Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Already Exist: They're Called the Mexican Mafia

The well-intentioned Oregon Medical Marijuana Program is again swinging at a “straw man” – call it a Piñata.

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - The Oregonian, July 25, 2010, did it again on page B-1; it showed a picture of Lindsey Bradshaw, a Marijuana cardholder, a survivor of an abdominal tumor invading his spleen, kidney, stomach, colon, and pancreas. He must have had a $50,000 surgery to remove the bad parts. I know all about him. He was one of my patients. I did a physical on him for his card renewal just after his surgery. He looked like a victim of a Nazi death camp. With Marijuana, I think I saved his life. The Oregon Medical Board had the arrogant effrontery to allege that I was “a danger to all my patients and the public in general” I had many patients like this. Dangerous??

Mr. Bradshaw is a “Poster Boy” for the new Marijuana Dispensary Law. We already have dispensaries. We wouldn’t need such a law if this valuable medicine was made legal. Sgt. Erik Fisher of the Oregon State Police Drug Enforcement Section said it wouldn’t make a difference. He is not quite correct. It would get rid of the Mexican Mafia and make it easier AND cheaper for medical patients to get their medicine and enrich the State tax coffers.

Part of the law would allow/require the Oregon Public Heath Division to conduct and/or fund Medical Marijuana research. This is really strange – they have nobody competent enough to do it or supervise it. Their task has been only to incarcerate or force patients into Drug Rehabilitation Programs which are usually cruel, punitive and useless.

The California Marijuana Program is referenced. It has been a well-intentioned disaster with the regulators not having the foggiest idea what they were/are doing. Sgt. Fishers comment that one could buy $40 worth and send it to New York and sell it for $600 is totally fallacious. The Kentucky and Montreal growers are doing it already with less problems.

Tony Bell from the Los Angeles Supervisors Office says that Los Angeles has a “mess of unregistered and dangerous dispensaries”. He should know, the Supervisors Office is responsible for the MESS.

It should become evident that anybody in the supervisory or control position is not competent enough to make any judgment about Medical Marijuana or the patients.

It is probable that our new well-intentioned Dispensary Law may put another blockade preventing Medical Marijuana patients from getting medicine or getting it at a reasonable price. The past history of the actions of the Legislature and the DHS have shown that they have no knowledge about Medical Marijuana as medicine and they consider the patients a bunch of POTHEADS.

A LITTLE LEARNING IS A DANGEROUS THING!

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Click on this link for other articles and video segments about PTSD and medical marijuana on Salem-News.com: Dr. Leveque INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES

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Joy November 23, 2010 11:35 pm (Pacific time)

Editors: I just did a search on my name thru your site and this article popped up, I'm presuming due to "Jon Zommerman's" comment. Jon... is an idiot and doesn't Know the facts. I wish you would have told him about the alligations that ad been made mments after that picture was taken accusing me of "beating" on Jack and that's why the picture was sent to you, to prove that the alligations were bullshit. What you said about not having known me until Portland stock 2009 is correct and I appreciate you making that known. I did not see anything in this article to do with Jack nor myself and I wish that people could leave us out of things that don't pertain to us, but I understand that Some people just choose to dwell in ignorance and perfer mis-truths, which is why we've lost our hero to begin with. But in comment to one comment that actually was more pertaining to the story, John Sajo - I know that selling pot has always been Your goal in Oregon, but I have one thing to say to you in response to your justificational excuse - Schedule 2. Perhaps if we focused effort on That Victory in Oregon's laws, patients would have access at fair prices and wouldn't need to look at "stores" in the business of selling us our medication - let's leave that to the pharmacies and focus on loading them up with Quality medication. As far as doc's refrence to the "mexican mafia", personally I think he's refrencing to the illegal grow operations over-taking both Oregon as well as California's forestland which is reported as being operated by the "mexican mafia" - I don't Think he meant that mexican weed is a high demand in Oregon's weed market... it hasn't been for probably about 10 years since Canada began forwarding good quality strains downward Marc Emery has suffered as the martyer for that fact and reality. I think doc was suggesting that Oregon handle their business such as schedule 2 to ensure that money and profit by individuals nor groups for selfish gain and or intent do not continue to dictate our market nor our access, of coarse I could be wrong, but that's my take just for the record. Happy turkey day all, eat, live and be well! -Joy

John Sajo August 7, 2010 2:02 pm (Pacific time)

Leveque misses the mark with many of his comments in this article: First, legalization isn't going to happen for a while, in the meantime patients need the safe convenient access that Measure 74 will provide. Right now patients are expected to grow their own or designate a grower who they can't pay. The current system stops patients from being arrested but it doesn't figure out where they get thier medical marijuana. Second, dispensaries will have hgier quality medications available than most patients are able to produce themsleves. At dispensaries, patients will be able to buy, qulaity controlled, dosage labeled marijuana. They will still be able to try growing their own but if it doesn't work out at least they will have somewhere to go to buy some. We need the ORegon Health Authority to set quality conrol standards. Who else would do it? Leveque's statement, "It is probable that our new well-intentioned Dispensary Law may put another blockade preventing Medical Marijuana patients from getting medicine or getting it at a reasonable price." is way off the mark. Measure 74 adds dispensaries as another choice for patients. It also creates a specific program that will provide marijuana to indigent patients for free. How in the world adding dispensaries and programs to help the poor can be interpreted to add blockades is beyond me. You better rethink the logic of that statement doc! Dispensaries will benefit all patients. Patients will have access to a whole new world of choices. Vote yes on Measure 74.

Jon Zimmer August 7, 2010 10:40 am (Pacific time)

Salem-News.com sucks because of their biased coverage Jack Herer's family, and its costly struggle to dismiss a flawed power of attorney and health care directive.
Salem-News.com's Bonnie King failed to disclose that she and her husband are close friends with Joy M. Graves, the woman who tried to yank Jack Herer's health care and businesses from his wife and children.
Bonnie King and Salem-News.com also put less-than-flattering photographs of Jack Herer in a care facility on its website that Joy M. Graves provided to her.
That sucks.

-- Jon Zimmer

EDITOR: Hey Jon, you've got some of your ducks in a row but you're missing a couple of quackers. FYI, no one from Salem-News had ever met Joy Graves before Jack's heart attack last year. She and Chuck came to us with info that should have helped Jack. JACK was the only priority. Whether or not you agree that Jack had his own best interests at heart when he negotiated the POA and Medical Directive is your prerogative. As for the one photo that you mention, it was removed as soon as the family notified us that they believed it was unflattering, and we agreed. There are a lot of things that sucked about Jack's sad situation- our coverage was the least of his problems.

Thanks, Bonnie King

Rumpspanker August 7, 2010 8:58 am (Pacific time)

Are you going to tell them? Or must I?

Dr. Leveque July 30, 2010 1:57 pm (Pacific time)

To Vic, July 28, 2010 9:22 re: Mexican Mafia Marijuana I know hte main Scotts Mills Marijuana grower. He is one of my long-time patients. THe newspapers and TV News are full of stories about Mexican Marijuana Plantations and hundred pound drug busts. If a patient can get B.C. bud or Oregon green why would he buy Mex.? There must be much of it here and there.

Duncan20903 July 28, 2010 6:56 pm (Pacific time)

"The California Marijuana Program is referenced. It has been a well-intentioned disaster with the regulators not having the foggiest idea what they were/are doing." Umm, that's really only true if you ignore San Francisco and Oakland, both cities having instituted smart regulation of the supply chain. People talk about LA's failures, but don't seem to notice that the city's regulation law makers had their heads buried in the sand for years while the situation was getting worse. We hear how LA is closing down dispensaries, but not that Oakland is increasing their allotment of dispensary licensees by 50%, and has authorized large producers to supply the medicine that is needed by their patients. Yes, that may lead to a showdown between Oakland and the Feds. I've got popcorn popping and a comfortable chair picked out, and I'll enjoy the show.

Osotan; July 28, 2010 10:38 am (Pacific time)

Keep on truckin' Doc! 4/20!!

Vic July 28, 2010 9:22 am (Pacific time)

A little learning is indeed dangerous, especially when it thwarts your attempt to blame someone else for home-grown problems. I have smoked pot for thirty years..I know many many other pot smokers, and only in the leanest of times does ANYONE seek out and buy the low grade Mexican weed.I lived above Scotts Mills..not too far from LeVeque's hometown and ALL the weed in that area was grown in that area. I grew weed for six years in my basement...and it was very high grade sinsemillia. I also knew several people within a few miles of my house that ere doing the same. We traded clones, information and would often refer customers to each other when we were between crops.Oregonians are smart enough to know how to grow good high grade weed and the "Mexican Mafia" may be selling weed too, but not to anyone I EVER talked to. Mexican weed runs about $60-$80 an oz and is half seeds. Good indoor weed runs around $200-$240 per oz and has no seeds and is ten times stronger. The "blame the Mexicans" mantra is getting old and is simply not true.

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