The current discussion about marijuana seems to focus on “growing,” “smell” and (possible) trespass, nuisance and theft – factors that reflect the concerns of property owners and neighborhoods and these seem valid. I do not like the thought of living next to the equivalent of a pig farm, nor do I think we have an unlimited “right to grow.” Maintenance of N seems to me to be the less of evils.
The more I think about the subject, the more items I feel should be added to the list of popular concerns for future action – things not included in current legislation. As a start, the term “medicinal marijuana” is questionable at best. In addition, the decision to use/not seems largely based on the opinion of the (potential) patient rather than on an examination by a medical professional and most “medical” use has to do with pain mitigation. I suspect there may well be a correlation between the amount consumed, the amount of “high” one is in, and the amount of pain one feels. Regular prescriptions include the potency of the medication and have a finite period of use. Apparently this is not so in this case and is probably not feasible because of the nature of the drug.
My next concern is “marijuana” itself. From what I gather there are many different varieties grown and each has its own level of potency, which tells me that a specific dose/prescription is a guess, at best. Apparently the “buzz” component is THC; the medicine is CBD. Since plants can be hybridized, seems to me that medical users should be limited to plants highest in CBD.
Then there is the problem of plant size. Although the measures speak of “plants per person” or per unit of land, mature plants may vary from three to 12 feet in height with yield per plant varying appropriately. I suspect that the situation is akin to a prescription specifying “what,” with no dose size or length of usage qualifications. Probably I am cynical, but I worry when patients self medicate.
A basic premise is the complete use of the crop by the medical grower as selling any excess is not permitted. Ho, ho, ho!
It is this latter point that gravels me. I would love to farm industrial hemp (no potency), but present laws make the selling of any form of cannabis illegal. Seems to me a lot of folk have their heads in their armpits!
Then there is the frightening problem of synthetic pot. K2, Texas Gold, (etc.). All legal.
Thanks,
Guff Worth, Lakeport
