to $80, a bottle of medicinal marijuana soda costs $12
and marijuana lollipops cost $10.
Mike said he has built a tolerance to the drug due to consistent
use, so edible products have little effect on him.
William Dolphin, spokesman for Americans for Safe Access, said
he has seen this tolerance in patients ““ when the high from
marijuana begins to fade and the therapeutic effects are taken in
more efficiently.
“Patients I know who use cannabis to control serious
conditions report that the euphoric effect starts disappearing.
They get the medical effect, but not the psychological
effect,” Dolphin said.
Based on the patient’s illness, the uses of medicinal
marijuana can have different therapeutic effects.
A person with HIV could use it to better build and support their
appetite, an effect the drug has on the body, while a patient with
muscle spasms could turn to marijuana for body relaxation, Dolphin
said.
Mike said he has noticed these effects on his own body.
Because of drug testing related to his employment, Mike was
unable to smoke for three weeks. In that time period, the pain he
had felt in his knees began to return, since he had been used to
taking in five grams of marijuana a day.
The Food and Drug Administration has recognized
marijuana’s utility as a medicinal plant and has approved two
drugs that contain active ingredients present in cannabis: Marinol
and Cesamet.
But some doctors and experts are concerned about the legitimacy
of the drug as an alternative medicine and worry that some patients
may turn to it too quickly.
Because too little research has been done to fully justify the
use of the cannabis plant as a practical medication, the American
Medical Association said further information should be gathered to
fully examine any negative impacts of the drug, as well as
potential benefits.
According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, past
studies show that smoked marijuana does damage the brain, heart,
lungs and immune system.
Opponents to legalized medical marijuana also say the
individual’s distorted sensations and judgment, which result
from chemicals present in the plant, could affect, and potentially
harm, other people.
But Dolphin said other conventional drugs, such as codeine, when
taken in large doses can produce the same influence on the body yet
are still legal in pharmacies.
He added since the passing of the proposition, changes and
amendments have been made to it, increasing additional protection
for patients and allowing states to have one of the most
comprehensive policies surrounding medicinal marijuana use.
“(Proposition 215 has) been really positive in that it
helps increase access to patients and helps bring the issue to the
community at large. It is becoming a unique drug that provides an
alternative to the conventional treatments,” Dolphin
said.