subject: Los Angeles Medical Marijuana Clinics - How Do They Work? [print this page] While medical uses of marijuana give patients the ability to acquire the drug legally from Los Angeles medical clinics, there are still many questions surrounding how such clinics work. Once you have obtained a medical marijuana card from your doctor, you are not supplied the drug directly from your doctor. Instead, you use your card to gain access to the stores of drugs at Los Angeles medical cannabis clinics. The clinics follow strict guidelines to ensure they distribute the drugs based on each patient's recommended dose.
Also known as dispensaries, Los Angeles medical marijuana clinics are supplied their allowed amount of cannabis by the government. It is against the law for such dispensaries to have more marijuana on the premise than they are strictly permitted due to a number of things. The drug is a highly addictive substance, one that can lead to corruption among employees of the clinic, tempting them to steal what is not theirs. Also, addicts could attempt to rob a dispensary and if the clinic had more than their allotted amount, more damage would be done.
Los Angeles medical marijuana clinics buy from the government, but where does the government get their supply of weed? Cannabis is purchased from reputable growers that are recognized by the state and permitted to grow and sell the drug to the government or directly to the Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensaries only. Any personal distribution on the side will put a quick end to the grower's reputability and land him a place in jail. Everything is so carefully regulated because weed or "pot" is a highly potent substance that has a great amount of addictive properties. The government does not want to be held responsible for misuse and illegal distribution of the drug.
In addition to receiving supplies from the government and other growers, Los Angeles medical marijuana clinics can also do some of their own growing onsite. Smaller dispensaries usually do not grow anything directly on the premises, but larger clinics can and often do. This is accomplished by cloning the "mother plant." Raw plant materials can be grown on Los Angeles medical marijuana clinic properties, but other products that are laced with the drug, like drinks, pills and sprays, must be manufactured offsite and then stocked for distribution to patients with a proper prescription and medical pot card.
Even though California and several other states have legalized medical marijuana, there is still no place in the country that independent growers are permitted to distribute the weed they grow. This does not mean that many people are not growing their own weed gardens, but they are illegal and will be sentenced to jail if they are caught. If you are a patient with a prescription for medical marijuana, you are allowed to grow a very small amount of the drug on your property so long as you are the sole user of the substance and you have a medical cannabis card in your possession.
