COACHELLA VALLEY: CAPS closure may leave only one dispensary

Mr. Kaufman, I am a lifetime resident of the Coachella Valley, married for 13 years, mother of 3 children. I suffer from a bulging disc in my neck and I am also bipolar. After years of taking prescribed medications for pain, depression, anxiety, and insomnia I am proud and blessed to say that I no longer take any of those medications any more because I am now a medical marijuana patient going on about one year. The change in my conditions and the quality of my life have been incredible to say the least. I no longer suffer from symptoms of my bipolar disorder, and when I need my medicine for pain or sleep, I take it, just like anyone else would take their prescribed medication.

I do not know where you stand on this issue, nor am I going to try to influence your opinion either way. The purpose of my letter to you today is to be a voice. A voice of a mom, a wife, an employee, a citizen, a legal medical marijuana patient. I am a productive person in this society that contributes to my community, volunteers at my children's schools, carpools, goes to church, is highly valued at my job. I pride myself on being a moral person, truthful, compassionate and giving. I care about my integrity and I am instilling those values in my children. I am an average woman in society that happens to use medical marijuana instead of vicodin, Prozac, flexeril, ativan, and all the other synthetic medications that I have tried over the years to give me some kind of quality of life. However, because of the stigma, the ridicule, the turned up noses of people who are not educated in this department, I have to be an anonymous voice. If the parents of my children's friends knew of my choice of medication they may no longer be allowed to come over or play with my children. I may not be able to volunteer at their schools, or carpool or even keep my job. There are people in my life that would choose to disassociate with me if they knew that I was a medical marijuana patient. The problem is ignorance and lack of education. See, people need to understand that medical marijuana is just like any other medication. There are warning labels on my prescription bottles that say "do not drive or operate heavy machinery while taking this medication, may cause drowsiness," etc. The same warnings that are on countless of other prescription drug bottles. If you are under the influence of any narcotic and you follow the directions, you don't drive, you don't operate heavy machinery and you may need a nap! I do not take my medicine if children other than my own are at my home, I do not drive or engage in any activity that may be associated with any risks until the effects of my medicine have worn off. I am a responsible person that takes my medicine how it is prescribed. I am sure that a lot of people will have opinions about the abuse of medical marijuana, but what about people who are abusing their narcotic medicines, buying it illegally, going to rehab for addiction problems? The same exact factors can be applied to the abuse of any medication. If people would take an honest look and search their hearts, maybe just maybe, there could be some compassion and some support in our legislature and in our communities that will allow medical marijuana pharmacies to be allowed to dispense our medication.

I am frustrated this morning at the news that yet another dispensary in our valley has been closed. Can you imagine if all of a sudden Sav-On, Walgreen's, Rite Aide and the other pharmacies in all our cities were immediately shut down? Think of all the people that would suffer or even die because they could not have access to their medicines. When you look at it that way, it gives you a different perspective doesn't it? Well, for those of us who are medical marijuana patients, that is the position that we are in, that I am in, and I am scared. After years of trial and error and side effects from synthetic medications, I have finally found the right medication for myself and to think that I will no longer have access to that medication or that I could be arrested for taking it or having to buy it illegally is frightening! The ramifications could be devastating for me and my family. So today I have to locate a dispensary that is hundreds of miles away from my home. I have to spend the gas money in addition to the high cost of my medication, and take the risk of maybe getting pulled over and going to jail, all because the prescribed legal medicine that I take is no longer available to me locally. I pray and hope that some day I can be a visible advocate for this dilemma, but until laws are changed and people become educated, I cannot take the risk of being exposed and I think that is a shame.

Mr. Kaufman, forgive me if I seem to be ranting, but it is important to me to give people another perspective on this whole argument, to see the other side of the coin, if you will. To let people see that I, and countless others, are not the drug addict degenerates that they picture in their minds when it comes to marijuana users. In association with your article about CAPS closing, I would hope that people could have another perspective about this and see how the closing of a dispensary in our community affects an average woman like myself who depends on medical marijuana as my medicine.

It is my hope that you would consider using my letter or even portions of it to be in the paper as a follow up article on this article or perhaps for another article that is associated with this topic. Even if just one person was willing to look at this subject differently after reading what I had to say, that would be a step in the right direction.

I would appreciate it if you would keep my email address to yourself please.

Thank you for your time,
(email address deleted by editor upon request)

Well, I just realized that my posting was not going where I thought it was, and I guess everyone knows my email address now, glad this is a MM friendly site!