The Marijuana Rush

Who uses medical marijuana?

People suffering from Cancer, HIV, Chronic Fatigue, MS, Epilepsy, Depression, Migraine Headaches, the list goes on and on. It's only now that we are seeing society accept what our ancestors knew long ago.

Unfortunately the social stigma to marijuana use may carry on for a few more generations and because of that most people suffering pain treated with marijuana will not turn into personal growers in their community. Imagine the Police Officer, Nurse, Retired Judge, Lawyer, Accountant, Fireman all using marijuana behind closed doors and actually starting a grow-op in their backyard. Not when they can go to a dispensary and have a doctors note and legally acquire it. Sure its gonna cost a bit more. Instead of $30-$50 for a month supply maybe they have to spend $100-$150 for their month supply. Or maybe even double or triple that number. But would these people go out of their way to save $100? Lets face it Canadians are also the most over insured people on the planet and this probably won't cost them a dime any way. That's why recent news has hinted that less than 10% may want to continue growing small operations to save some money.

The vast majority of citizens would follow the new laws and even abandon their current operation since they are very sick and don't have the energy or time to dig in the dirt just to get the pain killer they want. If people think someone sick in bed with cancer would rather tend to a grow-op than just buy at a dispensary then they have never lived with a person suffering and going through Chemo and the constant bouts of weakness, and often stuck in bed all day.

The government knows the hurdles ahead and in my opinion they tried to move a bit too fast. They need to give growers more lead time to set up. The marijuana use in Canada alone is huge and beyond the scope of being able to help everyone. I only hope the greed doesn't kick in and that the billions going into the pockets of growers is monitored so that fair and reasonably priced medical marijuana makes it to those who need it.

On a personal note I can't help but wonder about the physical risk to elderly growers in a weakened state when the word on the street in their community is that they have a grow-op. We have all seen the home invasions in Toronto and Vancouver in the news. Dealers will rob anyone with product to make good on an order on the street. For the 10% that feel the costs are too high I suspect a high number are using it as an excuse to have more time for cheap pot. My guess would be 1-2 % have a financial challenge to meet the same level of purchasing power under commercial growing. For those people it would be simple to have an advocate service that subsidizes the marijuana to bring the cost down and ensure the safety of the sick.