[BobbyB]

Marijuana vending machines in US

Eleven US states allow medical marijuana on doctors' orders


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

[BobbyB]

Marijuana club will help chronically ill
Activist wants to give pot to those who can use it for pain control
Paul Walton , Daily News
Published: Monday, January 28, 2008

Nanaimo residents with chronic illnesses may get their own medical marijuana compassion club.

Activist James Younger said he hopes to have the Mid-Island Compassion Society operating by as soon as Thursday.

"I'd like to provide medical marijuana to people in need of it," said Younger.

He has issued a statement claiming that cannabis is medicine, and part of the mandate is to ensure "strict safeguards against abuse."

Younger said he has used pot for his work-related pain and assisted in growing it for a quadriplegic man in his home.

Younger said the police did raid the man's residence, but later returned the equipment they seized.

He is thinking of people with AIDS, hepatitis, ALS, cancer and various other chronic conditions.

Younger said he has received good response thus far, and for the past several months has been consulting with compassion clubs in Vancouver and Victoria.

"I'm ready to go, I have a membership of three," he said. "I've had people offer me computers and telephone lines and others who've offered me an organic source (for marijuana).

The cost to join will be between $5 and $50, depending on what a person can afford, and though he has been looking for a storefront, Younger said a bicycle will likely be the centre of his business to deliver to customers.

"I was hoping to find a storefront, but I was told to use a bicycle, that way they don't impound your vehicle," he said.

Younger said he wants to do everything up front, and today is seeking to speak with Mayor Gary Korpan and the RCMP. Korpan said he will listen to Younger, but questioned the idea of medical marijuana.

"I'm not a doctor but it seems to me there are more than enough medicines out there that we don't need to be breaking more laws," said Korpan.

Younger maintains that people in Nanaimo who require medical marijuana don't have adequate access to it. The compassion club in Victoria, he said, will begin referring Nanaimo people to him if in several months his operation appears to be a success. No one, said Younger, will be able to join unless they have an authorization from a doctor.

But first he his seeking a declaration of non-profit status, and he will then seek to work with the city.

"I'm telling the city anyway, I want to open and accountable."

PWalton@nanaimodailynews.com

http://www.canada.com/vancouverislan...a-edfd3a4d36f2

[BobbyB]

Mr Schwarzenegger has dealt with recent California wildfires

Why should I care if a politician takes sleeping pills every night so long as he can do his job?

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor of California


Schwarzenegger speaks on drug use

California governor and former film star Arnold Schwarzenegger has told a magazine that marijuana is not a drug.
The ex-Hollywood actor said in a GQ interview that he had not taken drugs, even though he was shown smoking a joint in 70s documentary Pumping Iron.

"That is not a drug. It's a leaf," he told the magazine. He added: "My drug was pumping iron, trust me."

However, the governor's spokesman later told the Associated Press that the comments had been taken out of context.

Aaron McLear said the star of Terminator had been speaking in a light-hearted way.

"Of course the governor understands marijuana is a drug," he said.

In the interview with former British newspaper editor Piers Morgan for the December issue of GQ, Mr Schwarzenegger also refused to condemn politicians who declined to answer questions on taking drugs.

"What would you rather have? A politician taking stuff and not saying, but making the best decisions and improving things?

"Or a politician who names all the drugs he or she has taken but makes lousy decisions for the country?" he asked.

He said a politician's job was "to do what's best for the people and to improve the country, the economy, the environment".

"Why should I care if a politician takes sleeping pills every night so long as he can do his job?"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7066931.stm

[BobbyB]

World's First Weed ATM

Available at:
Melrose Quality Pain Relief, 4906 Melrose Ave, Mid-Wilshire; 323.957.7777

Herbal Nutrition Center, 1435 S. La Cienega Blvd. Suite G, Mid-Wilshire; 310.855.9484

Most of your essentials are already distributed by vending machines: condoms, electronics, luscious 1-calorie Tab... But now, you can finally get what you really need: medical marijuana, from Anytime Vending Machines.

AVMs are 24/7 machines housed in standalone rooms, abutting two dispensaries and protected by round-the-clock security guards -- like ATMs for people combating psychological withdrawal with a physical one. After cinching up your doctor's consultation, hit an AVM location to get your prescription approved, fingerprint taken, and a prepaid credit card loaded with your profile: dosage (3.5 or 7 grams, up to 1oz a week) and strain preference (choice of five, including OG Cush and Granddaddy Purple, the mildly hallucinogenic forebear to Prince). Then day or night, all you do is hit a machine and walk away with enough vacuum-sealed, plastic-encapsulated cheeba to adequately treat your illness, and guarantee your car never smells like new leather again.

The AVMs are already in place at their respective dispensaries and will be fully-operational by Monday, though their vestibules are still under construction; future plans include machine-vended pharmaceuticals like Vicodin, Viagra, and Propecia -- for when the excessive chemicals in Tab have wracked you with pain, limpness, and baldness.

Check out one of the dispensaries that's stocking the AVM at HerbalNutritionCenterLA.com