Medical Marijuana DispensaryWelcome to our medical marijuana dispensary site that includes information about how to open a medical marijuana dispensary, become a legal medical marijuana business and/or collective in your state, find a medical marijuana lawyer and/or an accountant as well as information on how to become a patient. We can also help you find a location for your medical marijuana business, get insurance, create a business plan for your potential investors and even build your medical marijuana grow-op or dispensary. The medical marijuana industry has been a subject of much scrutiny in the media. With conflicting accounts from many sources it is hard to determine what the true guidelines are when it comes to operating a medical marijuana business. Many voters in states of California, Colorado, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, Alaska, etc. have legislated the use of medical marijuana and the sale of hemp through medical marijuana dispensaries. In light of the legislation being passed, many dispensaries are still subject to DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) crack downs. The purpose of this website is to provide as much information about this complex industry as possible and to point you in the right direction for help accomplishing your goals. HOW TO OPEN A MARIJUANA DISPENSARY If you are seeking to open a marijuana dispensary then this website is the place to go. We have assisted hundreds of people in opening their marijuana dispensary, marijuana collective or marijuana grow-op. To open a marijuana dispensary you must know the state and federal law and adhere to local ordinance. An open marijuana dispensary means the marijuana collective manager has done all his homework and found out what it takes to open a marijuana dispensary legally and with the permission of the community. A proper open marijuana dispensary is one that maintains its records and integrity. It’s easy for law enforcement to close an open marijuana dispensary is if things are not done according to code. If you see a sign that says “Open Marijuana Dispensary” you want to find a well-run, clean and professional operation. Not one that will make the neighborhood ashamed or feel like a den of iniquity. It should be one that you would be proud to bring your grandmother to. A well-managed open marijuana dispensary will be comfortable, well-lit, have a friendly and knowledgeable staff and be convenient to use. An open marijuana dispensary will have edibles, concentrates and a variety of indicas and sativas. If you open a marijuana dispensary you will be surprised at how much it is like any other retail operation. So, if you have a background in retail business or are already the owner of a corporation, there won’t be much you aren’t familiar with. Your open marijuana dispensary will be run with much of the same rules and regulations a “normal” business has. The typical open marijuana dispensary has the normal concerns of the average neighborhood business. Is the signage offensive? Is the business adding anything to the community? Are they contributing the way an open marijuana dispensary should? Do they serve the homebound and terminally ill? Is this an open marijuana dispensary that has quality product and offers counseling and one on one consultations? If you consult with us you will learn that these things are all a major part of how you will be perceived in the community. You must do things that will let people know you are a responsible open marijuana dispensary. Things like cleaning up the trash or dog excrement in the neighborhood or feeding the homeless in the area will go a long way toward showing the people of your community that you are serious about making a positive impact. Medical marijuana dispensaries are storefront locations where patients and caregivers with a doctor’s prescription are allowed to obtain their medication, without the fear of repercussion or prosecution of the law. Many of these medical marijuana dispensaries have a variety of cannabis, from smoking the medical marijuana to consumables like candy bars, cakes, cookies, beverages, ice cream, and even hot sauce. With one location that provides all your needs, many medical marijuana patients prefer this method of obtaining their medication, as opposed to illegally obtaining their medication from an unknown, dangerous source. There are many Medical Marijuana dispensaries throughout the United States of America! Contact us with any questions you may have about any phase of the operation of a medical marijuana dispensary. Whether you need a doctor’s recommendation, a location for your grow-op or medical marijuana dispensary, insurance for your grow-op or medical marijuana dispensary or help forming your collective or corporation, call us today! What is medical marijuana and its uses in a medical Marijuana dispensary? Medical Marijuana or Medical Cannabis refers to the use of the Cannabis plant as a physician-recommended drug or herbal therapy. Medical Marijuana also includes synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other cannabinoids. Its use requires a prescription in California, and distribution is restricted and defined by state and local laws. There are several methods of administration, including smoking dried buds or leaves, drinking or eating extracts, and taking synthetic THC pills. The National Institutes of Health has examined the effectiveness of this treatment in a comparative study (http://www.nih.gov/news/medmarijuana/MedicalMarijuana.htm). Who uses medical marijuana dispensary? Many people who suffer from a wide array of diseases and ailments are helped by medical marijuana. There are over 250 diseases that have been recognized, and many others are currently joining this list. Below are some of chronic diseases and ailments that can be treated with Medical Marijuana: • Back/Joint Pain • Depression • Anxiety • Premenstrual syndrome • Crohn's disease • Insomnia • Nausea • Anorexia • Arthritis • Cancer • HIV/Aids • Gastrointestinal Diseases • Movement Disorders How is Medical Marijuana is obtained in some states legally at medical marijuana dispensary? Patients must first be seen by a California licensed board physician, who will determine if the patient can be helped by medical marijuana in which in the patient may seek a medical marijuana dispensary. The physician then writes a prescription for the patient. Many physicians specialize in medical marijuana and can better assist some patients in determining if medical marijuana therapy is right for them as well refer them to a medical marijuana dispensary. Patients and/or caregivers must also obtain a Medical Marijuana I.D. card from the California Department of Public Health. The I.D. card must be presented at a government authorized medical marijuana dispensary to allow sale and purchase of medical marijuana. Some physicians also assist their patients in this procedure. Those who attempt to purchase medical marijuana from a dispensary without and ID card can face arrest and prosecution. People who apply for or obtain an ID card for Medical Marijuana are protected by medical privacy laws. Patients and caregivers will be required to fill out a form and submit personal health information to obtain a Medical Marijuana I.D. card. This information is private under HIPPA laws and doctor patient confidentiality laws. No patient’s name is shared with anybody including federal, state, or local agencies of any kind. Application information for the California Medical Marijuana Program is available by mail and online: California Department of Public Health Medical Marijuana Dispensary information in Los Angeles Los Angeles is home to many licensed medical marijuana dispensaries, and Los Angeles patients can likely find one close to their neighborhood. Dispensaries offer many strains of medical cannabis which are usually suitable for smoking or ingesting with food. Some dispensaries hold workshops and support groups for their clients, as well as knowledgeable staff to help direct clients to the product that is most suitable for their condition. A valid doctor’s recommendation is required to gain admittance to any medical cannabis dispensary. The Laws in California for Medical Marijuana Dispensary In the United States, 13 states have recognized medical marijuana: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. In California, Colorado, New Mexico and Rhode Island, patients must utilize dispensaries to obtain medical cannabis. With the passage of Prop 215 in 1996 and Senate Bill 420, the state of California provides legal protections for patients, physicians and care givers who possess, prescribe, and distribute medical marijuana. Many people who suffer from a condition or disease have benefited from medical marijuana. Patients must obtain legal recommendation from a board-certified physician. In California patients must also acquire a medical marijuana ID card, for a fee of about $65. Patients and caregivers are permitted to possess up to 8 ounces of usable medical marijuana. The law in California: Proposition 215 for Medical Marijuana Dispensary Removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess a "written or oral recommendation" from their physician that he or she "would benefit from medical marijuana." Patients diagnosed with any debilitating illness where the medical use of marijuana has been "deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician" are afforded legal protection under this act. Approved Conditions: AIDS, anorexia, arthritis, cachexia, cancer, chronic pain, glaucoma, migraine, persistent muscle spasms, including spasms associated with multiple sclerosis, seizures, including seizures associated with epilepsy, severe nausea; Other chronic or persistent medical symptoms. S.B. 420 also grants implied legal protection to the state's medicinal marijuana dispensaries, stating, "Qualified patients, persons with valid identification cards, and the designated primary caregivers of qualified patients ... who associate within the state of California in order collectively or cooperatively to cultivate marijuana for medical purposes, shall not solely on the basis of that fact be subject to state criminal sanctions." The History of Medical Marijuana The wide array of uses for Cannabis has been applied by many cultures throughout the world. Cannabis’ tough fibers have been used to make rope, and even veterinary remedies have been employed. More and more medicinal uses are being discovered even today. Ancient China & Ancient Taiwan Cannabis is known to have been used to make fiber in ancient Taiwan, about 10,000 years ago, and for about 4,000 years it has been used for medicinal purposes. Cannabis comprises one of the 50 "fundamental" herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. As early as the 3rd century AD, cannabis was used as an anesthetic, being powdered and administered with wine. It was also used to treat vomiting, infectious and parasitic hemorrhaging. Ancient Egypt for Medical Marijuana Medical marijuana in Egypt was described as long ago as 1700 BC by ancient Egyptian papyri such as Ramesseum III Papyrus (1700 BC), the Berlin Papyrus and the Chester Beatty Medical Papyrus VI (1300 BC). Ancient Egyptians used hemp (cannabis) to relieve pain from hemorrhoids, adding it to suppositories. Some Egyptian texts dating as far back as eighteenth century B.C - noted by egyptologist Lise Manniche - refer to "plant medical marijuana". Ancient India for Medical Marijuana Doctors in ancient India used Cannabis for a variety of ailments, including insomnia, headaches, and several gastrointestinal disorders. It was also used to relieve pain of childbirth. Some Ancient Indian texts show that they recognized the psychoactive properties of cannabis as well. Ancient Greece for Medical Marijuana Cannabis was used by the Ancient Greeks for both human and animal medicine. Wounds and sores on their horses were dressed with Cannabis. A common use in humans was to treat ear inflammation and pain with the extract of green Cannabis seeds soaked in water or wine. Other uses included using dried leaves to treat nose bleeds, and administering seeds to expel tapeworms. Medieval Islam for Medical Marijuana Arabic doctors in the 8th to 18th centuries used medical marijuana for a host of ailments. Applications included using Cannabis as a diuretic, anti-nausea, anti-inflammatory, pain killing and fever reduction (Cannabis sativa) remedy. Modern Medicine for Medical Marijuana By the 19th Century, Cannabis was commonly used medicinally throughout much of the world, including Europe, and was used as the primary pain reliever until aspirin was invented. William Brooke O'Shaughnessy, an Irish doctor who was an herb professor at the Medical College of Calcutta, was primarily responsible for bringing the healing properties of marijuana to the Western World of Medicine in the early 1800’s. In the 1830s O'Shaughnessy experimented on animals and went on to administer it to patients for treatment of muscle spasms, stomach cramps and general pain. O'Shaughnessy and his colleagues later used Cannabis for melancholia, migraines, and as a sleeping aid, nausea and as an anticonvulsant. In 1937 the United States banned cannabis in a federal law, the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act. The law was supported by negative stereotypes propagated in the U.S. that the drug was dangerous and altered rational behavior. Cannabis was used primarily by Mexican and African immigrants to the U.S. It wasn’t until later in the century, that researchers discovered that smoking marijuana reduced intraocular pressure, and applications for glaucoma patients were initiated. Tod H. Mikuriya, M.D. brought to light the medicinal properties of cannabis in his "Marijuana Medical Papers” published in 1972, in which several applications were discussed. It was believed that using Cannabis to treat the intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients could prevent blindness. Battle-induced muscle spasms from spinal injuries were thought to be prevented in Vietnam War veterans, and ailments such as lack of appetite associated with the wasting syndromes from chemotherapy and AIDS are other diseases were successfully treated by medical Cannabis. There are a multitude of other uses including some rare muscular and skeletal disorders, alcoholism hard drug addiction and the prevention of migraines. Modern Science has isolated the main active component in Cannabis: Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which accounts for both psychoactive and medicinal properties. In the 1970s, a synthetic version of THC, Marinol, was manufactured and placed into a pill form. However, due to user complaints and problems, many people went back to smoking the plant. For example, chemotherapy patients experiencing violent nausea found it difficult to swallow the pills, and the effects took longer than smoking the plant. In addition, there may be interactive effects with THC and other substances in the marijuana plant that are not felt when Marinol is taken. In the 1970s and 1980s, health departments of six states in the U.S. studied the use of medical cannabis. Between 1996 and 1999 voters in several states including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington supported cannabis prescriptions given by physicians, which went against policies of the federal government. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) have completed research on several medicinal uses of Cannabis, and on October 7, 2003 the United States Department of Health and Human Services was awarded a patent entitled "Cannabinoids as Antioxidants and Neuroprotectants" (#6,630,507). The patent claims that cannabinoids are "useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and HIV dementia."
|
