My friend moved to Los Angeles, had gotten tired of calling him at work to ask if he had any weed, gave him a tip. “You should go see my doctor,” he said, “and get a prescription.”
“But I can’t get a prescription,” he said. “I’m not sick.”
“Sure you are,” he said. “Everyone’s sick.”
“What do I tell him?”
“Dude. Tell him anything. He doesn’t care.”
Until that moment, it hadn’t occurred to him that he could be a medical marijuana patient. Medical marijuana was for people with AIDS or glaucoma, for those dying in hospices, for old ladies with mouth-foaming dementia. Sure, he had high triglycerides and his jaw muscles sometimes cramped when he yawned too wide, but those just weren’t on the same level.
Nevertheless, the next day he found myself driving to a tony office building in Beverly Hills for his appointment with a medical marijuana doctor. Once he’d grasped the concept of limitless weed, available in stores, he’d made his appointment pretty quickly.
The office’s reception area lacked a receptionist. It was just an empty desk and a rubber plant. The doctor emerged from the other room, six feet tall, laid-back, and superfit. He had sandy blond hair parted in the middle, breath-strip-white teeth, and the tan of a man who doesn’t work long hours.
We went into his office, which was two chairs, an empty bookshelf, and a few framed degrees on the wall.
“A friend of mine referred me,” he said, and then he gave the friend’s name.
The doctor scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I think I might remember him,” he said. “I have so many patients.”
“Right,” he said. “So what did you do before you started doing…this?”
“Mostly surf.”
There was a brief, uncomfortable silence.
“So tell me why you’re here,” he said.
He took a breath.
“I’ve been on antidepressants for several years, and they’re not working anymore. Marijuana is the only thing that makes me feel better. You know, it’s not like I…”
“I believe you,” the doctor said.
Well, that was easy! Within five minutes He’d written the doctor a $150 check. He’d signed his medical marijuana permission and stamped it with his green cross-shaped seal. It was good for 12 months. “Recommend vaporizer & edible,” he wrote.
“Cool,” He said.
“You should send me your medical records eventually,” doctor said. “But there’s no rush.”
Legalizing It
Marijuana has been the subject of endless legal battles since 1937, when the federal government
passed the Marihuana [sic] Tax Act. Despite a bizarre attempt during the Nixon administration to legalize it, weed has been particularly demonized during the “modern period,” even as it gains new popularity. So even though 12 states now have some form of medical marijuana legislation, there’s no way it will be federally legal in George W. Bush’s America. Federal law trumps state law, so technically the weed-soaked world in which I find myself is entirely illegal, but these laws are tacitly ignored by most local law enforcement.
Of all the states with laws on the books, California has arguably advanced the furthest. On November 5, 1996, the state passed Prop. 215, “to ensure that seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes where that medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician.” Medical marijuana dispensaries—like candy shops that sell grass instead of Snickers—really took off in 2004, when the state legislature passed a bill that allowed for the legal procurement of pot.
It’s hard to tell exactly how many dispensaries there are in California; they’re opening and closing all the time, but the L.A. City Council placed a moratorium on new facilities last year, saying there were almost 200 in the county alone. It’s also impossible to know how many people are taking advantage of the law. The number’s assumed to be around 300,000, but there’s no centralized database, and patient information is, by law, confidential.
It’s not a perfect system. Many cops don’t respect the patient cards and will still slap you with a misdemeanor possession charge, even if they know it’ll get thrown out in court. But for a dedicated stoner like me, this alternative universe is paradise. I didn’t really smoke pot in high school or college, waiting until my mid-20s before developing a taste for the stuff. Therefore, I’m not as burned out as I could be, and I still have at least a few strong years left.
On His way home from the doctor’s that first day, He stopped at a dispensary in West Hollywood. Unlike many similar establishments, which operate in near-secrecy behind blackout-papered doors in mini-malls, this one occupied a double storefront on Santa Monica Boulevard, proudly displaying a marijuana leaf on its sign. This was West Hollywood, one of L.A.’s medical marijuana epicenters, full of real patients who actually needed the stuff. He went in, nose held high and legs aflutter, like Bugs Bunny drifting after a large, tempting carrot.
A good-looking chick took his ID and his certificate, made photocopies, and called his doctor to confirm his existence. In a snap, He was staring at a glass counter full of jars of sweet, high-octane chiba. Off to the side was a refrigerator containing brownies and cookies, tubs of weed butter, candies, and pot soda. Above the counter was a coffee-bar-type menu, with varietals color-coded by price.
“Oh, sweet Lord,” He said.
“Next customer!” He heard a voice say.
He looked up from His reverie to find himself facing a horribly deformed man. He had a hunchback. His arms were half the normal length, and his head was tiny, hovering almost disembodied under his concave chest. Whatever, He thought. Maybe he’s the world’s leading expert on marijuana.
“First-time patient,” He said.
He looked at him coldly.
“I’d like something up,” He said. “Nothing real stony or heavy. You know, a good sativa.”
There are two major strains of marijuana. Sativa tends to produce clearer, cerebral “head” highs, whereas indica produces the more stereotypical effects: drowsiness, loss of motor coordination, and the munchies. It’s good for people in chronic pain. Sativa is the strain of choice for “functional” stoners like me.
“How about this one?” he said, pulling out a jar that clearly said indica on the label. “There’s really no such thing as pure sativa anymore,” he said. “They’re all hybrids. This one has some sativa in it.”
“But…” He said.
“This is what you want,”
Well, he was the expert, so He bought an eighth, took it home, and, after putting his son to bed, went downstairs and loaded up his vaporizer.
Hehe, tito baka maghanap ako niyan sa Baguio City. Ang totoo nito maraming nagtatanim niyan sa mga kabundukan natin sa Pilipinas. Kahit sa US ay mayroon ding nagtatanim sa mga kagubatan na nabasa ko sa Yahoo news. Kahit sabihin mong na-uproot lahat ng mga pananim na iyan may problema pa rin, iyong mga chemicals na ginagamit nila na maaring tangayin ng tubig kapag lumalakas ang ulan at dalhin sa mga ilog. It is an environmental disaster ika nga dahil ang mga pesticides na iyan ay siyang sisira sa mga isda at iba pang nabubuhay sa mga ilog. Sa America na iyan nangyari, ano pa kaya sa mga developing countries?
The campaign to decriminalize marijuana for medical use burst into public view in Canada in December 1997 when an Ontario judge ruled that 42-year old Terry Parker of Toronto, who has spent 2 decades battling Canada’s marijuana laws, has a legal right to grow, possess and smoke the substance that helps control his epilepsy.
Before he began using the banned substance he had
experienced as many as 12 seizures a day, rendering a
normal life impossible. Once he was robbed while lying
unconscious in a subway station following a seizure, and
he had been arrested repeatedly after his seizure symptoms were mistaken for drunkenness; he cannot ride a
bicycle, drive a car or hold a job. However, when he
smokes marijuana, the number of seizures declines dramatically; he keeps a careful record of its impact on his health.
Medicinal purpose naman talaga iyang marijuana kaya lang inaabuso ng iba.
Katatapos ko lang isulat ang crime drama sa blog ko.Ang paghihiganti ni Luningning.
Katatapos ko lang mabuo ang crime drama sa blog ko.
Luningning sweet revenge.
Most of the drug abuse/substance dependency cases I handled as a rehabilitation worker some years back started with Marijuana. This substance is susceptible to drug abuse. I am not in anyway in favor for its legalization. Perhaps for medical purposes in any form. For ordinary use, no way. I feel pity of those individuals who lost their future and wasted away their lives because of drug abuse.
Ng nagbakasyon ako doon sa amin mga ilang taon na ay naglipana ang marijuana.Pati nga ako ay inooperan nila pero hindi ko pinansin.Itinatanim na lang daw nila sa kanilang mga bakuran para menos gastos na sa sigarilyo.Gamot naman iyan.Kaya lang kapag inabuso na ay durugista na talaga ang labas ng gumagamit.
it may cure or kill but depends entirely on user’s ‘trippin’. people should be educated about its ‘proper’ medical use. ang hirap sa iba, ina-abuso nga lang…
I’m sooo sad reading the news about the pugutan-leeg ni Bedoya sa ME ang now a death sentence by firing squad of Alcaraz in Taiwan. Nagpunta lang sa abroad para kumita ng pera at mabuhay ng medyo mabuti ang pamilya….patay naman, sa ibang bansa pa.
Anuman ang tunay na dahilan, it breaks my heart that our OFWs go to sometimes extreme actions to survive. I don’t want dole outs from the government, but it is its duty to make/create jobs for its citizens. Of course, this is only one aspect, nasabi ko lang dahil sabi ni Alcaraz ay mag-iipon lang sya at babalik ng Pinas.
Related ito sa marijuana issue dahil old age, incurable illness and dying ang topic.
Gawin din sanang batas kahit saang lupalop na iyong mga hindi na magagawan ng paraan na mailigtas ang buhay sa hatol na kamatayan ay bigyan ng marijuana o drugs para nasa ‘ibang daigdig’ na sila sa oras ng execution. It’s a last act compassion by authorities for the poor souls.
Tita Chi,
Napakalungkot pong balita iyan, pero itong mga inutil na taga DFA ay puro palusot ang mga hinayupak. Sasama ako sa rally ng mga migrante para kundenahin itong pagpapabaya nlla sa mga tunay na bayani ng bayan. Sarap tiradorin ang mga ung-gagong ito.
Girl,
What will you do if you married a man who has an erectile dysfunction.? Will you immediately give him a viagra or a marijuana to solve the problem? May be not. Resureccion discovered an extra-ordinary way of doing it. Read how she did it.
Is EllenVille being shut down?
Anyway, i’m for the legalization of marijuana or hemp as it is originally called.
Even forward-thinking countries like New Zealand has an industrial plantation for such purpose.
May medicinal value talaga ang Marijuana pero iyong pag-abuso dito ang dapat ay bantayan. Iyong mga katutubo sa amin noong araw ay may mga dahon na katulad din sa marijuana na pinapakuluan nila at mabisang panlunas daw ng sakit ng tiyan.
A drug even if prescribed can become harmful if abused, So, what’s wrong with legalizing Marijuana? Nasa tao na iyan kung paano gumamit…
Penchanco,
Iyan ang masama dahil maraming tao ang hindi alam ang salitang abuso at masama.
I think the best way to determine marijuana by the way it’s used, namely, as drug and relaxant.
As drug, it is relatively safe and effective because it is a natural herb;
As a relaxant, it is a lot better than liquor and cigarettes.
There are more deaths attributed to both liquors and cigarettes, than the relaxant marijuana. I haven’t witnessed someone kissin’ the sky with it running amok.
Therefore, if we have to ban something, we must start with the more deadly options (liquor and cigarette). But why it’s not the case?
Having said that, marijuana stalks have very important uses too. It is hemp like our manila hemp. It can be the raw material in the manufacture of paper. clothing, and requires less chemicals to whiten its fibers. No need to cut trees. Very friendly to the environment. These are the reasons why it’s been demonize.
It’s comparable to our coconut on versatility. It’s the ultimate winner!
I think the best way to determine the integrity of marijuana …
Ang Marijuana ay para lang sa mga babae. Ang para sa lalaki ay Marijuan. Juan ay lalaki at babae naman ang Juana.
#13 Pechanco – your statement is true. Just look at Rash Limbo and Cindy McCain as terrifying examples of how rich people are able to circumvent the system and somehow managed to acquire drugs as they please.
Nicotine and alcohol were legalized since “god knows when” WITHOUT any known medical cure YET, here’s MaryJane, with some advantages to our well-being but it’s been under the carpet since “god knows when”!
Personally for me, the answer is: Pharmaceutical Lobbyists!
I don’t smoke btw.
Hindi raw masama ang gumamit ng marijuana basta lang huwag kang pahuhuli sabi ng isang user, hehehe.
Muling bumangon ang sandata ni Lazaro at mabilis na naisuksuk ito sa loob ng kuwebang makipot ni Patricia at nag-umpisa nang magdribble si San Pedro…
Sundan ang kabuan sa http://segundina.wordpress.com
Alam niyo ba na umiikli ng limang minuto bawa’t isang sigarilyong maubos pero nadadagdagan naman ng 10 minuto bawa’t sex. Kaya okay lang magsigarilyo basta madalas ang sex. Puwede ding saba-sabay habang nagse-sex ay nagsisigarilyo. Basta ingatan lang mapaso ang kuwan ng babae. Puwede din pausukan ang kuwan niya na parang ginagawa ng mga sabungero sa kanilang mga manok.
Umiikli ang buhay (hindi ari)…baka magkamali kayo.
Kahit anong bagay, basta inabuso, masama. Ang nararamdaman ko lang naman na masamang epekto ng sobrang paggamit ng tsongki, at ayon ito sa mga pag-aaral, ay tatlo lang talaga ang masamang epekto ng marijuana:
1. Loss of memory.
2.
3.
Nakalimutan ko na yung dalawa pa.
Sa Amsterdam kung saan legal na ang joots ay grabeng dinadayo ng mga turista. Sana ay gawin na ring legal iyan sa Cordillera kahit sa Baguio man lang kung saan magtataka kang dinudumog ng mga puting turista ang Sagada samantalang hindi naman sila bumibili ng gulay na pang-diningding o pang-pinakbet.
Kung masama ang Maryjane, di huwag pakasalan si Mary !