Top 10 Facts About Your California Medical Marijuana Card

What You Need to Know Now 

Each County has different variations of the law (i.e. SB420).  This list applies to Fresno County, but the examples are typical of most Cali counties.

1. You can legally have 8 ounces of dried marijuana in your possession.
2. Your caregiver can live in another county.
3. You cannot have more than six mature or twelve immature plants per patient.
4. Your card is recognized state-wide but is not valid in other states.
5. A minor can apply to be a patient or caregiver.
6. Cards are only valid in Fresno County one year from the date of issue.
7. The current fee is $107.00 per card.  If you are on Medi-Cal the fee is reduced.
8. You apply for the card through the County of Fresno Department of Public Health.  You must apply for the card in the county where you reside.
9. You can have more than one caregiver.
10. You will need proof of Fresno County residence to apply for the card and a government issued id card.

The Napa of Pot: Big Island Hawaii?

I'm in Kailua-Kona sitting at a white desk, looking at the surging ocean. The surf is up and I am high as a parasailer. I forgot how good Hawaiian pot is.

Everybody has heard of Maui Wowie. But mainlanders forget that the rich volcanic soil of the Big Island - along with perfect, lush growing conditions - makes the pot here awesomer than even good Mendo.

"Kona Gold" is the pot grown in the sunny, perpetually-summer-like Kona region. I heard the name was actually coined by a black jazz musician - the same guy that brought jazz to the island. "Puna Butter" is another famous strain. It is grown in areas where sugar cane grew and it's sweet like budda. Some people will say the true old strains are dead.

The Big Island is famous for its volcanoes. Even though the rocky terrain seems harsh to the eye, it is a plant paradise. Plants love volcanic soil. Volcanic soil is so fertile because it contains many elements essential to plant growth: iron, magnesium, sodium, and potassium.

Many famous wines from around the world began as juice in grape plants planted at the bases of famous volcanoes. Interestingly, volcanic soil comprises only 1% of the earth's surface. Major areas of volcanic soils also occur in South America and Japan. I've never tried any South American or Japanese pot. Have you?

MED BREAD: Marijuana Banana Bread Recipe

This recipe is for medical marijuana patients who prefer to eat their pot instead of smoke it. Yum!

"GOING BANANAS" MED BREAD RECIPE

Ingredients:1/2 to 3/4 cup marijuana-butter (soft)
2 cups flour
3-4 ripe bananas (smashed)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Mix the marijuana butter and smashed bananas in a large bowl.

3) Mix in the eggs, milk, and sugar.
4) Add baking soda and vanilla.
5) Add flour last - slowly while beating.
6) Place in a greased loaf baking pan and bake for one hour.

7) Cool on a rack. Slice and serve. Yum.

University of California Studies Show Pot has Health Benefits

Who would have thought - a drug where the side effects are actually beneficial? No wonder the drug companies don't want it to be legal.


Marijuana is the new black in California (well . . . technically it's the new green). The medical field is slowly realizing what thousands of Americans already knew - marijuana consumption can have beneficial side-effects. For example, one of the side-effects of marijuana consumption is extreme hunger (a.k.a. "the munchies"). That's good news for cancer patients who often lose weight during harsh cancer treatments and struggle to fight off nausea. While a patient's prescription regime of drugs adds additional harmful chemicals into the patient's weakened, overwhelmed system, medical marijuana actually increases the appetite and stimulates blood flow. And pot also makes you sleepy - at least that's what Prof. Sean Drummond hopes to show in a University of California test of HIV patients with sleep disorders.


In this new millineum, medical marijuana is becoming more accepted. Perhaps that's because some prominent research institutions are receiving funding for marijuana research projects. Part of the medical marijuana bill passed by California voters actually includes funding for the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research carried out by the well-respected University of California universities. The studies conducted so far have had promising results. One study showed that patients suffering from HIV-related peripheral neuropathy obtained relief from their pain when smoking marijuana. (See the Feb. 13, 2007 issue of the journal, Neurology). Other studies, focusing on HIV and cancer patients, are under way.


Another group that has been funding a lot of medical marijuana research is MAPS, which has been working with NORML since the early 1990's to perform studies on the effects of marijuana. The hot area for research is cannabis vaporization. Vaporization is an intake option that becoming more and more popular because it is a healthier alternative than smoking.

In our immediate future could we see adds for marijuana related products on TV? Will the Mendocino region become the Pot Napa of northern California?

Volcano Vaporizer Review

The Volcano is a shapely, brushed-metal marijuana vaporizer that is made by the German-based company Storz & Bickel. It looks like a little robot and costs about $539 (depending on the model purchased). It is perhaps the most well-known vaporizer on the market, but it is also the most expensive. I often get asked if it is worth the price. My answer is that if you can afford it you should get it, but if you can't, buy the Oxygen Mini.

The Volcano has a reputation that justifies its high price tag. Clinical studies indicate that the Volcano is extremely efficient at extracting THC from cannabis. Some studies suggest the Volcano can extract as much as 80% of the THC content from the plant, which is much higher than the 25% extracted from smoking a typical joint. Extra THC means a more potent "high." Plus, vaporizing doesn't produce the harmful carcinogens that are created by combustion so it is a lot healthier.

You will either love or hate the Volcano, I think. It depends on whether you like the delivery system (which involves inhaling vapors from a filled balloon). It also depends on whether you have enough supply to fill the chamber. The Volcano has a larger chamber than most "vapes." You have to plug the unit into an outlet, so you will be using it primarily indoors. Plus, it is not very portable, so if you do invest in the Volcano, you will need to buy a smaller vape for car trips.

To find out more, visit the Storz & Bickel website: Storz and Bickel

How to Get Your Medical Marijuana Card in California: 6 Easy Steps

There are six steps to getting your medical marijuana card in California. If you get your card, law enforcement will be able to call a 1-800 number to verify that you are legal. Being "legal" means that you are not subject to arrest for possession, transportation, delivery, or cultivation of medical marijuana in an amount established pursuant to California statute. After you are legal, you may posses 8 ounces of dried marijuana. In addition, you may simulaneously grow and possess 6 mature plants. Your card is good for a year and then you must renew it.

1. Find a doctor close to you that is willing to prescribe marijuana. You should ask your regular physician first to save money. If not, plan on pre-paying about $180 for a visit to a "pot-doc." A pot-doc is a physician who is openly empathetic to patients who want to be prescribed marijuana for their medical symptoms or pain. The doctor will determine whether you are eligible. Eligibility depends on whether a) you have a serious medical condition, and b) the use of marijuana is appropriate. (Note: Most people qualify under #6 or #12 below).

A serious medical condition is:
(1) Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
(2) Anorexia.
(3) Arthritis.
(4) Cachexia.
(5) Cancer.
(6) Chronic pain.
(7) Glaucoma.
(8) Migraine.
(9) Persistent muscle spasms, including, but not limited to,
spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.
(10) Seizures, including, but not limited to, seizures associated
with epilepsy.
(11) Severe nausea.
(12) Any other chronic or persistent medical symptom that either:

(A) Substantially limits the ability of the person to conduct one
or more major life activities as defined in the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336).
(B) If not alleviated, may cause serious harm to the patient's
safety or physical or mental health.

2. Collect medical records as written documentation of your condition and give them to your doctor before the appointment. Attend your appointment and get a doctor's report.

3. Select a "primary caregiver." To find a caregiver (or dispensary), you can start by visiting NORML or THCF Foundation's websites. Some caregivers have stores (dispensaries) and some are delivery services. There may be long-term care facilities in your area. If you live near Fresno, this blog maintains a list of local doctors and caregivers.


4. Submit an application to your County Health Department. You must pay a fee with your application and provide all of the following: 1) name and proof of county residency, 2) your doctor's report saying you have a "serious" condition, 3) name and contact info of doctor, 4) name of primary caregiver, and 5) copy of photo id of you and your caregiver.

5. Receive your medical marijuana card.

6. Go shopping for your first sack or start growing!

Vaporizing Marijuana is a More Potent way to Absorb the THC than Smoking

There are many different ways that medical marijuana can be injested - the most popular are smoking, eating, tincturing, and vaporizing. Out of all the methods, vaporization is the best way to unlock the potent, medicinal properties of cannabis.

The fact that marijuana is smoked has been an obstacle to its being approved as a medicine. Cannabis vaporization elimates the lung problems associated with smoking. The process involves heating the cured plant to a temperature where vapors are produced but combustion does not occur.

Vaporization results in a more effective delivery and potent intake of cannabanoids. A 2004 study comparing vaprization with smoking found that the combustion of cannabis resulted in the production of a hundred different chemicals that were not present when vaporizing. (Dale Gieringer, Efficient Delivery of THC with Effective Suppression of Pyrolytic Compounds, Journal of Cannabis Therapeudics, Vol.4(1) 2004.)


Many different types of vaporizers are currently popular. The best known and possibly most expensive is the $539 Volcano Vaporizer made by Storz & Bickel, a company based in Germany. The Volcano is powered by a ceramic heating unit and heat vent. Hot air blown through the vent heats cannabis which has been inserted into a chamber. The Volcano can recover about 50-80% of the THC present in a sample of marijuana.


For more information about vaporizer studies: http://www.maps.org/mmj/vaporizer.html