MMJDoctorOnline.com - Stockton

A Medical Marijuana Card[1] is a legal document issued by a licensed California physician, which allows for the legal purchase of cannabis within the California and Nevada States. To obtain California Medical Marijuana Card, one must be a state resident and get a licensed medical doctor's written recommendation for cannabis to treat their conditions and symptoms[2].

To get a recommendation, a licensed physician must complete an evaluation, which confirms the age, identity, proof of residency and also obtain a statement toward the patient's conditions and symptoms that may be treated with medical cannabis. A doctor's evaluation may be completed in an office, clinic, or online under the provisions for Telemedicine set forth by the California Medical Board. The cost of Medical Marijuana Recommendation in 2018 ranges from about $50 to $100 dollars. The validity of medical marijuana card California is confirmed online by suppliers and law enforcement.

History

In 1996, Medical Cannabis was re-legalized in California in under Proposition 215. Prior to 1937, cannabis and hemp were legal for any purpose in America since the first colonies were formed.

According to the historical record, the use of cannabis and hemp as a medicine dates back thousands of years, as evident in many ancient manuscripts, including the bible, Greek, Arabic and Chinese writing among many others. The earliest archaeological evidence of hemp cultivation dates to 10-12 thousand years B.P. in Taiwan [3]. In 2016, a pouch of cannabis in Central Asia was recovered and carbon dated to about 2700 B.P. and laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of psychoactive THC, and other cannabinoids now known for their medical efficacy [4].

Industrial and Indian hemp was an important crop in American from its inception [5]. At the time of Independence, all American farmers were required to grow hemp as it was a vital component of textiles, rope, canvas and other materials critical to the military and the defense of the nation. Indian hemp, which contained about 3 to 4 percent THC was also grown and used recreational for relaxation by several of the county's founding fathers.

From the 1700s to 1930's cannabis medicines were widely used and prescribed by doctors and dispensed in drug stores, usually as an alcohol tincture. Cannabis medical use was described in the US Pharmacopoeia in 1930 to treat a wide variety of conditions.

In 1937, the US Federal Government gave way to a successful lobby group composed of pulp and paper, pharmaceuticals, cotton and the bureau of alcohol control, where both cannabis and hemp (without psychoactive ingredients) were declared to be a scheduled drug; dangerous, illegal and without medical value [6].

The phrase marijuana was coined by the Federal Government as a propaganda tool, borrowing from a Spanish-Mexican term for a traditional non-cannabis smoking herb. Today, the original words cannabis and hemp are increasingly used as the government coined term marijuana falls out of favor. In the 1960's to present, cannabis would be a major tool in the War on Drugs, and law enforcement machine to incarcerate or charge millions of Americans, which resulted in multi-billion dollar profits and expenditures in private and public incarceration fees; court, enforcement, prisons, etc.

In the early 1980's, the medicinal effects of cannabis were rediscovered and popularized particularly on the west coast, with California being a center of innovation with it's strong intellectual community known for innovation. By the early 1990s, the widespread knowledge of the medicinal benefits of cannabis was apparent by many Californians, including those in positions of power.

Pressure mounted from activists, cancer patients, victims, humanitarians and cannabis Aficionados, lobbied aggressively, which resulted in the creation and passing of the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, officially known as Proposition 215 [7]. Proposition 215 allowed for the Adult use of cannabis if recommended by a California licensed physician to treat specific conditions and symptoms. The landmark legislation of Proposition 215 would be the beginning of the end of Federal decriminalization of cannabis, and within twenty years more than half of Americans had access to legal Cannabis. In 2018, President Trump officially declared that the Federal Government would not interfere with State Cannabis laws.

CANNABIS IN CALIFORNIA

Cannabis in California is now legal for medical and recreational use. Over that past thirty years, California has been at the forefront to reform cannabis laws in America and worldwide. Starting in 1972 with the nation's first initiative was born in San Francisco. Though the 1972 initiative was unsuccessful, solidarity in the movement to legalize medical marijuana solidified, which resulted in the California being the first state to legalize medical cannabis under the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 (Proposition 215).

To clarify the scope and application of Proposition 215, in 2003, the California Senate Bill 420, known as the Medical Marijuana Program was subsequently passed in 2003. In November 2016, California voters approved the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (Proposition 64) to allow adults to use cannabis recreationally under certain provisions. California's main regulatory agencies are: the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), the Department of Food and Agriculture, Department of Public Health and the Cannabis Regulatory Authority (CRA).