Since 1996, 13 states and Canada have enacted laws that allow the cultivation of medical marijuana and protect people with certificates or doctors’ notes who possess medical marijuana. There’s a group of proponents and opponents in the ongoing debate as to whether or not medical marijuana is safe and effective. John Collins is a long-time user of medical marijuana and says, “Nothing acts as quickly and is effective in controlling pain, not to mention it’s 100% natural.”
Abuse in California
United Methodist Church Minister Scott Imler once supported legalizing medical marijuana but now has a different opinion. He feels that dispensaries have become “pot dealers in storefronts.” Reverend Imler was featured on 60 Minutes in 2007 and he alleges that most of the cannabis centers are buying off the black market, which includes marijuana from Mexico. Imler suggested that part of the black market is now legal.
