You can’t travel more than a couple of blocks in the Denver Metro Area without passing a Medical Marijuana dispensary. The local newspapers carry ads for them, and Westword, the local liberal independent newspaper, is overtaken by ads. Every one of these ads is essentially the same, “Doctor on premises, show up with $75 for an “exam” and you’ll get a prescription.”
Since these facilities also advertise that “no medical records are necessary” to get your marijuana card, the “patient” just needs to tell the doctor the right things to get approved. Too much stress? Approved. Headaches on a regular basis? Approved. Chronic pain? Approved. Approved. Approved.
Colorado has the distinction of leading the country in Medical Marijuana licenses; Denver has the highest concentration, as every drug dealer looks to jump in on the scam. Instead on standing on a street corner hawking their wares, and getting unwanted attention from the police, they can now sit behind their 5-leaf sign and sell legally, at many times the price. What business owner alive wouldn’t want such a sweet deal? Police protection, endorsement by the medical community, and a license to make more money than ever, while your clients come to you?
These facilities all have creative names: Nature’s Cure, Natural Healing, and (who are we kidding, this will be hilarious) Dr. Doobie.
Don’t get me wrong; I don’t have the slightest problem with anyone ingesting marijuana. They can eat it, smoke it, cram it into an enema if they so choose. The problem I have with ‘Medical Marijuana’ is that it is claimed to be medicine, only if used in an approved fashion, and prescribed by an approved vendor. If it truly is “medicine,” then it should be sold in pharmacies with all the other prescription drugs. If it doesn’t have a place on the druggist’s shelves, it doesn’t need to be regulated.
Marijuana should never have been illegal in the first place. It’s a plant that grows naturally that can be found in fields and ditches all around the country. Making it a crime turned regular citizens into criminals, and pushed the distribution underground, into the hands of the drug cartels. Criminalizing the possession of marijuana contributed to the violent crimes committed every day by “bad guys”. The local college kid who is buying pot isn’t killing people for stepping over the line into his territory. He’s not turning his little sister into a drug user. And, he’s not forcing children to carry drugs from the field to the corner dealer. The law is making that happen.
Those who fought the legalization of pot claimed that it would create a slippery slope that would lead to the full legalization of marijuana. I certainly hope so. Legalize it, tax it, control the production and processing so that there is a consistent high quality product. Free all the innocent people who have been spending their lives in prison just because they had an ounce in their pocket, or a plant in their back yard.
Marijuana is not a drug of violence. There are no crimes committed by the end user in his quest to acquire a quarter. There are no documented cases of a traffic fatality that is linked to pot use.
In fact, legalize all drugs. The “War on Drugs” never stood a chance. It’s a lost cause. Legalize the product, and prosecute the crimes committed. Treat impaired drivers under the influence of any drug the same as the most popular, legal drug, alcohol. Take all the money that’s wasted clearing marijuana fields and train more police officers to protect the public.
And, no…I don’t smoke, eat, or otherwise ingest marijuana. And I don’t care if you do. Just don’t call it medicine.
