Medical Marijuana - Misunderstood
Medical Marijuana, as it is commonly referred to, as a concept, has been problematic from the point of view of Law Enforcement both State and Federal, for a number of years. First, many in Law Enforcement do not fully understand the new developments in California laws such as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, Proposition 215, and the 2003 Senate Bill 420, now codified in the California Health and Safety Code Sections 11362.7 et al. They have general knowledge of this law, but do not know some of the specifics and therefore have an unfounded mistrust of the people and organizations that are governed by these laws. The fact that Federal law still prohibits the use or possession of marijuana for any purpose, complicates this issue even more. Second, most people, including the Law Enforcement community, just refuse to accept that marijuana is legitimate medicine helping many people to manage pain, nausea, headaches, and other more severe conditions. Third, according to many police officers and prosecutors, some of the medical marijuana patients, caregivers and dispensaries are walking a fine line between what is legal and what is not, essentially hiding behind this newly developed area of the law, and thereby undermining the legitimacy of others that really need marijuana for medicinal purposes.
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