I can not begin to tell you how many patients are prescribed xanax by their primary care doctors for chronic issues like insomnia and “stress”.    Very few patients understand how addictive these medications are.    It is only because of cases like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston that patients are beginning to understand why they do not want to take them.   In addition to being highly addictive and dangerous, they do not address the underlying cause and only treat symptoms.

More and more patients are turning to cannabis for sleep and anxiety and ditching their Xanax in the trash.    They are finding that they are getting good control of their symptoms and their sleep improves dramatically.    Cannabis also does not have any of the addictive properties that we commonly see with benzodiazepines.   Patients simply vaporize one or two doses and go to sleep.

The federal government has basically taken a stance that when it comes to medical marijuana the states have no rights.   They are determined to make it difficult for store front dispensaries to operate.   How long this will last is the question.   The California Supreme Court has decided to review the Pack Case to see if the feds can legally interfere with state law and shut down local collectives.  That will take at least 12-24 months. 

Because of the federal governments stance the city of Long Beach is voting on February 14 whether or not to reverse its ordinance that created a safe haven for a few well run dispensaries to operate.    Los Angeles is in the process of figuring out what to do with its few hundred dispensaries as well.   In the next 2-3 months the landscape could change even more.

So what does this mean for patients?    Certainly they may have to drive a little bit further to find a great collective.  Many will simply turn to delivery services. Many will learn how to grow their own.  Industry experts have been telling patients how hard it is to grow quality medicine but that simply is not the case.    For most patients, a small up front investment and a little time is all it would take to get enough medicine to last an entire year.   The state allows you to grow 12 plants (6 mature at any given time) which should yield 4 ounces per plant.   The average patient uses between 1-5 eighths of an ounce per month.   That means an ounce would last them 4 months.   If you do the math one harvest can yield enough medicine to last a few years.  There are plenty of good resources for patients to grow their own medicine.  Many hydroponic shops have instructions on exactly how to do it.

How did this happen?  How did we go from President Obama saying he was not going to use federal resources to go after states medical marijuana laws to regular raids using federal resources?     In my opinion the industry has no one to blame but themselves.  Let me explain.

1. Lets start with the doctors.  It is inexcusable how doctors have distorted the law for $25 have handed out recommendations to anyone who can fog a mirror.  The state medical board set guidelines for recommending medical marijuana and the bottom line is that they are not being followed.   I can not count how many times over the past 6 months I have told patients that they do not qualify who have presented recommendations previously from other doctors.  The majority of these cases is because the patients have not been adequately evaluated by doctors for the condition they are telling me they are using medical marijuana for.   For example, a 23 year old male came in with a previous recommendation to use cannabis for migraine headaches.   He was never evaluated or even diagnosed for his headaches.  In fact he had not been to a doctor in over 7 years.  The last time he did see a doctor for for a sports physical in high school.    Yet, despite having no documentation of having migraine headaches he was given a medical marijuana recommendation. As a result of this blatant disregard for the state guidelines we had half of the senior graduating high school class partying with medical marijuana.

2.  Dispensaries:  The reality is that the many of the dispensaries were not helping the cause.   Many were blatantly providing marijuana to recreational users and drug dealers.    Many would sell ounces at a time on more than one occasion in the same week to the SAME patient. Clearly they know that he/she was selling it and not using all that medicine for personal use.    Secondly, how many raids of dispensaries also turned up cocaine?!!  Clearly these dispensaries were illegally dealing drugs under the guise of medical marijuana.    When dispensaries advertise “happy hour” and put girls in thongs behind the counter they are not giving any city official the impression that they are interested in taking care of patients.

3. HempCon:   all you to do is walk through a hemp con convention to realize that much of medical marijuana is recreational use.   “Hot girl contests”, “Smoke rooms” and the in your face advertising only hurt the genuine medical marijuana community.   It’s pretty hard to stand in front of the city council and argue why we need good dispensaries in the community when there are so many bad apples hurting the cause.

The difficult thing to accept about this recent crack down is that there are genuine patients who need this medicine who are going to suffer.    I wish the legitimate patients could have a voice in all of this.    Last week I took care of a 61 year old man with end stage cancer who really needs safe access to medical marijuana.  He would not know what to do without it other than suffer tremendously.   It breaks my heart to see good dispensaries go down as a result of all the bad apples.

If you are a patient who suffers from insomnia I would like to give you some alternatives to try if you are not a fan of medical marijuana.

1. Melatonin:  before you skip to the next suggestion you must read this.   Many patients try over the counter Melatonin and say that it does not work.   The typical dose is 3mg.   The problem with over the counter melatonin is that it is not sustained release and has a very short half life.    Secondly, ver the counter products have no standardization which means the dosing can vary and you have no idea how many milligrams you are actually getting.   They are typically NOT micronized and have poor absorption.   Lastly, the ingredients can be contaminated because you ahve no idea where they are being sourced from.

Melatonin should only be used if it comes from a compounded pharmacy.  This insures perfect accuracy in the dose and guaranteed to have no contaminants.   It should also be a micronized (broken down to tiny particles for better absorption) and in a sustained release formula (has a longer half life and lasts through the night).  The typical starting dose is 3mg for men and 1mg for women.   You simply go up by 1mg per night until you find the dose that works.   If you wake up feeling groggy than simply take it 2 hours prior to going to sleep.  Typically doses are between 9-12 mg/night and in some cases up to 30mg.  So it is no surprise that the over the counter products do not work well.

It is very safe and actually extremely good for you.   It is normally secreted by the Pineal Gland in the brain.  It was anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.   There are no adverse effects other than the potential for morning grogginess.   Check with you doctor before you start.

2. Turn it off and shut em down!  How many of you take your iPhone into bed and search the net for a few hours.  How about having the TV on in front of you?   Laptop?      Melatonin is what is secreted and starts you sleep cycle when you go to bed.  However melatonin is inhibited or blocked by any light or stimulus.   Therefore, the room needs to be completely dark (pitch black) for you to enter your normal first stage of sleep.    The constant stimulation of the phone, computer and TV disrupts this natural rhythm and makes it very difficult to maintain a normal sleep cycle.  Only two things should happen in the bed room! Sex and Sleep.

If you can accomplish #2 and try #1 many of you would sleep much better.

1. There will always be safe and professional locations to get quality medicine.   You do not want to rely on the black market where ultimately you do not know what element of society your money is supporting.

2. With a medical marijuana recommendation you can medicate ANYWHERE smoking is legal.  You are not confined to your house and do not have to hide.  If you are suffering you can medicate without worry of arrest.

3. You still have the ability to cultivate 12 marijuana plants at your house, indoors or outdoors.   This process is actually not that difficult and the average patient can harvest enough medication with one grow to last them the entire year.

4. Delivery services are thriving and getting much more professional and proficient.   More and more patients are turning to these services for the convenience.

5. You have the ability to choose the specific marijuana strain that works to control your symptoms.   If left to the black market you will only be able to get what they have which is typically one or two strains at most.

6. You at least will receive a medical exam to include blood pressure annually.  You also have the opportunity to ask the doctor any medical question you may have.    For example, you can him look at a suspicious mole or listen to your heart or a sore knee.  Take advantage of it!

The bottom line is that what is happening to many dispensaries is a minor set back but rest assured you will be able to continue to access the highest grade and quality medicine on the planet by using dispensaries and delivery services.

Dr. Sean Breen has been providing medical marijuana doctors recommendations to patients since 2008 and has offices located in Irvine and Long Beach, CA.

99% of people would look at this guy and say “You see. That is what is wrong with medical marijuana in California.  Any punk that can fog a mirror can walk into a doctors office and get a recommendation.” (that happens to be true by they way)  However, you can’t judge a patient by his age, how he dresses or by the color of his hair.

Here is the problem with pre-judging.   When I asked my patient why he used medical marijuana he went on to explain that at the age of 21 he was “T-Boned” by a car going 65mph.  The crash shattered his pelvis, fractured his femur, collapsed his lung and put him in a coma for 8 months in the hospital.   He has had over 12 surgeries and has lived with daily pain since that time.   He explained that he has too many friends abusing pain pills that he does not want to ever take them.   Because of medical marijuana he does not have to take a motrin, alleve or vicodin and his pain is manageable.     It is truly a remarkable medication for him.

The problem with the medical marijuana industry is for every patient like this there are 50 that are truly using it for recreational purposes and they are all using the same dispensaries.   However, the point of this blog is to make you aware so you take a moment before you assume the guy next to you with the pink hair is just a pothead.

This “sweep” of local medical marijuana dispensaries comes after similar raid in Oregon.   It is the opinion of many people in the industry that once they use up their resources here in California they will move on to Colorado to do the same thing.    This will give people here in California time to re-group.

The state supreme court recently agreed to review the Riverside decision that stated any city/county can not legally approve something that conflicts with federal law.  Once the supreme court renders a decision will have much clearer guidance on what any individual city can and can not do.  Attorney Anthony Curiale, a specialist in medical marijuana law, told me that because of the supreme courts decision to review the case “we are back back in the game.”  He went on to say that “they are not going to be able to put the genie back in the bottle.”

In the mean time, the feds are doing everything they can to try and bankrupt local dispensary owners.   In Costa Mesa they did not make one arrest. They just go and take all the plants, lights, medicine, cash and freeze assets.   Essentially they force the businesses to start over from scratch.   These tactics are far from American and will ultimately make the industry stronger in the long run.   More and more patients who are benefiting from medical marijuana will let their voices be heard on election day.   I will be shocked if President Obama wins California without the medical marijuana vote (which is HUGE!).

Stay tuned.

1)Medical marijuana dispensaries in Long Beach, CA are not going anywhere yet.   At a recent meeting with the city counsel they decided to delay making any decisions until the State Supreme Court decides whether or not to hear the case next month.   If they decide to take the case it will be at least a year before the city can do anything.  In the meantime patients will continue to have safe access to quality medicine.  

2) The DEA and Orange County sheriffs department raided three dispensaries in Costa Mesa on Tuesday however made NO arrests.     The city continues to struggle with dispensaries operating in their city and refuse to write a sensible ordinance to allow for safe access to medicine for patients.   Otherside Farms and 2 others closed shop after the Feds took all of their medicine, cash and records.

3) The mayor of Costa Mesa was on a local medical marijuana radio show, hosted by Robert Martinez of Newport Mesa Patients Association, stating that he supports the city writing an ordinance that allows them to operate legally.  Word is that they are trying to get a special election for this summer so the people can decide for themselves if they want it in the city.

4) Two medical marijuana patients made the news this week.   Both were arrested and charged with selling marijuana to non-patients.   One male was stopped while driving after purchasing 7 ounces of marijuana from one dispensary.   When they looked at his phone they found text messages from various people asking where they could meet him to buy marijuana.   The second was a female who was selling marijuana to non-patients at a local high school.   Unfortunately for her two of the people she sold marijuana to were undercover police officers.

**for the record. Dispensaries that sell more than a few ounces to a patient at any given time should be shut down.  It is obvious that these “patients” are buying that quantity of medicine so they can sell it on the black market.  There are RARE exceptions of course**

Here is what I anticipate in 2012:

1. More uncertainty:   More cities will try and create ordinances to limit where dispensaries can operate.    It also looks like Katherine Harris is going to release a new set of guidelines to qualify how the system needs to work.   Word on the street is that California wants to get away from ALL storefront dispensaries. The question is going to be how do patients get safe access to medicine.

2. Patients will still be able to get recommendations from their doctors and grow 12 plants at home at will.   There WILL be dispensary locations to get their medicine but they may have to drive a little bit further than last year.

3. Delivery services will start thriving.    We are already starting to see many delivery services taking over in areas where dispensaries closed.   This is a good thing as it limits the visibility of medical marijuana and hopefully the cities will forget about it and leave them/us alone.

4. Ballot initiative: it looks like proponents of total legalization for recreational use are going to put another ballot measure for vote in November.  I expect this to NOT pass by about 3-4% points just like proposition 19 failed.    However I expect a second ballot initiative to be placed on the books to tax and regulate MEDICAL marijuana.   This I think WILL pass but ONLY IF they do a great job at promoting it as MEDICAL and not recreational.   So how they campaign will be huge.

5. Doctors: expect a handful of doctors to lose their licenses this year for failing to follow the medical board guidelines.   I expect that we will see a lot of these fly-by-night clinics closing and falling like dominos once the medical board takes action.  This is a good thing.

6. Expect President Obama to LOSE CALIFORNIA in the general election.  This will mean the end to his presidency.   The one vote that he had was the left that thought he was a proponent of medical marijuana.  He HAS LOST that vote 100%   Across the board people are fed up with his lip service on respecting states rights.  Expect the next Republican President to be neutral on this issue.   I believe a republican president will be more inclined to respect states rights.

I expect Governor Brown to create a sensible plan for medical marijuana in California.  He is a thinker and a realist.    He will understand the futility of pushing medical marijuana back to the black market.

Stay tuned!

The study looked at 21 patients who took either long acting Morphine or pong acting oxycodone for chronic pain.   They then had them inhale medical marijuana using a volcano vaporizer for 4 consecutive days.    By the 5th day patients who used medical marijuana had a 33% reduction in their pain versus patients who used morphine or oxycontin alone.    In the pain management world that is a tremendous benefit.  What that means they concluded is that patients can most likely get away with taking less opioids and supplement with marijuana.    When you take into consideration how addictive opioids are and how many unwanted side effects come with their use, the potential savings to the medical community is huge.

As more and more studies like these continue to demonstrate the medical benefits of using medical marijuana are published it will be harder and harder for the federal government to keep it as a schedule 1 drug.     Medical marijuana will be in 50 states at some point in the very near future.  Once a large enough volume of patients start seeing the benefit of using it to treat pain it will be hard for politicians to ignore their voices and votes.

Although the tobacco and alcohol lobbyists are extremely powerful and influential, there will come a time when the voice of American people trumps their dollar bills.    I am not confident that it will happen in the next 10 years but by the time I die (hopefully not for another 50 years!) I think it will happen.

Many patients are not aware that they even qualify to use medical marijuana.  In California, there are over 150 different indications to recommend marijuana but the most common reasons people get recommendations for are:

1. Chronic Pain: for things like arthritis, headaches, back pain, dental pain etc.

2. Sleep disorders: primary insomnia to anxiety related sleep disorders.

3. Nausea, Vomiting or Lack of appetite for any reason.

4. Chronic anxiety in patients that do not want to take xanax or valium.

5. Har reduction for people who are addicted to opioids.

If you are wondering if you would qualify to use medical marijuana feel free to pre-qualify for free on our homepage or call our professional staff at 877-721-0047