Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
CA - California's medical marijuana model does not provide adequate health services to patients. The health community's acceptance of this model is both deplorable and irresponsible.
With the passage of Prop 215, Californians can receive a recommendation for the use of marijuana from a physician, which is in direct defiance to the federal law under which medical marijuana is illegal. Physicians are reluctant to challenge the federal government and thus avoid recommending medical marijuana to patients. Patients are forced to receive recommendations from brave physician groups who do not have full access to the patient's medical record.
The continued separation of primary health-care providers from their patient's treatment can be devastating to any patient.
Patients with recommendations receive their marijuana from a cannabis dispensary. The dispensary's employees might have extensive knowledge of medical marijuana, but they cannot put that into context with a patient's medication regimen because they lack health-care training. The patients are left to fend for themselves.
Pharmacies cannot legally dispense cannabis because medical marijuana does not come in a standardized product and no pharmaceutical producer of cannabis exists.
The federal government needs to re-evaluate its prohibitive classification of marijuana. Until we see a federal change, patients will continue to suffer from a lack optimal care.
NewsHawk: User: 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: sfgate.com
Author: Jon Hutchinson - a third-year pharmacy student at UCSF
Copyright: 2010 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: Contact Us — SFGate, news and information for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Website: Opinion Shop : Open Forum: Medical pot law doesn't serve patients
With the passage of Prop 215, Californians can receive a recommendation for the use of marijuana from a physician, which is in direct defiance to the federal law under which medical marijuana is illegal. Physicians are reluctant to challenge the federal government and thus avoid recommending medical marijuana to patients. Patients are forced to receive recommendations from brave physician groups who do not have full access to the patient's medical record.
The continued separation of primary health-care providers from their patient's treatment can be devastating to any patient.
Patients with recommendations receive their marijuana from a cannabis dispensary. The dispensary's employees might have extensive knowledge of medical marijuana, but they cannot put that into context with a patient's medication regimen because they lack health-care training. The patients are left to fend for themselves.
Pharmacies cannot legally dispense cannabis because medical marijuana does not come in a standardized product and no pharmaceutical producer of cannabis exists.
The federal government needs to re-evaluate its prohibitive classification of marijuana. Until we see a federal change, patients will continue to suffer from a lack optimal care.
NewsHawk: User: 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: sfgate.com
Author: Jon Hutchinson - a third-year pharmacy student at UCSF
Copyright: 2010 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: Contact Us — SFGate, news and information for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Website: Opinion Shop : Open Forum: Medical pot law doesn't serve patients
