What you need to know about the upcoming medical marijuana bill, State question 788.

I want to make this very clear from the start, I believe that medical marijuana can have some amazing benefits if administered properly.  Recently, I just returned from an integrative cancer conference where we spent THREE DAYS talking about medical marijuana.  I am for medical marijuana BUT I am NOT for this state question.  Here is what I learned that you need to know.

Did you know??

• Each strain of marijuana has a certain ratio of THC to CBD. The ratios dictate what medical condition it may be used to treat. Using the wrong ratio of THC:CBD you can actually make diseases worse and create serious medical issues.  As a result, the wrong ratios can even accelerate cancer or make epilepsy worse!
• If you grow one strain in three different locations it will have a different ratio of THC to CBD even though they are the same plant. That means if it is grown in a greenhouse vs your back yard vs Colorado even if they are the same strain they will have different amounts of THC:CBD.
• In order to determine the ratio, each batch must be tested and verified so it can be labeled correctly.
• Growers are mass producing marijuana and it is now having the same pesticide problem as other crops. So, if you inhale/ingest this you are potentially taking on high doses of pesticides.
• Medical marijuana is best dosed as an oil or a tincture NOT edibles. Baking marijuana in brownies, for instance may result in potentially toxic doses in one brownie with very little in the next.  As a general rule, the physicians who actively prescribe medical marijuana do not recommend edibles for this reason.

This state question does NOT set up regulations that allow for the safety of medical marijuana.

It does NOT provide for the following:

• No provisions requiring verification of ratios
• No regulations on what conditions medical marijuana is indicated for. All someone has to do is say they need it.
• There is no certification to teach physicians how to properly dose and which ratios to look for. *this sets the public up for a huge misuse/abuse issue just like Colorado has
• No provisions requiring quality or testing
• No regulations how the marijuana must be grown
• There are no regulations on testing for edibles
• No regulations on qualifications of a dispensary. You don’t see our pharmaceutical medications in a retail store with advice being given by someone who has no clue in how they dispense it.

What are other states doing?

If this state question is passed our rules will be LESS stringent that Colorado!!  Let’s compare three states side by side.  Florida has one of the better medical marijuana regulations.  In fact, their physicians have to go thru a certification course on how to write for medical marijuana to benefit their patients.

This is NOT about whether medical marijuana is beneficial or not. This state question is not setting up any regulations for the safety of recommending the proper medical marijuana. It is not as easy as just growing your own plant in your back yard. In my opinion, we will be worse than Colorado if this passes. I would like to see a different bill/state question that offers regulations for this industry to assure the safety of the users. We do need to make this available for the people who really need it but without some regulations we are just going to be repeating what history has so effectively proven to be a horrible system.