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CLICK H

There are times when he smokes to help himself study. There are times when he does it to relieve the pain in his knees.

Then there are times when Mike uses medicinal marijuana to receive what he says is a smoother, much cleaner high than he can get from the cannabis he could obtain illegally.

Mike, who declined to give his full name because doing so could jeopardize his employment, is one of an estimated 200,000 people in California who currently have prescriptions for medical marijuana, which allows them to buy marijuana legally.

Their use of marijuana was made legal 10 years ago when California voters approved Proposition 215, which made the state one of the first in the country to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

From subduing chronic pains to increasing a patient’s appetite, the chemicals found in marijuana have proven therapeutic and beneficial in certain illnesses, such as cancer and arthritis.

Though the proposition has opened up more avenues to patients in need of alternative medications for their illnesses, concerns still exist about the legitimacy of the drugs as an appropriate therapy and about patients who may be using the law to get marijuana for recreational, rather than medicinal, purposes.

Mike said his doctor gave him a prescription for marijuana because of pains he felt in his knees as a result of injuries accumulated from his years as a high school wrestler.

Though he has noticed his pains dwindling as a result of the unconventional medication, he said his initial motive for obtaining a prescription had little to do with his ongoing knee problems.

“I wanted to get more, cleaner stuff,” he said.

Marijuana, a psychoactive drug, is collected and produced from parts of the Cannabis sativa plant. The major chemical that creates the therapeutic and euphoric effects of marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC.

The most common side effect is the high for which the drug is popularly known.

But the high a user experiences depends on the way the plant was cultivated, its species and hybridization, method of consumption, and the user’s physical and mental conditions, according to the Web site for Americans for Safe Access, a medicinal marijuana legal protection organization.

To receive a state identification card for the legal use of medicinal marijuana, a person must be evaluated and recommended by a state-certified doctor, using proof such as X-rays and previous medical examinations to confirm the patient’s illness.

But Mike said the process he went through two months ago to receive his prescription was relatively quick and simple. He said had found a flier for a cannabis doctor and set up an appointment. After looking at his past medical records and before approving his prescription, he said the doctor discussed with him other possible alternatives to relieve pain in his knee.

He said he was approved for the prescription within 30 minutes.

“If you’re an adult and you feel like you need a prescription, you can get it through these doctors. The state lets me do this legally, so I might as well do the paperwork to do it legally,” Mike said.

After the card has been issued, a patient can use it at any marijuana dispensary. To filter out false identification cards, with every purchase the dispensary reconfirms with the person’s doctor that the prescription was given.

Depending on the patient’s illness, different modes of consumption are offered, from inhalation to vaporization to consumption in food products.

At marijuana dispensaries, an eighth of an ounce of marijuana can cost up to $80, a bottle of medicinal marijuana soda costs $12 and marijuana lollipops cost $10.

Mike said he has built a tolerance to the drug due to consistent use, so edible products have little effect on him.

William Dolphin, spokesman for Americans for Safe Access, said he has seen this tolerance in patients – when the high from marijuana begins to fade and the therapeutic effects are taken in more efficiently.

“Patients I know who use cannabis to control serious conditions report that the euphoric effect starts disappearing. They get the medical effect, but not the psychological effect,” Dolphin said.

Based on the patient’s illness, the uses of medicinal marijuana can have different therapeutic effects.

A person with HIV could use it to better build and support their appetite, an effect the drug has on the body, while a patient with muscle spasms could turn to marijuana for body relaxation, Dolphin said.

Mike said he has noticed these effects on his own body.

Because of drug testing related to his employment, Mike was unable to smoke for three weeks. In that time period, the pain he had felt in his knees began to return, since he had been used to taking in five grams of marijuana a day.

The Food and Drug Administration has recognized marijuana’s utility as a medicinal plant and has approved two drugs that contain active ingredients present in cannabis: Marinol and Cesamet.

But some doctors and experts are concerned about the legitimacy of the drug as an alternative medicine and worry that some patients may turn to it too quickly.

Because too little research has been done to fully justify the use of the cannabis plant as a practical medication, the American Medical Association said further information should be gathered to fully examine any negative impacts of the drug, as well as potential benefits.

According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, past studies show that smoked marijuana does damage the brain, heart, lungs and immune system.

Opponents to legalized medical marijuana also say the individual’s distorted sensations and judgment, which result from chemicals present in the plant, could affect, and potentially harm, other people.

But Dolphin said other conventional drugs, such as codeine, when taken in large doses can produce the same influence on the body yet are still legal in pharmacies.

He added since the passing of the proposition, changes and amendments have been made to it, increasing additional protection for patients and allowing states to have one of the most comprehensive policies surrounding medicinal marijuana use.

“(Proposition 215 has) been really positive in that it helps increase access to patients and helps bring the issue to the community at large. It is becoming a unique drug that provides an alternative to the conventional treatments,” Dolphin said.