Pubdate: Sun, 16 Dec 2012
Source: Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA)
Copyright: 2012 The Press-Enterprise Company
Contact: http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/letters_form.html
Website: http://www.pe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/830
Author: Emily M. Wells

CANNABIS COLLECTIVE HOLDS 3RD ANNIVERSARY FARMER'S MARKET AND SEMINAR

A Riverside nurse is afraid that if it gets out that she sells
medicinal marijuana it will jeopardize her license to practice. She is
disabled, and has found that cannabis is the only treatment that has
allowed her to continue working and supporting a family.

She sold her home-grown cannabis at the Inland Empire Patients Health
and Wellness Center's (IEPHWC) farmer's market on Saturday, Dec. 15.
The market allows the medicinal cannabis collective's customers to
sell their home-grown cannabis directly to each other, and occurs
twice per month.

"This place is the only reason I haven't been homeless." the woman
said. "It allowed my kids to have a Christmas. It's personal for me.
My dream is to help elderly patients who use cannabis" the woman said.
"So many of these people are ashamed to go through nursing, and they
shouldn't have to be."

The clinic celebrated its 3rd anniversary on Saturday, holding the
market, along with a seminar on the health and medical benefits of
marijuana given by Lanny Swerdlow, a founding member of the
collective. The talk included a history of marijuana's human use the
past 5,000 years, research in the field, the dangers of marijuana use
and why it is important as a valid medical treatment.

The city has targeted the collective since its opening in December
2009, defying Riverside's ban on dispensaries. The collective is
arguing that under state law, the city can regulate the dispensaries,
but not ban them. The city of Riverside has filed a lawsuit against
the collective, which is due to be heard by the California Supreme
Court, though no hearing date has been set.

Though it remains illegal under federal law, California voters
approved the medicinal use of marijuana in 1996. Washington and
Colorado voted to approve the recreational use in last month's
election. President Obama has said that pursuing recreational cannabis
users will not be a priority for his administration.

The legalization of recreational use in other states has been a
promising development, said many attending Saturday's event.

"The times are changing" said Jim, a cancer survivor who began to grow
his own marijuana for his own treatment. Jim, who did not want his
last name published because of the nature of the business he conducts,
now sells primarily to help others with their cancer treatments. "To
ban it for medical use is contrary to what the people have spoken."

While opponents of medicinal marijuana use believe that dispensaries
can cause easier access to the drug for recreational use and an
increase in crime, Jim said he believes that information like that
available at Saturday's seminar should help show that the benefits
outweigh the risks.

James Loomis, who said he is a military veteran, remembered a time
when the combination of post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic
insomnia, nightmares and anxiety prevented him from functioning on a
daily level. After trying other medications, medicinal marijuana has
been the only thing he has responded well to.

"I'm only able to be here today because of it," he said. Loomis is an
Inland Empire representative for California Vet Meds, an organization
that provides medicinal cannabis to veterans, free of charge.

"These places help a lot more people than they hurt." he said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D