Legal Medical MJ Users and How You're Perceived

Warning...This thread could be a bit controversial.....Please don't shoot the messenger/OP

Question 1:
I have seen folks on reality shows like Judge Judy that have obtained the right to medicinally use MJ announce the fact with a smug look or slight grin on their face. That look is interpreted as 'No, I don't have a medical issue and I beat the system'.

I have also seen folks announce their medicinal legal use with a more adult presentment, expressing a sincere need.

Has anyone else seen the smugness in action or am I just being overly sensitive since I'm still waiting till my state comes around.

Question 2:
If you're not one of those smug types and do have legal medicinal rights and a sincere need ... do you feel like the non-educated types don't believe you have a medical condition?

I'm definitely no angel in this regard. If my state only allowed medicinal I'd be the first one in line to try and convince a doctor I needed that right even though I don't.....I just wouldn't be a wise ass because there are so many who are still illegal and have a true need and I don't want to hinder their chances.

So long as it's illegal recreationally, I can't judge others for seeking out cannabis through the most safe and regulated channels. I do wince every time I hear people flaunting the fact that they have medical for an illegitimate reason. Still one can always make the argument that responsible recreational use has medical benefits to even a normal, physically healthy person.

Where I will get upset is once cannabis is recreationally legal and available, but people claim they have a medical need to avoid paying taxes or to avoid laws which may be different for medical patients and recreational patients.

As for how I am perceived I could care less. I don't vape in public much, and I don't look like a stoner so I haven't faced much prejudice from my peers. It helps that using cannabis to treat my condition has gotten lots of media attention in recent times. It also helps that people my age care less about cannabis use than older generations.

up here in Canada the government took away certain rights for individuals to produce there own medical cannabis . and set up large money hungry corporations to do it . up here we are on the verge of legalization of recreational so it seems , hopefully it wont take years .

one of these companies Tweed, just made a deal with snoop dog lol .
now i dont have anything against snoop or Willie nelson or cheech and chong or any other pot heroes , love them all . but i think for example this move by tweed , shows that even the " licensed medical producers " all dressed in there lab smocks and such , are as you say , with a sort of slight grin and maybe a wink and a nod basically helping propagate this stigma and saying that its true with there actions .

how is the general population with no real cannabis experience supposed to believe in any medical benefits . or that people that say they are medical really are medical and its not all just a farce .

i think its all bullshit . let people use it for whatever they want . its a issue of personal freedom if you ask me . if it helps you with some pain be that emotional physical or what ever thats great . i would say that people that use it ,use it cuz it makes then feel good right ? there you have it . just make it legal round the world . but these money hungry companies make me sick enough to need to smoke another one for medicinal purposes lol

authoritative personality types getting there nickers in a not about what they think other people should be putting in there bodies are the real ass wipes in all this , especially when it comes to a harmless plant . its like getting upset if people were to start smoking broccoli . thats were all the problems come from and the smug looks and slight grins , prohibition aint it a bitch

His_Highness said:

Warning...This thread could be a bit controversial.....Please don't shoot the messenger/OP

Question 1:
I have seen folks on reality shows like Judge Judy that have obtained the right to medicinally use MJ announce the fact with a smug look or slight grin on their face. That look is interpreted as 'No, I don't have a medical issue and I beat the system'.

I have also seen folks announce their medicinal legal use with a more adult presentment, expressing a sincere need.

Has anyone else seen the smugness in action or am I just being overly sensitive since I'm still waiting till my state comes around.

Question 2:
If you're not one of those smug types and do have legal medicinal rights and a sincere need ... do you feel like the non-educated types don't believe you have a medical condition?

I'm definitely no angel in this regard. If my state only allowed medicinal I'd be the first one in line to try and convince a doctor I needed that right even though I don't.....I just wouldn't be a wise ass because there are so many who are still illegal and have a true need and I don't want to hinder their chances.

Click to expand...

My state has legalized MJ for medical use but the bar is really up there for qualification so most of the medical and recreational users are in the same boat they have been in for years. That sadly means not not much in the way of change in attitude/situation for the most part. However an ongoing working relationship with my doctor and her support staff has changed a little. A bit more awareness of the drugs effect and willingness in integrating it into my medication regime, bonus points for that. Bottom line slow, slow changes but some right ones are coming around when they do occur.

I started the thread because I was curious whether there were others, like myself, who wished that some folks wouldn't openly rub people's nose in it when they qualified for medicinal use without a true need.

And then the above made me curious if those who qualified with a legitimate need felt they were being discriminated against/classified as someone gaming the system when they weren't.

I know someone who is in serious pain that has no access to legal MJ and is forced to rely on opioids. This person has to take drug tests to prove there are no other drugs being used, including MJ or risk losing access to the pain meds. The opioids are adversely affecting day to day life but it's the only choice. The person has prior experience with MJ and is convinced that augmenting pain therapy with MJ would allow for reducing opioid use significantly, eliminating the adverse affect on day to day living. I think of this person each time I see someone openly do the nod-nod-wink-wink thing in mixed company.

I think it all kinda comes with the territory of having a substance that is used both recreationally and for medical purposes, eh?

I know it's picking nits, but it used to irk me when I used to go to dispensaries(no more thank's to local farmers) and young guys would come in with their Bob Marley shirts and woolen caps with pot leaves embroidered on them,
It just so played into the stoner stereo-type, I thought very much along the lines His Highness' has presented here.
Like the phrase, "Don't dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want", create the attitude towards cannabis use you want, not what prohibitionists expect.

@Adobewan - Good point from a slightly different perspective. We don't need the younger kids propagating the stereotype even if it is just for show. It just makes the hill harder to climb since it leans toward the BS about a gateway drug and the harm legalization will pose to the younger set. Maybe the next time you encounter it you might suggest they wear a beer bong hat instead.

Everybody is in a different stage of development. Many (most?) of us have gone through a stoner phase, probably as a young person. It would be hypocrisy for me to now condemn somebody else for doing some of the same shit I did. Cannabis is sort of a multi-purpose plant. It doesn't really help to become 'medical snobs'.

Aside from wearing flannel hoodies constantly, I try very hard not to project the classic stoner image, as an MJ user, in any way. I put away all the rock concert shirts and Iron Maiden denim jackets, decades ago. I don't wear any advertizing at all, unless I am paid well..

The only ones that even know I am a MMJ user would be my wife, my doc, my delivery guy and now you all.

His_Highness said:

@AdobewanMaybe the next time you encounter it you might suggest they wear a beer bong hat instead.

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Gunky said:

...It would be hypocrisy for me to now condemn somebody else for doing some of the same shit I did... It doesn't really help to become 'medical snobs'.

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@Gunky Difference is, when we were younger, there wasn't the freedom of legalization at stake.
Not condemning, nor medical snobbing(coined it!). Just wish the younger brethren would be a bit more strategic in the perception they project.

Gunky said:

Everybody is in a different stage of development. Many (most?) of us have gone through a stoner phase, probably as a young person. It would be hypocrisy for me to now condemn somebody else for doing some of the same shit I did. Cannabis is sort of a multi-purpose plant. It doesn't really help to become 'medical snobs'.

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It's not being a "medical snob". If cannabis is saving your life from something that can kill you, then you have every right to be peeved when you see kids with zero real qualifications flaunting their cards. That's the kind of behavior that the general public thinks of when they hear medical marijuana, and that's exactly the kind of behavior that the medical cannabis community has to distance itself from if it wants to be taken seriously. I'm not happy that we have that hurdle, but that's the reality as I see it.

Not being able to sleep or having pain is unimaginable, and I think those people should be able to get medical cannabis the same as those with cancer or epilepsy. That said, it's hard to fake cancer or epilepsy as they are detected with tests.

I think people should not be able to fake their way into getting mmj. I'm all for every condition being accepted - even depression or anxiety- but I think you should actually have that condition to apply. I understand that people will always be gaming the system, but I think doctors who get caught issuing illegitimate cannabis prescriptions should face the law, same as a doctor who is prescribing prescription drugs to patients who do not qualify. From what I've heard my MMJ doctor will accept anybody with the $200, but my primary care doesn't write MMJ prescriptions. He's ok with it, but will just tell you to go to the MMJ witch Dr, since he doesn't know enough about MMJ to recommend it. I respect that position, and he's a great doctor otherwise, so I don't try and switch. I'm glad I have any Dr. who's willing to prescribe MMJ, but when it's the same Dr. writing cards to every 18 year old with back pain, it makes me feel like legitimate patients are being taken advantage of.

I also support legal recreational cannabis, but it has to be kept separate from the medical system if we want the medical community to accept cannabis as a legitimate medicine.

I should also note that I got my MMJ card because I wanted to be legal, and I wanted my condition to be taken seriously. I did not get it for a source of bud, as my illegal sources are still much cheaper and readily available than legal medical bud.

I may have gone through more of a "stoner phase" when I was younger, but I can say, without a doubt, that the way I was using cannabis back then was not medicinal by even the loosest of definitions.

His_Highness said:

Warning...This thread could be a bit controversial.....Please don't shoot the messenger/OP

Question 1:
I have seen folks on reality shows like Judge Judy that have obtained the right to medicinally use MJ announce the fact with a smug look or slight grin on their face. That look is interpreted as 'No, I don't have a medical issue and I beat the system'.

I have also seen folks announce their medicinal legal use with a more adult presentment, expressing a sincere need.

Has anyone else seen the smugness in action or am I just being overly sensitive since I'm still waiting till my state comes around.

Question 2:
If you're not one of those smug types and do have legal medicinal rights and a sincere need ... do you feel like the non-educated types don't believe you have a medical condition?

I'm definitely no angel in this regard. If my state only allowed medicinal I'd be the first one in line to try and convince a doctor I needed that right even though I don't.....I just wouldn't be a wise ass because there are so many who are still illegal and have a true need and I don't want to hinder their chances.

Click to expand...

Q1: no
Q2: yes

@grokit - After your post ..... Now I'm wishing I had set up this thread with a poll question. Can't figure out how to set up a poll after the fact though. Damn!

Farid said:

.....but I can say, without a doubt, that the way I was using cannabis back then was not medicinal by even the loosest of definitions.

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Ummm..........could be a disagreement here, even in the loosest of definitions being that if one uses a substance to alter their perception than it could be said that they are self medicating their mind for one reason or another, eh?

Farid said:

I also support legal recreational cannabis, but it has to be kept separate from the medical system if we want the medical community to accept cannabis as a legitimate medicine.

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Separate how?

lwien said:

Separate how?

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Discounts, & quality control. For starters.

Ummm..........could be a disagreement here, even in the loosest of definitions being that if one uses a substance to alter their perception than it could be said that they are self medicating their mind for one reason or another, eh?

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I'm talking about the kind of medicating that a doctor would condone. There's a difference between a person taking cannabis to self medicate their mind, and a person taking cannabis with the goal of getting fucked up.

lwien said:

Separate how?

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Different strain names. I don't want to see Snoop Dog brand bud in my dispensary.

Different quality requirements too. For instance, here in MA the rules for quality are so strict for heavy metals and contaminants that many of the dispensaries had a hard time meeting the requirements. I agree with these rules, but in a recreational environment, those rules would be hard to check/require, and I don't think they should be as strict.

@Farid many people with back pain are forced to use muscle relaxers and pain killers to ease their symptoms. Why would it not be ok to use MMJ? I would rather that some people game the system to get MMJ than to game the system to keep using pills.

It sounds like you might really have a problem with unscrupulous "doctors".

I hear you on the strain names.

As to quality requirements.... If it is indigestible the standards should be high and safe regardless of where it is distributed.

In CA there is a thriving business of prescribing the cards. Letter mills. Many doctors have found that it is quite profitable to just write cannabis recommendation letters for a living. The stuff is ridiculously non-toxic so they get very little blow-back. Some are more conscientious in asking questions and examining the 'patient' but many are just a rubber stamp. Apparently it is like this in CO too, or was before the full on recreational. People in states like this have perhaps a different, more casual attitude toward 'medical' marijuana than in some of the more strictly regulated medical states. Medical and recreational are not terribly separate here, though there are some shops that particularly cater to you know, bona-fide medical, really need patients..

I think it is good to reflect on the different circumstances of various actors in this play and maybe not judge too harshly. I suspect that there are a lot of older people like me in CA who get letters and use cannabis for back pain, joint pain, inflammation, tons of other uses. Not everybody is all that plugged into the conventional medical system and this is one way of treating things that a doctor might call joint degeneration and I call getting old. In effect this is self-medication; the user tried various things like tylenol or whatever and found this is better. I don't see why we should look down on such a consumer. Any consumer should have access to high purity cannabis and there is no reason to have different standard for medical and other consumption, IMO. Everybody, cancer patient and stoner alike deserve good shit!

The lawmakers in the state of WA didn't treat medical cannabis the way it should have been treated. Recently the medical cannabis laws have changed in WA. With the legal cannabis the state wants to make sure they are getting their tax money.

Many of the dispensaries that folks have depended on will eventually be closed down. The legal stores (recreational) that now exist will be selling for medical cannabis too. I do want something that's separate from the recreational cannabis. I'm not sure what the picture will eventually look like for the medical users here.

What I noticed last year when the legislature started changing the rules, there were comments from many of the lawmakers saying that they didn't see a problem with the medical mj community just buying along with the recreational customers.

I want to buy medical cannabis that's organic like I've been doing now by a trusted farmer. He will have to stop providing patients with the medicine that they are used to getting. I've never been into a rec cannabis store.

I don't feel comfortable at all going into a rec store buying my cannabis along with the 24 year olds that wants to get blasted on a Friday night. I don't want to bump into one of my son's friends at the cannabis store. I'm a 59 year old woman and should feel free to go about buying something that's legal. Cannabis has that bad reputation attached to it from years of indoctrination. There's still a lot of prejudice in my community regarding medical cannabis as well as rec.

Many in the legislature in my state perceives cannabis as mainly a recreational product. Some gave the impression that they believed most the medical patients were faking an illness, not all. The medical community was just an annoyance to them. So they threw them a bone of a 10% less tax than the rec users get.

I was hoping the governor would come to the rescue but he wanted just any bill put together so he could sign it and be done. I wanted a few of my fav dispensaries grandfathered in.

We have to pay a 37% tax if we sign into a registry. Thank goodness they still have pain as one of the medical conditions. The recreational users will pay a 47% tax.

Be careful if your state becomes legal. It could fuck up your medical cannabis.

Gettinbetter said:

@Farid many people with back pain are forced to use muscle relaxers and pain killers to ease their symptoms. Why would it not be ok to use MMJ? I would rather that some people game the system to get MMJ than to game the system to keep using pills.

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I didn't say I have a problem with using MMJ for anything. If you read my post I said I could care less if it's used for ANY condition, so long as the patient or the Doctor is not intentionally lying. I am against people intentionally gaming the system I.E saying they have pain or insomnia or anxiety when they really don't have those conditions.

Farid said:

I didn't say I have a problem with using MMJ for anything. If you read my post I said I could care less if it's used for ANY condition, so long as the patient or the Doctor is not intentionally lying. I am against people intentionally gaming the system I.E saying they have pain or insomnia or anxiety when they really don't have those conditions.

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In some places there is no recreational so that is how recreational works. You can piss and moan about it all you want but human nature ain't gonna change. Eventually this will become a non-prescription medicine which anyone can buy over the counter like alcohol. Standards of purity will come together just like any other foodstuff or drug.

I dig stoners. I am not afraid to rub shoulders with them in a dispensary. The amusing strain names and drug counter-culture are fun and lend character and tradition to the industry. I wouldn't want it to be any other way.

If a person wants to get MMJ that badly they can do some self reflection and determine how it helps, and go from there. At best it helps everybody's general life depression. But in States where MMJ is limited to more specific diseases, faking something serious like Cancer, PTSD, epilepsy, insomnia, or pain, belittles the suffering of people who really have those serious conditions.

I've met people with severe insomnia and pain issues, and they have it the worst with people telling them their conditions are psychosomatic.

CarolKing said:

I don't feel comfortable at all going into a rec store buying my cannabis along with the 24 year olds that wants to get blasted on a Friday night. I don't want to bump into one of my son's friends at the cannabis store. I'm a 59 year old woman and should feel free to go about buying something that's legal. Cannabis has that bad reputation attached to it from years of indoctrination. There's still a lot of prejudice in my community regarding medical cannabis as well as rec.

Many in the legislature in my state perceives cannabis as mainly a recreational product. Some gave the impression that they believed most the medical patients were faking an illness, not all.

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This entire post was passionate and well-written, and I think you should send (a version of it) to the seattle times letters to the editor section. I highlighted just these two parts to respond to.

In the netherlands, folks who have cannabis prescribed medically have the option of a single strain if they want to pick up their flowers in a pharmacy. It's called big bang, and it's a high-thc indica-dominant hybrid. In the usa they might choose to use g-13, which offers similar effects and is also from the feds.

It's not a perfect system, but it offers an option to avoid the coffee/head-shop vibe while picking up clean medicine with pretty much guaranteed availability; I would love to have that option. Some states appear to be leaning this way with certain concentrates, but from what I have read not yet with flowers.

Here, these kind of uneven regulations will stay that way as long as they are local and state-driven. As legislators generationally change and the mj industry grows big enough to sponsor its own laws, things will get better in some places faster than others with maybe a few communities getting "worse".

Farid said:

If a person wants to get MMJ that badly they can do some self reflection and determine how it helps, and go from there. At best it helps everybody's general life depression. But in States where MMJ is limited to more specific diseases, faking something serious like Cancer, PTSD, epilepsy, insomnia, or pain, belittles the suffering of people who really have those serious conditions.

I've met people with severe insomnia and pain issues, and they have it the worst with people telling them their conditions are psychosomatic.

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I just cannot agree. So if I, a stoner, get medical marijuana by posing as a sufferer of some qualified disease, that "belittles the suffering of people who really have those serious conditions". How? How does me getting marijuana belittle them? How would they even know about me or be affected by me in the least? If I fake insomnia to get medical marijuana, how in the world does that hurt 'real' sufferers of insomnia?

I just cannot condemn somebody who wants cannabis for any reason and has to 'game the system' to get it. I broke the fucking law to get it for years, now I'm going to turn up my nose at others who want it? Nah.