Recommending Medical Marijuana

" high noon continues earlier in the hour we take you to a medical marijuana dispensary but to get medical marijuana you have to have a doctor's approval. How do you get a doctor's note our next guest has me into joining us doctor Allan Frankel doctor thank you for being what this is. The big question here how you decide what patient gets. A prescription for marijuana medical marijuana and one that does not."

" Well at every position we'll have slightly different standards. One of the most important standards by operate under my office is the age of the patient if they're not in with apparent they have to be at least 21. The average age is 48 so most of my patients are really about -- tickets they -- my internal medicine practice and it's not difficult to decide."

" You know doctor a lot of people when they get into this argument about legalizing marijuana they talked about you know well we've we've. Did the prohibition take on alcohol -- that we said okay that's legal. But you and I can go and have a drink group class a wider whatever were not high we can still operated car. Operate machinery but when you smoke a joint. -- So how do you view classified well that's not instead of the alcohol argument would be more like -- be something that you should get from again a pharmacy."

" Well not necessarily in many pharmaceutical drugs including the tranquilizers and narcotics. A much worse to drive -- than either alcohol or Canada so. It's its most personal. In my responsibility of the position is not to get people hide the vast major my patients know how to get kind of they want to just get high they'll do in one of many different ways. My goal is to. Primarily by using teachers are not so much for -- smoking which is. Very difficult to control to get people to feel well to feel normal to get rid of their pain to alleviate their anxiety without getting high. Both my patients. Really don't want to smoke in both you -- want to use alternative mechanism."

" your patients don't say a lot of -- patients. Are suffering from aids. Cancer. A different type of bone ailments I mean are you are you primarily prescribing things to folks that have very serious illnesses are and have chronic pain because of said illness."

" Well I don't say that about a third of my patients have cancer HIV war. Debilitating illnesses that were used to hearing about it about a third have been two positions have had multiple prescription for the depression anxiety. Pain and insomnia and just aren't doing well and they see candidates for help. And within the last third hard but -- called walking wounded and you know it yourself myself. -- anxiety. Mild to moderate chronic pain insomnia and depression and they've often tried other methods and they find this being more --"

" What do you make of the news today without it I'm. And we yeah we would really make a business if the Obama administration the attorney general Eric Holder now coming out saying he's no longer going to go after. Folks like you. Small business owners the dispense medical marijuana I mean do you think that we're making a step in the right direction here as far as the medical community in the treatment. A chronic conditions guns."

" We'll provide and distribute."

" I distribute you prescribed -- not. China you prescribes that I recommend recommend recommend. And then what did you -- you hold at what are you holding up there I'm sorry what was that piece of paper. We're going to. Yes and that is that that is a card right."

" This is the Carter that the position recommendation letter that's the picture of the patient it has everything the law requires. I'd in my office I do it electronically rather than by hand -- that this will get this patient into. It legally into any legal cannabis dispensary in the state of California."

" I don't -- to be picky I've made that this plane off -- you've been corrected a couple times now. The word prescribed you don't use that you you say you recommend you make a recommendation what what's a distinction what's the big deal there."

" distinction is that even though candidates. In a medical setting his legal in the state of California. Federally and not. Quite yet but it is. Legal but can of this is that's the schedule one drugs period so it can't be given by prescription. And the recommendation is that the form the California uses to get the patient to the dispenser --"

" How many patients are you treating right now. Recommending medical school class. Of that. About 2500 patients over the last three and a half years okay and -- you had an even approached by anybody. From the investment community. That -- with CB administration kind of changed their tune about medical marijuana have you been approached tribute. Been in discussions are people talked about maybe opening up dispensary is around the statement of profiting. For medical marijuana."

" Well not just dispensed -- more. Since I rotate in January through the election time when people think. Settled down a little about the whole candidacy issue on both federal and state level I started seeing business people. From the community. Coming in and talking and not just about the dispensary issue which is nothing that I would want to get into discussing with them but. Possible other. Opportunities for investment. In the medical care in this field of which there will ultimately be more and more but there're certainly -- now."

" You know there was -- earlier laboratories. Sure was asking earlier about the the fact that the Obama administration is making a change to department justice but I mean is pretty historian David says LA's top prosecutor. Vows to target. Pot shops so. Which is that what how how are you how for the people in this business going to operate when you've got the Fed still saying something different in the state."

" Well I don't think any of us know what's ultimately gonna happen even if we have. But a bill or a proposition that legalizing it to the level of alcohol for people would be to 21 even at that point I'm not sure that we really know what the federal government's going to be doing. But I think for right now Obama. Formally stating that he's going to leave it up to the state is actually very similar to alcohol that the federal government could make a decision. And the and with -- alcohol prohibition so they waited. And allow that to be the state by state so I have a feeling you -- I'm guessing of course that I think that's what's going to happen in this case."

" Doctor Allan Frankel thank you very much doctor forgiveness the medical side of medical marijuana we appreciate your time."