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Buzzby

Medical Marijuana Is A Growing Controversy
Medical outlet, city council in murky legal water
K Kaufmann | The Desert Sun | 02/23/2006

Stacy Hochanadel wakes up most mornings wondering if today is the day he'll get arrested.

The 29-year-old is the owner of CannaHelp, a medical marijuana dispensary on El Paseo in Palm Desert. Every day he walks a fine line between California's medical marijuana laws, which say what he's doing is legal, and federal anti-drug laws, which say he's a criminal.

"Anything can happen," said Hochanadel, a medical marijuana user himself. "I could get arrested. I'm willing to do it."

But today, what's preoccupying Hochanadel and the close to 500 clients at his dispensary is whether the Palm Desert City Council will vote at its meeting to revoke CannaHelp's business license.

And if they do, dispensary supporters say, CannaHelp's future - and safe access to medical marijuana in the area - could be severely affected.

"He's providing (medical marijuana) for people who cannot obtain it by growing their own," said Lanny Swerdlow of Palm Springs, who heads the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project, a patient support group. "Otherwise they'll have to turn to criminals back on the street."

The city issued the license last October when Hochanadel opened the dispensary, then called Hempie's, at 73-350 El Paseo. But some officials are now having second thoughts because of police concerns about the legitimacy of some of Hochanadel's clients.

"I think the unregulated nature of (medical marijuana) troubles people," said Palm Desert Mayor Jim Ferguson, "and if you attempt to regulate, it troubles the advocates."

From October to early January, Palm Desert police cited or arrested seven CannaHelp clients - in one case for attempting to sell marijuana purchased at the dispensary to two teens and in another for sharing it with others who were not dispensary customers. In the other incidents, police were unable to verify the doctors' letters of recommendation the clients were carrying and confiscated the medical marijuana.

"We're sitting in a gray area," said Lt. Steve Thetford, Palm Desert's assistant chief of police. Federal law prohibits possessing, using or growing marijuana, and Thetford said vaguely written state laws are part of the problem in California.

"With medical marijuana dispensaries, you have an independently run place without any kind of background verification of (the owner's) qualifications to run the operation."

A tour of the site

A trip to CannaHelp begins in a front room where first-time customers must produce valid California identification and a doctor's letter of recommendation. Dispensary staff verify the letter with the doctor and also verify the doctor's credentials using the state Medical Licensing Board Web site.

Dr. Robert F. Sterner of San Diego is one of the doctors who regularly writes letters for patients, and he said he turns down about 15 percent of the people who come to him.

"A 19-year-old or 18-year-old will come in complaining of anxiety," he said. "Unless I see an extensive chart, they leave the recommendation (form) here."

Sterner estimates about 15 percent of his medical marijuana patients come from Riverside County.

Once verified, patients then join the collective by signing a form that designates CannaHelp as their primary caregiver. This allows the dispensary to grow or otherwise obtain medical marijuana for them - and they get a sheet of house rules.

Hochanadel also has a no-tolerance policy on smoking pot anywhere near the dispensary or giving medical marijuana to anyone for nonmedical purposes.

Those who have their ID and letter of recommendation go through two doors to the heart of the dispensary, a room with two counters displaying the cannabis, in both smokeable and edible forms. Patients can sniff and buy marijuana from two shelves of samples in dried or concentrated form, with names like "Outdoor Diesel" or "Afghan Wreck."

"I feel like I'm at a perfume counter and I've confused all the smells," Cindy Moroni, a first-time customer, said on a recent visit.

The edibles are even more intriguing - from pot-infused olive oil and peanut butter and jelly to a line of candy bars made by an Oakland company, Tainted. And, of course, Hochanadel stocks marijuana brownies.

For Alan Layton of La Quinta, the dispensary provides the safety of legal legitimacy.

Layton has been using medical marijuana for a depressive disorder for more than 30 years and recalled "flying under the wire" before the state laws were passed.

"It was terrible," he said. "You're labeled a criminal whether you're involved in criminal activity or not."

Keeping it stocked

The other part of the operation is creating a stable, high-quality supply of medical marijuana, or "product," as Hochanadel calls it. Medical marijuana is different - purer and more potent - than commercial pot.
Hochanadel buys from growers in Northern and Southern California. He is also teaching interested clients how to set up "grow rooms" to create a stable and quality-controlled source of medical marijuana for the dispensary.

Hochanadel said he spends his nights going to three or four a week, "gardening, giving nutrient, making sure the air temperature is right."

A typical room, located in the garage of one of Hochanadel's clients, is a carefully controlled environment. A digital panel regulates temperature and lighting and shoots carbon dioxide into the room, which helps the plants grow bigger and faster.

About 70 plants, from cuttings taking root to mature plants with buds bursting, are constantly growing. A folder of paperwork hanging on the wall includes the authorizations from CannaHelp patients allowing Hochanadel to grow medical marijuana for them, which makes the grow room legal.

The growing cycle takes about eight weeks from start to finish and can yield several pounds of marijuana.

Hochanadel said the more he grows locally, the more he can cut prices for his customers. Prices now range from $15 to $35 for a gram all the way up to $700 for an ounce.

Sales remain strong - over $134,000 since Jan. 1 - so, Hochanadel is also starting a scholarship fund to help low-income customers.

Swerdlow sees the dispensary as a community service and vital part of the retail scene on El Paseo.

"Everyone goes to Palm Desert to do their shopping," he said. "So having a dispensary in the retail center of the Coachella Valley makes sense."

What it's prescribed for

Under California law, medical marijuana may be used for the relief of “chronic medical conditions,” including:
•HIV/AIDS
•Anorexia
•Arthritis
•Wasting syndrome
•Cancer
•Chronic pain
•Glaucoma
•Migraines
•Persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those associated with multiple sclerosis
•Seizures, including but not limited to those associated with epilepsy
•Severe nausea

Where they stand

On Oct. 27, 2005, the Palm Desert City Council unanimously voted not to approve a proposed ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. Now, facing a possible vote on revoking CannaHelp’s business license, opinions on the council are split.

Mayor Jim Ferguson: “(I’m) conflicted. The dispensary issue, now that our attorneys have had a chance to look at it, is not explicitly allowed or disallowed. I haven't gotten a single phone call or letter from anyone in Palm Desert complaining about this. I don't take that as an approval; I take that as absence of a problem.”

Mayor Pro Tem Richard S. Kelly: “We’re going to have a public hearing (today). I don’t have any opinion until I hear the (testimony).”

Councilman Buford Crites: “I voted to follow the state law (in October) and have been very comfortable with that vote. If there are new data I need to know, then fair enough. We'll look at it and talk about it.”

Councilman Robert A. Spiegel: “It’s a real conundrum. Our state Legislature has not come out with proper rules on how to regulate (medical marijuana). I personally would prefer to see medical marijuana sold at a pharmacy the same as other drugs.”

Councilwoman Jean Benson: Could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Nonsmokers' menu

CannaHelp stocks an extensive selection of medical marijuana edibles for those who don’t smoke:
•Olive oil
•Honey
•Blueberry and strawberry fruit syrups
•Soup mixes
•Peanut butter and jelly
•Chocolate syrup
•Brownies and cookies
•Baklava
•Granola bars
•Candy bars — from peanut butter cups and white chocolate to chocolate-covered caramel bars

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PotShot

Was that suposed to be a joke?
It is hard to tell anymore...

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Carl Sagan Goodness Richard Dawkins Goodness

SnowMinion

Mmmm.....chocolate-covered caramel bars

johnnyd

That is just so much BS. I'm surprized the moderators didn't jump on that one.

TheNewGuy

Isn't medpot the same exact thing basically as commercial Cannabis? It comes from the same types of grow-ops, its not like medpot is regulated in any way so how could it always be more potent than "regular" weed?

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"Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power." ~P.J. O'Rourke

 

Buzzby

Medical marijuana is almost exclusively very high grade, hydroponically grown cannabis. That makes it more potent than most commercial marijuana.

TheNewGuy

Right, but I'm just saying, its not coming from some sort of "specially made" facility thats just for growing medpot. Its still just some guy's closet or basement, even if medical pot is usually intentionally grown in better conditions so the patients won't complain about the strength.

johnnyd

Hydroponically grown cannabis isn't any stronger than cannabis thats grown outside. This is a myth that seems to be floating around in the marijuana community. The main factor in potent pot is genetics. If you have a good plot of land where the pot is grown and it gets plenty of sun and nutrients and water, it would be as good as if not better than hydro pot. The only benefit you get from hydro growing is an increased growing cycle (lights on 23 hours a day). Metal Halide and HPS lights are good but nothing beats good old Sol when it comes to growing plants.

TheNewGuy

Umm...no. If you grow any plant in circumstances which are nearly perfect for its growth (hydroponically growing the plant and giving it the exact amount of nutrients that are good for that particular type of plant, for example) will produce a larger, more robust plant than something grown outdoors. Hydroponically grown cannabis (if its done right, of course) is more potent than something grown from a seed thrown out your car window going down the highway.

Also, when a MJ plant grows outdoors, its pollinated by male plants, which greatly reduces the potency of that plant. Hydroponically grown plants are female only (in that I mean the male plants are discovered before they can pollinatate anything and are removed) therefore there is no risk of this happening.

johnnyd

Hydroponically growing ditchweed will still get you ditchweed, not AK47 or White Widow. When growing outside, use feminized seeds or start with clones. Bad genetics will give you low quality pot no matter what the growing conditions are. Hydroponics (and even better Aeroponics) just allows you to have a continious balanced growing season. Like I said earlier, good pot grown outside is pretty much identical to good pot grown hydroponically.
Hydro = four or five crops a year.
Soil = one MAYBE two crops a year (depending on where you live).