Cali. approves marijuana 'vending machines'

[Chacor]

Vending machines distributing the drug marijuana are to begin operating in the US state of California.

The machines can only be used by people who have been prescribed the drug for health reasons.

Patients will have to provide a prescription, and be fingerprinted and photographed before being allowed to use the facilities.

Eleven US states allow the medicinal use of marijuana, primarily for pain relief, but it remains controversial.

Vince Mehdizadeh, owner of the Herbal Nutrition Centre in Los Angeles, where one of the two first machines is based, said it would allow patients to buy extra supplies whenever needed.

Series of checks

Once the users have been photographed, fingerprinted and have shown their prescription, they will be issued with a card which can be used in the machines, he told KWTX News 10 in the US.

"They'll be greeted by a security guard right there. They'll slide the card in and they'll fingerprint in to verify that it's them," he was quoted by KWTX News 10 as saying.

"A camera takes a picture of them, verifying that they're actually at the machine. And they get the medicine and they move on."

The operators think that vending machines issuing prescription drugs could become a common sight in the US.

Proponents say marijauna is a valuable tool for relieving pain and stimulating appetite in the sick.

However, it remains banned by the 1970 Controlled Substances Act and the US federal government does not currently recognise any legitimate medical use.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7212778.stm

[Chacor]

Can I just say, what the?

Bizarre.

[Squarethecircle]

Wait, hold on a sec. Why are they doing this for marijuana BUT NOT OTHER PRESCRIPTION DRUGS?! Is this supposed to have any kind of effect on anything?! Can't they just use a freakin' pharmacy?

Couldn't they spend the money on something IMPORTANT?

[Derek Ortt]

Send in the feds!!!

Federal law still prohibits medicinal use of marijuana and people can be prosecuted under the very strict federal drug laws. I'd love to see DOJ shut down this operation and inprison those responsible, along with anyone using it

[gtalum]

Send in the feds!!!

Federal law still prohibits medicinal use of marijuana and people can be prosecuted under the very strict federal drug laws. I'd love to see DOJ shut down this operation and inprison those responsible, along with anyone using it

Unfortunately the Feds don't have a constitutional leg to stand on. Why else do you think they haven't raided the California medical marijuana facilities? The feds have intimidated Oregon out of their medical marijuana laws, but they know they have no constitutional power to stop it..

[mf_dolphin]

Unfortunately the Feds don't have a constitutional leg to stand on. Why else do you think they haven't raided the California medical marijuana facilities? The feds have intimidated Oregon out of their medical marijuana laws, but they know they have no constitutional power to stop it..

I think the Feds would disagree. In case you haven't seen the news the Feds have been raiding California medical facilities
over the last year.

[Miss Mary]

Next we'll see a pic of Britney Spears crying and banging on the side of vending machine - it stole my $......sorry, I read California and her name popped in my head.

This is a bizarre headline!

[gtalum]

I think the Feds would disagree.

Of course they would. The feds have thought they have constitutional authority to do what they want ever since the Civil War, and probably before. It doesn't mean they actually have the authority, though.

[Derek Ortt]

and the Supreme Court upheld the right of the feds to intervene

There is a little concept, that I am not quite sure you grasp, Gtalum... it's called FEDERALISM. the federal government is superior to that of the states

[gtalum]

There is a little concept, that I am not quite sure you grasp, Gtalum... it's called FEDERALISM. the federal government is superior to that of the states

I think you need to read up on federalism. It isn't what you say it is.

Further, please feel free to point out where specifically in the US Constitution the federal government is granted the authority to regulate the sale of drugs within a state. if you cannot find such a passage, you will have to acknowledge that the 9th and 10th amendments forbid it from enacting and enforcing such laws.

[Derek Ortt]

and nowhere does the Constitution prohibit such regulation.


Due to many drugs crossing state lines, as well as sales using telephone lines (which can be regulated by the federal government since the telephone companies service across state lines... interstate commerce), the federal govenment (and upheld by the Supreme Court) regulates illegal drugs. Federal law is superior to that of the states in this instance, and every other where there may be a conflict

[Coredesat]

and nowhere does the Constitution prohibit such regulation.


Due to many drugs crossing state lines, as well as sales using telephone lines (which can be regulated by the federal government since the telephone companies service across state lines... interstate commerce), the federal govenment (and upheld by the Supreme Court) regulates illegal drugs. Federal law is superior to that of the states in this instance, and every other where there may be a conflict

Well, I haven't seen any ruling of the Court that has declared state control over medicinal marijuana unconstitutional, therefore the states can impose whatever regulations they wish. This is not a power explicitly granted to the federal government, and it is not a power explicitly denied to the states.

[george_r_1961]

I do not understand why the federal govt is being so stubborn about legalizing medical use of pot when far more dangerous substances can be obtained with a prescription

[Coredesat]

far more dangerous substances can be obtained with a prescription

Yep - narcotics like Oxycontin and Vicodin, and various steroids.

Then there's things that can be obtained OTC - the worst of these is dextromethorphan (DXM), which is a main ingredient in Robitussin DM. People have easily purified DXM from Robitussin DM and use it recreationally, because it has similar effects as LSD (I have actually seen it referred to as the "poor man's acid"). DXM is probably the worst drug that is not listed as a controlled substance by the federal government.

Pseudoephedrine was bad until it was banned from OTC drugs - it's a key ingredient in methamphetamines.

[Opal storm]

I do not understand why the federal govt is being so stubborn about legalizing medical use of pot when far more dangerous substances can be obtained with a prescription

To be honest, I think marijuana is very overrated. Alcohol and cigarettes have proven far more deadly yet their perfectly legal. I'm not saying they should totally legalize marijuana but if it helps relieve those with AIDS or cancer from pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms why is it so horribly wrong to use it for medical use?

[Derek Ortt]

Pseudoephedrine was bad until it was banned from OTC drugs - it's a key ingredient in methamphetamines


Psuedoephedrine is still very much legal. You just are limited to the quantity that you can purchase (CVS still sells it). it was also recently taken off of the WADA prohibited list, relegated to the monitoring list (and it does enhance performance in things such as running)

[Ed Mahmoud]

I got a prescription to hydrocodone syrup last time I had a really bad cold. I think it surpresses coughs, but I only take it at night, and I fall asleep so fast, I don't know if I am still coughing or not.


I think hydrocodone is similar to the stuff that got Rush Limbaugh addicted after disk surgery.



DXM is poor man's acid? Maybe that is why I sleep weird and wake up sweaty when I take NyQuil.

[Coredesat]

DXM is poor man's acid? Maybe that is why I sleep weird and wake up sweaty when I take NyQuil.

Pretty much. It causes extreme drowsiness even in the small amounts present in medications. Googling it will give you an idea of how prevalent it is.

[gtalum]

I'm not saying they should totally legalize marijuana but if it helps relieve those with AIDS or cancer from pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms why is it so horribly wrong to use it for medical use?

I think they should legalize marijuana. The reason they don't is very clear: tax revenue. it's hard for your average Joe to go out and grow and process his own tobacco, or make his own alcoholic beverages in any meaningful quantity. It's very easy to grow some pot plants though. The stuff grows wild all over the US. Thus, it's hard for the government to regulate it and tax it, so they ban it instead to funnel more people into alcohol and tobacco use.

[Ed Mahmoud]

I'm not saying they should totally legalize marijuana but if it helps relieve those with AIDS or cancer from pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms why is it so horribly wrong to use it for medical use?

I think they should legalize marijuana. The reason they don't is very clear: tax revenue. it's hard for your average Joe to go out and grow and process his own tobacco, or make his own alcoholic beverages in any meaningful quantity. It's very easy to grow some pot plants though. The stuff grows wild all over the US. Thus, it's hard for the government to regulate it and tax it, so they ban it instead to funnel more people into alcohol and tobacco use.

The kind of marijuana you could grow in your back yard, if legal but taxed, wouldn't have the THC content of the more carefully cultivated stuff, if I had to guess.



I'm sure medical marijuana has its uses, but I doubt that is why the stoners want it legalized.