California
Planting the Seeds of Change — By Edwin Lopez California has long been a progressive state, and now it looks like the state may be ready to spark another controversy. Pioneering in many different arenas, including business and technology, environmental control, renewable energy, and politics, California has often paved the way for other states to follow. One of the more recent manifestations of this pioneering spirit was the passage of a ground-breaking medical marijuana. California was the first state to allow marijuana for medical use with Prop 215 in 1996, allowing use, possession, and cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes with the recommendation of a physician, setting a new precedent for the nation. Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of the National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, says “California is a country unto itself — It’s the sixth or seventh economy in the world. One out of eight Americans lives in California, so if you change something in California, it changes in the U.S.” Maybe this is why many people say, “As California goes, so goes the country.”
By 2004, when Senate Bill 420 provided guidelines outlining what was allowed, nine other states had enacted similar laws legalizing medical marijuana. As of today there are 14 states, with New Jersey being the most recent due to Senate Bill 119 which passed this year. Recently, there has been debate within California over this issue, though, and even as Los Angeles’ City Council begins to enforce an ordinance regulating medical marijuana dispensaries, the state prepares to vote on the possible regulation and taxation of marijuana for adults. California is at the forefront of the current marijuana movement, and this is a pivotal point in time for medical marijuana and legalization of marijuana, but it is still a controversial subject within the state. Many cities like San Francisco, Oakland, and West Hollywood, allow medical marijuana dispensaries to operate with restrictions. A number of other cities, including Pasadena and Fresno, have outright bans on medical marijuana dispensaries. The dispensaries which provide the medical marijuana are separate from the clinics where one can get a doctor’s referral, though,
and even cities with bans on dispensaries sometimes allow clinics, like Glendale and Pasadena. Pico Rivera is reconsidering a year-old ban on medical marijuana dispensaries after the federal government announced it will no longer target them for raids. In contrast, Oakland is home to a marijuana cultivation school known as Oaksterdam University, and has just recently opened a 15,000-square-foot hydroponic supply store, with the inaugural celebration attended by many city officials.
Dispensaries If you were to visit a dispensary, it would be quite an interesting experience. Upon arriving for the first time, a patient is required to sign up as a member of the pharmacy. The big, muscular security guard at the front desk is usually quite nice. He or she smiles and says “Hi! Are you a new patient?” which makes you feel very welcome. Once checked in, you are buzzed into the back area, where patients are allowed to enter two or three at a time, depending on how many people are behind the counter.
Jared, a 56-year-old student with significant medical issues, supports the legalization of marijuana for medical treatment and the decriminalization of pot as a recreational drug. California, along with a number of other states, is re-evaluating the criminal status of marijuana, and how the state copes with varying degrees of legality may set a precedent for the nation to follow.
Photo by Jane Pojawa
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Spring 2010 | the insider
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