This is part 2 of a series on the legalization of the recreational use marijuana in California. Part 1 ran in the Jan. 5 edition.
Pot has come a long way from being a counterculture drug smoked on the sly after scoring a small baggie of weed from someone who knew someone who knew someone who had some Acapulco Gold.
Truly an industry that has evolved since the days of furtive baggies, the variety of products available, the form they are available in and their strength have changed dramatically.
Since adult-use sales of pot was only legalized as of Jan. 1 and because of the temporary local ban on selling or growing it commercially, there currently are no retail outlets in El Dorado County.
But the medical use of marijuana has been legal in the state since passage of Prop. 215 in 1996 and local residents are using it.
Locally there are four dispensaries that provide marijuana to patients who have a doctor’s note.
One is in Diamond Springs, two are in Shingle Springs and one is in Cameron Park. There are also at least two in South Lake Tahoe.
Pure Life Collective is the dispensary in Diamond Springs.
Run by Kelly Chiusano and his wife, they’ve been at the location since 2010 but he said he’s been active in the marijuana industry as a grower for a long time.
Chiusano said he currently has 5,000 active patient files plus the files of another 7,000 clients who are nonactive and who may have only stopped by once.
“The average age of my clients is 60 years of age or older,” he said. “And while most of my clients are local, I also get people from as far away as Tahoe and Roseville.
“They come in for a week’s worth of medicine with a doctor’s prescription. That’s the only way they can buy it and the only people we sell to. However, only certain doctors will prescribe it.”
Chiusano said his clients use pot for a variety of illnesses such as those suffering from stress, PTSD, pain, sleeplessness, arthritis or cancer.
“For some clients, such as those suffering from stage 4 cancer, we will cover the cost of their pot,” he said.
He explained there are two main ingredients in marijuana: cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
CBD has zero psychotropic effects but offers pain and inflammation relief and is infused in drinks and topicals. It’s the THC that gives people that marijuana “buzz.”
His dispensary itself is an impressive display of how far marijuana has evolved as a product.
In a case spanning an entire wall were jars containing the buds of different varieties of marijuana one can buy with whimsical names like bay dream, candyland and cherry pie face. Looking like rolled bits of fungus, they can be crushed and smoked or put into food.
For those who don’t want to smoke pot, there are all kinds of drinks and edibles such as packaged marijuana infused munchies and gums. A cooler held drinks containing pot in flavors like mango, lemon and peach along with CBD infused water.
For those using pot to ease aching joints, there were a variety of topical ointments that are said to have no psychotropic effect. They also sell fancy glass vaporizers, bongs and pipes along with live plants and seeds.
Vaporizers heat marijuana just enough to create a vapor without burning it, thus avoiding the effects of smoking a joint. Bongs are water filled devices that cool the smoke from marijuana before it is inhaled.
Chiusano said originally he was getting his pot supplies from people locally who were growing more than they needed for their personal use.
“I’m in the process of getting a license from the state for my business,” he said, adding he didn’t think anyone else in the county had a license yet.
As of Jan. 1 he is only able to sell pot he brings in from outside the county because of the temporary ban by the board of supervisors.
“However, people will still be able to grow up to six plants for their personal use but can’t sell any of it,” he said, “although they can give it away for free. And people can’t buy plants from me unless they have a note from a doctor.”
Health considerations
While marijuana is being used with those suffering from certain medical problems, it remains a substance that can have short and long-term health effects.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States.
The effects of marijuana include altered senses and sense of time, impaired body movement, difficulty with thinking and problem-solving, impaired memory, and when taken in high doses, hallucinations, delusions and psychosis.
According to the NIDA, “Marijuana also affects brain development. When people begin using marijuana as teenagers, the drug may impair thinking, memory and learning functions and affect how the brain builds connections between the areas necessary for these functions. Researchers are still studying how long marijuana’s effects last and whether some changes may be permanent.”
Other potential health effects include breathing problems related to smoking marijuana; a raised heart rate; problems with child development before and after pregnancy if the mother uses marijuana; severe nausea, vomiting, and dehydration; and mental issues.
People can also become addicted to the use of marijuana although the majority of people who use it don’t go on to use other “harder” drugs.