Jan 20, 2017 | California Marijuana Laws, Marijuana Legalization, Proposed MMJ Law Changes
Delays in implementing Prop 64 may mean some healthy marijuana users are tapping on the medical door to satisfy their recreational desires. The authorities will have likely already raised their level of scrutiny. Thus getting your application for a medical marijuana card right first time could be crucial for your health.
Your First Step: Do You Really Need the MMJ….(Um – Yes.)
Clinical cannabis is typically not for treating flu or acne. However, nowadays that is probably sufficient to get a doctor’s recommendation. A decade ago, many doctors required more serious medical conditions along the lines of cancer, HIV, epilepsy, or multiple sclerosis for example. Prop 215 also lists depression (which is difficult to diagnose) and “any other condition for which medical marijuana may provide relief”. That statement is the key to providing flexibility to doctors in providing scripts. Given HIPAA laws, law enforcement is not allowed to inquire about your medical condition. As such, once you get your card you are golden! Your next step is to find a doctor to write a recommendation.
Any doctor with a California Medical Board license can do this. However, you may have more sympathy from a ‘Class 420 Doctor’ who already knows the ropes. As you probably know, most ‘420 Doctors’ go “all in” and make marijuana their main focus. These doctor’s specialize in matching your condition with the benefits of medical marijuana.
Your Next Step is Getting a Medical Marijuana Card
(more…)
Jan 18, 2017 | California Marijuana Laws, Marijuana Legalization
Before the Trump era dawned on us and caught more than a few asleep, fate seemed to be looking down its nose at medical marijuana. This was, let’s face it a historic workaround for some users hardly classifiable as patients. They had no problem going through the hoops and paying for prescriptions.
Things have been looking a bit grim lately for medicinal strains since Proposition 64 passed the test. Users in the grey area are ready to jump ship anytime soon. Moreover, until medical insurance comes on board and pays for marijuana as medicine (RX), the genuine few will be tempted to follow suit.
The Implications of the ‘Cannibalization of Cannabis’
The Motley Fool had interesting things to say about this on January 1 this year. It thinks the ‘cannibalization of cannabis’ could threaten the long-term sustainability of the medical marijuana industry. While it is true the under 21’s will theoretically still need to see a doctor, there are similar illegal workarounds as happens in the case of alcohol. For this reason, most pot clinics are rebranding to include other forms of alternative medicine.
(more…)
Jan 9, 2017 | California Marijuana Laws, Proposed MMJ Law Changes
We enter the New Year with a myopic food and drug administration. It still classifies cannabis as schedule one narcotic, while the majority of California citizens believe we should treat it the same way as alcohol. To compound the problem, most California banks are still scared of accepting marijuana money. They fear of prosecution under money laundering laws.
This creates a legal logjam. Deputy Attorney James M Cole tried unsuccessfully to break this on August 29, 2013. He pleaded for prosecutorial discretion and the ‘efficient use’ of federal resources when deploying law enforcement. Thus far, we have limped along in an elaborately choreographed legal pas de deux. Now California state treasurer John Chiang has made his move.
The Marijuana Money Problem We Need to Solve
“We need quick action and practical solutions,” he told reporters including Orange County Register late December. “California is willing to assume a leadership role nationally to effectively achieve this goal.”
(more…)
Dec 2, 2016 | California Marijuana Laws, Marijuana Legalization
Boys may be boys, and girls may be girls, but there has always been a thin line between medical and recreational marijuana. After Prop 64 passed the poll on Tuesday 8 November, we might have thought medical marijuana dispensaries would see a drop in sales as people can grow their own and no longer need a Dr.’s recommendation to smoke.
Quite the opposite has happened. You see, the regulations will take months to create and approve. Only then, can the Bureau of Marijuana Control start issuing licenses after disposing of delaying tactics by law enforcement and other naysayers. We predict there will be plenty of these, until folk come to terms with what happened.
A Sudden Surge Marijuana Interest
Meanwhile, there has been a surge of interest on the recreational side, because the possibility of prosecution is now almost non-existent. Water will always find a way through, and so will those wanting herb. The way through in California is obtaining a medical marijuana recommendation from a doctor. By all accounts, participating doctors and dispensaries are in for a busy 2017 which is just about upon us.
(more…)
Nov 23, 2016 | California Marijuana Laws, Marijuana Legalization, Proposed MMJ Law Changes
Marijuana & Business as Usual In California
Well not quite, because now we have to follow standard business practices which will be a pain for some. Instead of the feds breathing down our necks, we have AUMA (The Control, Regulate, and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act of California) on its way to passage. Our phones are ringing off the hook. Here are the hot FAQ’s we are currently answering.
Question: Who Is Regulating the California Cannabis Business Now?
AUMA established a Bureau of Marijuana Control in the Department of Consumer Affairs. Its job is to license and regulate the industry although it is still finding its feet. Note that this is not the same as the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation. The Bureau of Marijuana Control should supersede it but this will not happen right away.
These bureaus are not the only regulators we may have to placate. Marijuana retailers, distributors, and micro businesses still have to deal with the Department of Consumer Affairs. The Department of Food and Agriculture will continue to license and oversee marijuana cultivation, with the Department of Public Health taking care manufacturing and testing. Finally, the State Board of Equalization will collect marijuana taxes. Well we did want government to treat us like a business.
Question: To What Time Line We are Working?
(more…)
Nov 10, 2016 | California Marijuana Laws, Marijuana Legalization, Proposed MMJ Law Changes
Tuesday, November 8th 2016 was indeed quite a day. We got a new President, and we got the right to recreational cannabis in California (via Prop 64). What’s more, Massachusetts and Nevada followed suit, with Arkansas, Florida and North Dakota conceding medical marijuana.
When California joined the movement it became possible to share a joint along the entire U.S. west coast. This will put pressure on dissenting states, and ultimately on Washington whence a decision must ultimately come. Some folk who spent time in jail may be thinking of recourse.
Tuesday’s decision is only fitting for the Golden State, where the first medical marijuana approval passed two decades ago. Los Angeles Times reports that law enforcement does not necessarily see cause for merry making, and plans to monitor implementation of “substandard advertising restrictions and lack of prosecutorial tools for driving under the influence of marijuana closely”.
(more…)
