[420 Girl]

California - Is medical cannabis California's new gold rush or the reflection of the spirit in this great state?

Those who opened medical marijuana dispensaries shortly after the approval of Proposition 215 were extremely brave and motivated. Some were motivated because they wanted to provide relief for illnesses; some were motivated by the potential to make money. In my opinion, most were motivated by a little of both. Those who provided medical cannabis back then had a different playing field than the dispensaries that have opened recently. The risks were much higher.

But now dispensaries are an emerging industry as seen by all the shops that have cropped up in cities across the state. In Sacramento, where I have run Canna Care for five years, I have seen many dispensaries open with little regulation.

For those who open a dispensary and those who grow cannabis, there should be an even playing field with regulations governing how they operate. We're all sitting here really close to civilizing the Wild West, and there are a lot of people who want no regulation, some want a little regulation and some want a lot of regulation.

In regulating medical cannabis, the first thing counties and cities should do is listen to patients and have concern for their needs. Secondly, officials need to help collectives provide clean, safe and high-quality cannabis that is pesticide-free and grown in California by reputable providers. The collectives and dispensaries should not be getting cannabis from illegal growers in our national forests or those who smuggle marijuana across our borders.

Cities and counties can help by using their legislative powers to make sure that medical cannabis is dispensed from licensed collectives and dispensaries that pay fees and taxes, and living wages to employees. Whoever serves the patient best should be allowed to run dispensaries.

We must not forget that this voter-approved movement is in support of those who are seriously ill, their friends and families. Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, serves those who physically and/or mentally benefit from the use of medical cannabis.

Before Proposition 215, the only way you could obtain cannabis was through illegal means. Because it was illegal, some patients felt a stigma for using cannabis even though it was beneficial. And this is one of the reasons cannabis should remain a medicine instead of being legalized for recreational use. If cannabis were legal for adult use, it would be used for fun and considered a vice, and not viewed as a medicine. Doctors should always be involved, as cannabis might have an adverse effect when taken with some other pharmaceutical drugs.

All this should be done by keeping in mind that the primary goal of medical marijuana dispensaries is to serve the patients first while not intruding on the rest of the community.

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