Dispensaries: The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly

 by Patricia Smith

 Going, Going, Gone…

There is a growing movement to shut down most – if not all – of the Medical Marijuana dispensaries now operating in California.  Many blame the MMJ industry for this change in attitude by our state lawmakers due to the lack of self-regulation.  And who can blame them?  Every dispensary serves as an ambassador to their community and shapes the impression of medical marijuana by the local citizenry.

If the industry doesn’t step up their game, it seems inevitable that more restrictive regulations will be forth coming.  Unfortunately, the good dispensaries could be eliminated along with the bad ones that should be shut down.  The time is overdue for a trade group to set some commonsense guidelines under which dispensaries should operate.  Or, even better, it’s time for our state legislators to issue clear statewide guidelines for dispensing marijuana in California that protect the rights of patients, cultivators and the dispensaries that operate according to the rules.

Edible manufacturer’s have established CAPSCE (California Association of Producers of Safe Cannabis Extracts) to promote safety standards for food items, tinctures and concentrated forms of marijuana.  Standards include the mandatory lab-testing and labeling of all cannabis products.   This is clearly a step in the right direction that was driven by efforts to eliminate edible products in dispensaries.  Many patients prefer edible products over smoking for various reasons, but for some, it is their only viable method of effectively using marijuana.

Dispensaries have an obligation to set a standard of excellence.  It is unconscionable for dispensaries to be providing medicine to patients that could be laced with toxic chemicals and pesticides.  What industry is allowed to provide medicine or food that has no safety standards in place?   You can’t even take homemade cookies to a school function anymore; they have to be store bought and securely sealed before they can be distributed to students.

Also, all too many dispensaries look like head shops or strip bars.  Ads abound with scantily-clad buxom beauties to attract younger customers.  This creates a bad impression for many people who initially supported medical marijuana.  A good dispensary should look and run like the medical office that it is.

The tide is definitely changing.  There is a tsunami offshore that threatens to obliterate medical marijuana as we’ve known it for the past 15 years.  It’s up to all of us to behave in the most ethical and professional manner possible.  There are economic forces  afoot to take over the industry.  Wall Street has realized the vast amounts of money that are being made from marijuana and they want in.  Our actions now could determine the future outcome.

Patricia Smith is the administrator of GrassRootsSolutions.  She is a consultant, author, and political activist.  Send your comments to grassrootssol@yahoo.com or visit the website at www.grassrootssolutions.org.