The Face Of Medical Marijuana

[Michael Komorn]

Anaheim Kush Expo NOT The Face of Medical Marijuana

 

 

“Like Michigan all states are being challenged about what the face of medical marihuana should look like.

 

Pot culture v. Medical Marijuana

 

 

Have the rags like the Metro times and Higher Ground events defeated this movement?”

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.mcsocal.com/blog/anaheim-kush-expo-not-the-face-of-medical-marijuana?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews

 

 

 

This past weekend Anaheim Convention Center hosted the Kush Expo under the cloak of medical marijuana. It featured a hot kush girl contest, a smoking room to use marijuana and had hundreds of vendors selling and marketing products “all marijuana”. Legally they can do this because of Proposition 215 which allows patients to use medical marijuana legally in the state of California. However I can assure you that this convention had very little to do with medical marijuana, but was more a gathering for recreational users to smoke pot (I am sure there were some curious legitimate patients that checked it out so don’t blow up on me) I must admit that I actually did not stop by to see exactly who was there but I only needed to attend one kush expo (LA in 2009) to figure out was it was all about.

 

I guess my question is this. If this the face that we want to put on the medical marijuana industry? Hot kush girls, smoking patios, and photos of fast food wrappers after a session of the munchies (see their facebook page).

 

This is exactly why the community does not take medical marijuana seriously. I am assuming that there were doctors who set up booths and issued recommendations which allowed those patients went outside to get high on the smoke patio. This is what they have done in the past.

 

It is because of this image that dispensaries are struggling to survive as cities, one by one, ban or shut them down. A perfect example is the city of Costa Mesa. In early April I presented, along with 5 other professionals, information on why medical marijuana is a necessity in our community and why regulating it would be their best approach to a legitimate industry. Their main concern was the fact that 75% of the graduating high school class has medical marijuana cards and parents are finding their children partying and getting high and NOT using it as medicine. How can you argue with them?

 

There are too many legitimate medical marijuana patients too have this blow up because of recreational marketing. Look how it is presented to the community: Kush Expo, “High Times”, “West Coast Leaf” , Snoop Dog on the cover of 420 Times. No wonder no one wants it in their back yard.

 

The reality in my practice is that I see mostly women in their 50-70′s who are benefiting from cannabis incredibly. There are so many patients that are legitimately using this as it was intended that I can not believe more is not being done to get THIS demographic out there.

 

Your thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by:

 

Michael Komorn

 

18006563557

 

 

[Timmahh]

this kind of goes hand in hand with a view ive long held as fact. "I Dont Smoke Pot, I Medicate with Cannabis"

 

when i was 14 and was already a 2 yr pot smoker, it was about getting high, but by the time i was 20, i realized (after quiting smoking MMJ) the many health benefits I had recieved.

 

Everything from energy and appitite boosts, pain relief, cronic and general. I found I was able to focus and become more detailed with my work, whether it was work for cash on a job, or just relaxing with one of my hobbys. Anxiety and depression relief were also greatly improved with cannabis.

 

the ONLY Pharma Meds I take, is if i have an abcessed tooth, then i ll take some emoxicillian, and a couple aleve until i can get the tooth pulled.

 

im 45, and my eye muscles have begun to weaken. so far, my newly emerging short sitedness, is the only thing, i have not found any benefit with using cannabis. and the only way to fix this issue, is with younger eyeballs. or reading glasses, which is the path i chose to fight my eyeballs getting older.

 

With the current state of affairs, its most imparative, that I, as a white 45 yr old male, dont get scene so to say. IE, you can not look at me and see my ailments. Physically i look as healthy as a Pro Ball Player, but inside, im 1000 miles of bad railroad track. On the other hand, a 75 yr old grandmother of 7, fighting and winning agianst breast cancer, using Medical Cannabis, is what our public needs to be seeing.

 

the 5 yr old child that was on deaths door, that is now eating, gaining weight, and living a more normal childhood life is what needs to be seen.

[Estimated Prophet]

I can see why some people cannot differentiate between Kush Expo or a half naked centerfold of Ms. High Times, and the med community. The line has been blurred. Most dispensaries that I see market to the recreational user. The uninitiated do not see the sick healing themselves with cannabis as we do. They see people lining up at Club Wake-N-Bake 420 to get some "medicine" called Super Tutti Frutti Mindf*#$k from a "budtender".

I do not think that dispensaries need to be a bland, sterile medical environment, but I think that our image would benefit from disp owners leaving their pitbull at home, chilling with the Bob Marley black light posters, and turning down the Cypress Hill.

[+Silverblue]

Those that give our community a bad name have to be called out and stopped. They're hurting us all and also hurting any chances for full legalization. They're hurting themselves as well as us, they must be made to see that. We need to have an official statement that says WE DO NOT SUPPORT THOSE ACTIVITIES- WE ARE A MEDICAL COMMUNITY. True it doesn't have to be bland, it can be warm and welcoming, but toned down and discrete. They don't see the great harm they're causing! We have to stop the exploitation- it's hurting everyone and justifying our opponents to come on strong and crush us all! Some people are taking advantage of the medical community and THAT HAS TO STOP NOW or we're all doomed to the "reefer madness" propaganda to continue. CA should be leading by example, not sending us all down the crapper.

 

We need to write to all those magazines and groups putting these expos on and educate them!

 

Sb