It’s no secret that crooked doctors exist, and crooked medical marijuana doctors are no exception. These doctors may have a valid license to practice medicine, but they don’t follow the expected and normal prescribing procedures for dispensing a medical marijuana license to any person who walks through the door and forks over $100, $150, or even $200 for a 10 minute visit.
Just read CannabisNews’ Taking a Hit in the Name of Science for an excellent example of an encounter with a not-so-legit medical marijuana doctor. This news article posted from the LATimes, provides an example of a gynecologist prescribing a medical marijuana prescription to a male patient with low back pain, whom he has never treated before. The doctor spends very little time with the patient and openly admits that he knows nothing about back pain when the patient begins to tell him how he has suffered.
This brings to mind the debate about whether these types of practitioners should be prosecuted. While the immediate response may be to take the stance that “no harm, no foul” applies here and since medical marijuana is legal and pain is subjective, there’s no harm in handing out prescriptions for anyone who walks through the door. If we can’t have legalized marijuana for all, then at least the masses can have access to a medical marijuana prescription (if they so choose).
However, these crack physicians are actually hurting every state’s chance of legalizing marijuana in the long run. By instituting lax prescribing practices, these doctors are diminishing the credibility of the merits of necessity of medical marijuana by leaps and bounds. They are also thumbing their noses at a legal system that already has its hackles up over legalizing marijuana by showing officers that despite the law, loopholes exist and can be exploited.
For a community of cannabis supporters that are trying to show John Q. Lawmaker and Suzie Q. Voter that cannabis is safe, effective, useful, and worthy of legalization, any negative press practices are frowned upon. Cannabis supporters are trying to show the public that marijuana users are not dangerous, are average citizens, and benefit from the effects of smoking marijuana. Shady weed prescribing doctors only perpetuate the negative connotations that exist in today’s culture regarding smoking pot.
Lax medical marijuana prescribers only open patients and medical marijuana supporters up for a world of bad press and potential lawsuits. Sure, you’ll get your easy, over-priced prescription for medical marijuana, but you’ll be harming the medical marijuana community of participants and supporters. Legit docs are out there, take the time to locate one and wait for an appointment to get a valid, medically necessary prescription based on facts that will hold up in court- and in the eyes of the public.
Tags: cannabis, doctor, hemp, legalize, marijuana, medical cannabis, medical marijuana
TokerIsland
I agree with you and it’s a shame that this continues to happen! Our government is so screwed up and seems to never get things right on any common sense issues!! One day it will be legalized and we can end this practice. I think the Dr.’s should get punished for the illegal scripts if they are proven to be dirty!