I would like to share my thoughts on medical marijuana. First, I do believe it can provide relief for certain patients and I am not opposed to the prescription and dispensing. What I do not understand is why a controlled substance is dispensed by people other than a licensed pharmacist. Any laws regarding dispensing marijuana should require a licensed pharmacist to fill the prescriptions. I think all dispensaries should be staffed by licensed pharmacists.
Also, all drugs sold must have the units of the drug in the prescription. Aspirin, for example. You can buy 100 milligrams, 200 milligrams, 300 milligrams and 500 milligrams, etc. I believe that dispensaries or drug stores must provide proper labeling of the drug dispensed and actual units of the active ingredients. This can vary greatly from plant to plant so testing machines should be on site and monitored and regularly calibrated.
I cannot go into a drugstore and buy test strips to monitor my blood sugar levels without a prescription, yet while waiting two hours for my prescription to be filled for my test strips I can buy as much marijuana as I want from a dispensary after getting a prescription from a doctor for having pain in my finger from sticking it with a lance to get blood for blood sugar testing. Something is very wrong here.
It could benefit the whole community to make dispensaries comply with laws of dispensing controlled substances. Just maybe more people will be employed building testing equipment or go to school to be a pharmacist, if this is what they want to do instead of dropping out of school to grow marijuana or work at a dispensary.
Drug tests should also be a requirement so the pharmacist is not using the controlled substance while at work. Also, they should have proper liability insurance to cover mistakes in providing a controlled substance.
Another point is the tasting rooms involved. No one is allowed to go into a drugstore and sample drugs. Can you imagine going into a drugstore and asking for a sample of valium, codeine, oxycontin or their generics for sampling purposes? That won”t happen.
Randy Knibb
Kelseyville
