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Tags: California, Law Enforcement, Los Angeles, Marijuana card, Medical Marijuana, Regulation
We all know that the DEA is the most corrupt agency in this country, Looks like they got paid well for that raid,I am just surprised that they did not admit to the theft,Laugh and say “DO something about it”!YES THEY ARE THAT BOLD! They found it necessary to do more damage as they left,Right?
The State “Purposely” neglected the fact that there had to be some type of distribution system set up,Not everyone is able to grow their own so they have to get it somewhere, They just got pissed that the voters approved it and figured if they just let the shops go unregulated there would be such a chaos that they would then have a reason to kill the program completely and deny access to Cannabis to EVERYONE, Medical Patients included saying “It did not work!!”
one store owner who sells his medicine for 0ver $70 a eight and had a marijuana vending machine in his shop calling other store owners profiteers is not going to help solve the problems.
Don’t blame the State of California do you really think the State or anyone else had the expertise to over see the development of a distribution system.
My argument is that ALL 13 of these States so far,NOT Just California,Know there NEEDS to be some type of Organized Distribution system put into place if any of their Compassionate Medical Cannabis Laws are going to have any success,Not everyone can grow or have the resources to do so, Some do not want the chance of becoming a victim of crime(Theft)by having it growing in their home.
Any State that Approves Medical Cannabis should have a business licensing model to go by that Mirrors a “Pharmacy” to keep records and be held accountable for their Transactions and “per patient” Monthly Limits,Charge Taxes,Etc.Just like any other regular”Pharmaceutical Pharmacy”The Business model has been there all this time right in their faces.
All I can say is, The State of California had a Severe lack of”Foresight”and”Common Sense”When it came to implementing the voters wishes, They let them down!Badly!
Wow the DEA is ridiculous but who knows what else wasnt told in this story. It sounds like that REALLY nice store he mentioned at the end is healthy wealthy and wise at h2w.org perhaps? I have been there it is REALLY nice and they actually do everything by the book so I assume they will be around for quite awhile. I have kept up with local ordinaces and laws and the city definintelyyy needs some help to regulate everything better.
If the State of Ohio would stop Ignoring SB343 Ohio Compassionate Use Act, I would like to help model some type of Reasonable Distribution System, I had over 14 Years of Business Management before I became Disabled.It is about time that those of us that Cannabis actually helps need to be able to obtain it without the fear and risk of going to Jail.
http://ohiopatientsnetwork.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46:senate-bill-343-summary&catid=45:prior&Itemid=72
“Side Note” I used to work in Law Enforcement, I got out because I was tired of being part of the problem, Some Law Enforcement agencies pay Informants 50% of any Cash seized as a REWARD for turning someone In for Illegal Drug activity, That just may be why only Half the Money was reported.
Prohibition BREEDS Corruption, Even at the Law Enforcement Level.
Don,
I agree with you completely about the absolute need for a state-licensed, regulated and monitored medical cannabis production and distribution system. Requiring patients (or anyone, for that matter) to pay $70 an eighth for mmj is immoral, in my opinion.
I think the Rhode Island legislation (and regulations) is worth studying, since they allow patients, caregivers AND state-licensed production facilities to be involved in mmj production. Those patients who want to continue to grow their own can do so under the Rhode Island legislation, but the larger-scale production/distribution facilities are there to serve folks who can’t grow their own, need it sooner than they can grow it or simply don’t want to have to devote their lives to mmj production in order to be able to use mmj to ameliorate ill health.
New Mexico has also tried to move forward in the licensing of mmj producers, but their regulations remain impractical and devoid of any meaningful input by experienced cannabis producers (or users, for that matter). A few other states have considered moving in this direction, and some have done better than others in that effort (e.g., Colorado, Oregon, Hawaii, Washington).
Here in Tennessee, I have prepared a draft prospectus (at the request of several legislators) for one model of a state-run mmj production and distributution system that would allow patients to obtain high-quality, organically grown mmj from local pharmacies for $60 an ounce. In this hypothetical (and truly blue-sky) scenario, state-licensed and monitored mmj farmers would receive $30 of that price, the state would receive $20 to cover program administration and to serve as a general tax revenue, and the pharmacist/distribution system would receive $10. Even at this low per ounce price, we estimate that serving just the patient populations with the most serious conditions for which mmj has shown benefit (e.g., cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis) would generate a $450 million per year production/distribution industry that would provide high-quality medicine at low cost as soon as patients qualify to use it — and contribute $200 million of that amount to the state’s coffers.
We have drawn up that draft scenario for Tennessee because we take seriously what President Obama said in 2008: “When it comes to medical marijuana, I have more of a practical view than anything else. My attitude is that if it’s an issue of doctors prescribing medical marijuana as a treatment for glaucoma or as a cancer treatment, I think that should be appropriate because there really is no difference between that and a doctor prescribing morphine or anything else…. I think the basic concept that using medical marijuana in the same way, with the same controls as other drugs prescribed by doctors, I think that’s entirely appropriate.”
If anyone here would like to read our draft (blue-sky) prospectus for Tennessee, email me at tracevu@bellsouth.net and I’ll send it to you. We have to continue pushing for these practical, cost-effective, patient-centered solutions to mmj production and distribution. Some brave state will lead the way on this. The sooner they succeed, the better — for all of us.