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IS MARIJUANA "MEDICAL"

On Monday, March 16 at the last Fortuna Chamber of Commerce meeting, Chief of Police Kris Kitna touched on the proliferation of pot grows, both legal and illegal in the Fortuna area.  The problem, he explained, are the grey areas that exist between what are termed "medical" grows that are condoned by the Compassionate Use law and grows that attempt to blur the edges of what are defined as acceptable or legal.  No doubt, certain growers have taken advantage of the unclear language of the law to create confusion and avoid prosecution.

But what concerns a growing number of citizens is the exemption that pot growers have been given to nurture and to treat symptoms not afforded any other controlled substance.  The question must be first, if marijuana does actually have medicinal properties, why is it given special status to be cultivated by amateur hobbyists? Furthermore, if it is a medicinal drug, why isn't the Food and Drug Administration not jumping in to standardize the compound? Perhaps there isn't enough hard data to conclude that marijuana can alleviate stress or pain.  Therefor, are we back to considering this substance addictive rather than healthful?