Next Step for Medical Marijuana in D.C.
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2011-09-06/next-step-medical-marijuana-dc
More than a year after the District of Columbia legalized medical marijuana, the city is moving ahead on granting licenses to grow or dispense cannabis. But applicants have to agree that because it's still a federal crime, they will bear all the risk. Kojo updates the progress toward marijuana dispensaries in D.C.
Guests
Martin Austermuhle
Associate Editor, DCist.com
Comments
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"If the words "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" don't include the right to experiment with your own consciousness, then the Declaration of Independence isn't worth the hemp it was written on."
- Terence McKenna quote on Marijuana
http://bit.ly/ruXSe4
I moved here from California. Residents should read up on what the "medical" dispensaries have done to harm youth there. The questions: how easy it is to get a "recommendation?" It's not a prescription. Marijuana will be resold, "shared" and generally impact public safety. The public should be aware there is no field sobriety test for marijuana. Driving while high is a big problem. Not in my neighborhood please.
Actually, the public would be better served in reading up on your rhetoric.
I have a home in both DC and Southern California. I am also a member of several collectives. Not going into my particular ailment, I will say that I have NEVER, EVER, EVER seen anyone under the requisite age inside a dispensary. It is probably worth noting also that there exists no actual data that dispensaries adversely impact crime in the community. Actually, many believe dispensaries contribute positively as they are heavily lit and camera the surrounding area. Lastly, every dispensary that I have joined has required my California ID, called my doctor, verified my status and made me fill out an application that requires that I follow rules like not sharing or reselling.
While I would agree that the number of collectives there is too many, here in my home town the number is limited to 5. Further, patients are required to get both a doctor's recommendation and a card from the Department of Health (that a double check if you didn't notice). Further, patients will be limited to one collective rather than being able to join several - which might be problematic. The point here is that DC officials have gone the length to regulate dispensaries substantially as has been done in Rhode Island, New Jersey, etc.
Regarding product getting into the hands of children, children are getting harmful drugs more easily from medicine cabinets (Sorry if I am hurting the cabinet industry). Further, there is substantial data that dispensaries curb the black market. I don't know if you read last week's article in the Washington Post, but Washington DC has the one of the highest cannabis using concentrations in the country. Obviously, old drug war policies and prohibition tactics don't work.
While I respect your right to have an opinion, I would hope that you make an informed one. Your post is misguided and misleading. My statements are not meant to insult but to inform as you do not sound as if you have actually visited a dispensary or investigated one. It would likely help if you did. Lastly, I would request that you not write me off as some sort of druggie or otherwise. I'm not a drinker and I avoid prescription drugs wherever possible.
Of sound mind and body,
Freedom Now