Jacob Bell
New Member
Laguna Woods, Orange County -- Joe Schwartz is a 90-year-old great-grandfather of three who enjoys a few puffs of pot each night before he crawls into bed.
The World War II veteran, who smokes the drug to ease debilitating nausea, is one of about 150 senior citizens on a sprawling, 18,000-person gated campus who belong to a thriving medical marijuana collective in one of America's largest retirement communities.
The fledgling collective mirrors a nationwide trend as more senior citizens turn to marijuana, legal or not, to ease the aches and pains of aging.
But in Laguna Woods Village, these ganja-smoking grandparents have stirred up a heated debate with their collective, attracting a crackdown from within the self-governed community.
Many members of the 2-year-old collective keep a low profile, but others grow seedlings on their patios and set up workshops to show other seniors how to turn the marijuana leaves into tea, milk and a vapor that can be inhaled to relieve ailments from chemotherapy-related nausea to multiple sclerosis and arthritis.
The most recent project involves getting collective members to plant 40 seeds from experimental varieties of marijuana that are said to have anti-inflammatory properties best suited for elderly ailments.
Under California law, people with a variety of conditions, from migraines to cancer, can get a written doctor's recommendation for medical marijuana and join a pot collective to get what they need or grow their own supply. All the members of Laguna Woods Village's collective are legal users under state law.
Susan Margolis, who sat on an advisory committee at the complex, said the debate has divided people along generational lines in a community where the average age is 78 but new residents can move in at 55. She estimated that up to 10 of her younger neighbors take medical pot for ailments but said many older residents are fiercely opposed.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: sfgate.com
Author: Gillian Flaccus
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Hearst Communications Inc.
Website: Medical pot collective splits retirement community
The World War II veteran, who smokes the drug to ease debilitating nausea, is one of about 150 senior citizens on a sprawling, 18,000-person gated campus who belong to a thriving medical marijuana collective in one of America's largest retirement communities.
The fledgling collective mirrors a nationwide trend as more senior citizens turn to marijuana, legal or not, to ease the aches and pains of aging.
But in Laguna Woods Village, these ganja-smoking grandparents have stirred up a heated debate with their collective, attracting a crackdown from within the self-governed community.
Many members of the 2-year-old collective keep a low profile, but others grow seedlings on their patios and set up workshops to show other seniors how to turn the marijuana leaves into tea, milk and a vapor that can be inhaled to relieve ailments from chemotherapy-related nausea to multiple sclerosis and arthritis.
The most recent project involves getting collective members to plant 40 seeds from experimental varieties of marijuana that are said to have anti-inflammatory properties best suited for elderly ailments.
Under California law, people with a variety of conditions, from migraines to cancer, can get a written doctor's recommendation for medical marijuana and join a pot collective to get what they need or grow their own supply. All the members of Laguna Woods Village's collective are legal users under state law.
Susan Margolis, who sat on an advisory committee at the complex, said the debate has divided people along generational lines in a community where the average age is 78 but new residents can move in at 55. She estimated that up to 10 of her younger neighbors take medical pot for ailments but said many older residents are fiercely opposed.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: sfgate.com
Author: Gillian Flaccus
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Hearst Communications Inc.
Website: Medical pot collective splits retirement community
