If you are in El Dorado county. The AAMC organized and sat with the District Attorney's office, the Sheriffs office, and the Health department along with patients, doctors, lawyers, and others to facilitate guidelines.  Sheriff Jeff Neves was called this February 2005 and asked how the 2004 season went and if the guidelines worked for his department. That was an affirmative from his office. We asked our support group and almost everyone was in the affirmative about their grow.  So the guidelines that are here will stay in effect. 

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Patient Rights in California

The Compassionate Use Act of 1996 allows seriously ill people to legally grow and use cannabis as medicine. In order to qualify under California law, a patient must have a doctor’s recommendation. A doctor may make a recommendation for any condition for which cannabis provides relief.

1.   Ask your regular doctor for a recommendation:

Be forthright with your doctor. There is nothing wrong with using medical cannabis or discussing it with your doctor. A federal court has ruled that doctors may not be punished for recommending medical cannabis.

a.)  Be prepared to tell your doctor specifically what condition or symptoms you treat with cannabis. Honestly describe the amount of cannabis you use, how often, and by what delivery method.

b.)   Ask for a written recommendation. Although an oral one is acceptable, it is difficult to verify. If your doctor will not issue a recommendation, you may need to visit a medical cannabis specialist.

2.   Medical cannabis specialists:

a.)   You should take your medical records with you to the appointment. 

b.)   It generally costs more than $200 to see a medical cannabis specialist.

c.)  Paying the money does not guarantee that you will get a recommendation.

3. If You would like to get an official ID card:

Under a new law, SB 420, the state health agency is required to set up a voluntary medical cannabis ID system, however this will not be in place before the middle of 2005 at best.. Although medical cannabis patients are not required by law to have such an ID, it may be helpful in law enforcement encounters. Furthermore, most cannabis dispensaries will not let you join unless you have an ID card. We are currently working in Eldorado County with law enforcement and the County Board of Supervisors as well as the County Health Deptartment to implement an ID card system.

4.   Registering at a cannabis dispensary:

Under recent federal court rulings, individual patients and caregivers in California are protected from federal harassment for cultivating their own medical cannabis as long as no money is exchanged, but cannabis dispensaries and members are not afforded that same protection. Joining a co-op or dispensary is a legal risk, though so far patient members have not been prosecuted. Once you have your card, you can sign up at any dispensary that accepts that card.