Medical marijuana: Is it abuse of privilege or helpful medicine?
Medical marijuana continues to face scrutiny in California, especially as pot clinics open and close in the Valley and we get closer to voting on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
There are only three doctors in the Fresno area who recommend marijuana as medical treatment and only one agreed to be part of this CBS47 special report.
CBS47's Tony Botti sat in on a consultation to see what it takes to get a medical marijuana id card.
The debate over whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use is about to get serious. In November, California voters will head to the ballot box to say yes or no to taxing and regulating cannabis.
A total 14 states allow marijuana to be used as medicine and it has been legal in California for a decade.
Some doctors who currently recommend cannabis to treat illnesses do not want to see it legalized for everyone.
Pathologist Daniel Brubaker thinks it should strictly be used as medicine. The Fresno doctor only prescribed traditional pharmaceuticals up until three years ago. That's when he became convinced of marijuana's health benefits and made cannabis his recommended treatment of choice. "It works. One medication, one herb can handle five, six, seven different medical issues that would require expensive drugs," said Dr. Brubaker.
And some of these prescription drugs don't work on every patient effectively -- patients like Jason Lerma, who drove up from Porterville to see Dr. Brubaker.
Lerma says he uses medical marijuana to help him with pain. Lerma has diabetes and his kidneys no longer work. He's had an eye removed, lost part of his right foot and suffers from anxiety, insomnia and severe nausea. He says the only time he's comfortable is when he uses marijuana.
Lerma began illegally self medicating last year after a friend suggested it. "I was reluctant to try it because of everyone's notion of weed and after I did, I saw a major difference," Lerma said.
Now he wants to get his hands on a medical marijuana card, which will allow him access to the drug legally.
In the end, Dr. Brubaker recommended medical marijuana for Lerma and because of the doctor's okay, he is allowed to possess as much as a half pound of processed marijuana and grow up to 6 mature plants.
"I'm a big proponent of growing your own plants," Dr. Brubaker said. The doctor gives his new patient an informational handout, which includes rules and recipes.
"Most of them use it as edibles, teas, rarely smoke it. That whole process allows the body to relax more and they don't get the euphoria, so it's not like using it for recreational purposes," Brubaker said.
Lerma will now carry a card at all times so he can show it to police officers if he needs to prove his marijuana use is legitimate.
Lieutenant Don Gross of the Fresno Police Department says officers never take a card at face value. "We'll try and determine if the card actually matches the person and if there actually was a doctor's recommendation. There are several ways we can do that," Lt. Gross said.
Lt. Gross says people on the up and up hardly ever pose a problem. "We don't ever come in contact with the legitimate ones because they're not drawing attention to themselves," Gross said.
California now has more than 200,000 medical marijuana patients. Brubaker says he's seen about 1,500 patients inquiring about cannabis in just the last year. "Out of that, I've probably rejected about 5%, Brubaker said.
About 75 people rejected out of 1,500; numbers which could easily raise an eyebrow about Brubaker's practice.
Dr. Brubaker says he stands by every recommendation he writes. "This is not just a fly by night thing and I don't care what law enforcement says, what I do is legitimate," said Brubaker.
It's worth mentioning that Dr. Daniel Brubaker is part of an ongoing narcotics investigation. The case involves oxycontin -- not marijuana. The Clovis Police, the DEA and the Medical Board initiated the investigation two years ago.
Brubaker issued this statement on the matter: "I think it's bogus. I don't know who is behind it. I've done nothing wrong. My attorneys are working on it. I am looking at possibly filing a lawsuit against them."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: CBS47
Author: Tony Botti
Copyright: 2010 High Plains Broadcasting LLC.
Medical marijuana continues to face scrutiny in California, especially as pot clinics open and close in the Valley and we get closer to voting on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
There are only three doctors in the Fresno area who recommend marijuana as medical treatment and only one agreed to be part of this CBS47 special report.
CBS47's Tony Botti sat in on a consultation to see what it takes to get a medical marijuana id card.
The debate over whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use is about to get serious. In November, California voters will head to the ballot box to say yes or no to taxing and regulating cannabis.
A total 14 states allow marijuana to be used as medicine and it has been legal in California for a decade.
Some doctors who currently recommend cannabis to treat illnesses do not want to see it legalized for everyone.
Pathologist Daniel Brubaker thinks it should strictly be used as medicine. The Fresno doctor only prescribed traditional pharmaceuticals up until three years ago. That's when he became convinced of marijuana's health benefits and made cannabis his recommended treatment of choice. "It works. One medication, one herb can handle five, six, seven different medical issues that would require expensive drugs," said Dr. Brubaker.
And some of these prescription drugs don't work on every patient effectively -- patients like Jason Lerma, who drove up from Porterville to see Dr. Brubaker.
Lerma says he uses medical marijuana to help him with pain. Lerma has diabetes and his kidneys no longer work. He's had an eye removed, lost part of his right foot and suffers from anxiety, insomnia and severe nausea. He says the only time he's comfortable is when he uses marijuana.
Lerma began illegally self medicating last year after a friend suggested it. "I was reluctant to try it because of everyone's notion of weed and after I did, I saw a major difference," Lerma said.
Now he wants to get his hands on a medical marijuana card, which will allow him access to the drug legally.
In the end, Dr. Brubaker recommended medical marijuana for Lerma and because of the doctor's okay, he is allowed to possess as much as a half pound of processed marijuana and grow up to 6 mature plants.
"I'm a big proponent of growing your own plants," Dr. Brubaker said. The doctor gives his new patient an informational handout, which includes rules and recipes.
"Most of them use it as edibles, teas, rarely smoke it. That whole process allows the body to relax more and they don't get the euphoria, so it's not like using it for recreational purposes," Brubaker said.
Lerma will now carry a card at all times so he can show it to police officers if he needs to prove his marijuana use is legitimate.
Lieutenant Don Gross of the Fresno Police Department says officers never take a card at face value. "We'll try and determine if the card actually matches the person and if there actually was a doctor's recommendation. There are several ways we can do that," Lt. Gross said.
Lt. Gross says people on the up and up hardly ever pose a problem. "We don't ever come in contact with the legitimate ones because they're not drawing attention to themselves," Gross said.
California now has more than 200,000 medical marijuana patients. Brubaker says he's seen about 1,500 patients inquiring about cannabis in just the last year. "Out of that, I've probably rejected about 5%, Brubaker said.
About 75 people rejected out of 1,500; numbers which could easily raise an eyebrow about Brubaker's practice.
Dr. Brubaker says he stands by every recommendation he writes. "This is not just a fly by night thing and I don't care what law enforcement says, what I do is legitimate," said Brubaker.
It's worth mentioning that Dr. Daniel Brubaker is part of an ongoing narcotics investigation. The case involves oxycontin -- not marijuana. The Clovis Police, the DEA and the Medical Board initiated the investigation two years ago.
Brubaker issued this statement on the matter: "I think it's bogus. I don't know who is behind it. I've done nothing wrong. My attorneys are working on it. I am looking at possibly filing a lawsuit against them."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: CBS47
Author: Tony Botti
Copyright: 2010 High Plains Broadcasting LLC.
