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A Riverside nurse is afraid that if it gets out that she sells medicinal marijuana it will jeopardize her license to practice. She is disabled, and has found that cannabis is the only treatment that has allowed her to continue working and supporting a family.
She sold her home-grown cannabis at the Inland Empire Patients Health and Wellness Center's (IEPHWC) farmer's market on Saturday, Dec. 15. The market allows the medicinal cannabis collective's customers to sell their home-grown cannabis directly to each other, and occurs twice per month.
"This place is the only reason I haven't been homeless." the woman said. "It allowed my kids to have a Christmas. It's personal for me. My dream is to help elderly patients who use cannabis" the woman said. "So many of these people are ashamed to go through nursing, and they shouldn't have to be."
The clinic celebrated its 3rd anniversary on Saturday, holding the market, along with a seminar on the health and medical benefits of marijuana given by Lanny Swerdlow, a founding member of the collective. The talk included a history of marijuana's human use the past 5,000 years, research in the field, the dangers of marijuana use and why it is important as a valid medical treatment.
The city has targeted the collective since its opening in December 2009, defying Riverside's ban on dispensaries. The collective is arguing that under state law, the city can regulate the dispensaries, but not ban them. The city of Riverside has filed a lawsuit against the collective, which is due to be heard by the California Supreme Court, though no hearing date has been set.
Though it remains illegal under federal law, California voters approved the medicinal use of marijuana in 1996. Washington and Colorado voted to approve the recreational use in last month's election. President Obama has said that pursuing recreational cannabis users will not be a priority for his administration.
The legalization of recreational use in other states has been a promising development, said many attending Saturday's event.
"The times are changing" said Jim, a cancer survivor who began to grow his own marijuana for his own treatment. Jim, who did not want his last name published because of the nature of the business he conducts, now sells primarily to help others with their cancer treatments. "To ban it for medical use is contrary to what the people have spoken."
While opponents of medicinal marijuana use believe that dispensaries can cause easier access to the drug for recreational use and an increase in crime, Jim said he believes that information like that available at Saturday's seminar should help show that the benefits outweigh the risks.
James Loomis, who said he is a military veteran, remembered a time when the combination of post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic insomnia, nightmares and anxiety prevented him from functioning on a daily level. After trying other medications, medicinal marijuana has been the only thing he has responded well to.
"I'm only able to be here today because of it," he said. Loomis is an Inland Empire representative for California Vet Meds, an organization that provides medicinal cannabis to veterans, free of charge.
"These places help a lot more people than they hurt." he said.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: pe.com
Author: Emily Wells
Contact: About Us | PE.com - Press-Enterprise
Website: RIVERSIDE: Cannabis collective holds 3rd anniversary farmer
She sold her home-grown cannabis at the Inland Empire Patients Health and Wellness Center's (IEPHWC) farmer's market on Saturday, Dec. 15. The market allows the medicinal cannabis collective's customers to sell their home-grown cannabis directly to each other, and occurs twice per month.
"This place is the only reason I haven't been homeless." the woman said. "It allowed my kids to have a Christmas. It's personal for me. My dream is to help elderly patients who use cannabis" the woman said. "So many of these people are ashamed to go through nursing, and they shouldn't have to be."
The clinic celebrated its 3rd anniversary on Saturday, holding the market, along with a seminar on the health and medical benefits of marijuana given by Lanny Swerdlow, a founding member of the collective. The talk included a history of marijuana's human use the past 5,000 years, research in the field, the dangers of marijuana use and why it is important as a valid medical treatment.
The city has targeted the collective since its opening in December 2009, defying Riverside's ban on dispensaries. The collective is arguing that under state law, the city can regulate the dispensaries, but not ban them. The city of Riverside has filed a lawsuit against the collective, which is due to be heard by the California Supreme Court, though no hearing date has been set.
Though it remains illegal under federal law, California voters approved the medicinal use of marijuana in 1996. Washington and Colorado voted to approve the recreational use in last month's election. President Obama has said that pursuing recreational cannabis users will not be a priority for his administration.
The legalization of recreational use in other states has been a promising development, said many attending Saturday's event.
"The times are changing" said Jim, a cancer survivor who began to grow his own marijuana for his own treatment. Jim, who did not want his last name published because of the nature of the business he conducts, now sells primarily to help others with their cancer treatments. "To ban it for medical use is contrary to what the people have spoken."
While opponents of medicinal marijuana use believe that dispensaries can cause easier access to the drug for recreational use and an increase in crime, Jim said he believes that information like that available at Saturday's seminar should help show that the benefits outweigh the risks.
James Loomis, who said he is a military veteran, remembered a time when the combination of post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic insomnia, nightmares and anxiety prevented him from functioning on a daily level. After trying other medications, medicinal marijuana has been the only thing he has responded well to.
"I'm only able to be here today because of it," he said. Loomis is an Inland Empire representative for California Vet Meds, an organization that provides medicinal cannabis to veterans, free of charge.
"These places help a lot more people than they hurt." he said.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: pe.com
Author: Emily Wells
Contact: About Us | PE.com - Press-Enterprise
Website: RIVERSIDE: Cannabis collective holds 3rd anniversary farmer
