This article is based, with deep gratitude, on work by Harvey W. Feldman, Ph.D. and R. Jerry Mandel, Ph.D. The National Association of Ethnography and Social Policy, Oakland, CA Source: Journal of Psychoactive Drugs Issue: Volume 30(2), April-June, 1998, pp. 179-186

(It’s 2711 and medicinal cannabis is finally legal in Kansas. New generations of Kansas farmers and their families are thriving, growing ton after ton of medical-grade cannabis, a substance more in demand than the purest gold. . . Wait! Wait! Wrong story!)

With the passage of Proposition 215 in California in November, 1996, cannabis became legal medicine in that state. Since then, 13 more states and the District of Columbia have followed suit. Federal policy, however, continues to be stubborn denial of the usefulness of cannabis therapy.

Despite this federal resistance, California continued to develop its medical cannabis program. One of the first orders of business was to establish a means of qualifying legal recipients. Patients whose doctors verified their medical need for cannabis were issued state medical cannabis cards.

The next step was to establish a method of delivery of this new medicine to qualified patients. Having patients grow their own supplies of cannabis was the first method to immediately come to mind, but very few patients had the health, financial resources or horticultural expertise to do so.

There was also the problem of theft if they were growing outdoors. Growing indoors is an option, of course, but quite expensive to initiate and maintain. Very few patients have the financial resources to produce a dependable supply of their own medicine by this means. Another challenge is the difficulty of consistently producing plants with the same medicinal qualities and strength.

The black market is still an option for qualified patients to obtain cannabis, but is fraught with disadvantages for patients with serious medical conditions. In the absence of other means to acquire it, patients must risk arrest when attempting to purchase their medicine. Little to no information is available as to the quality, purity, or source of the cannabis.

It has even been suggested that patients could be supplied cannabis from police seizures, but the same problems mentioned above in reference to the black market would still apply. It is not uncommon for cannabis on the black market to have been adulterated with all sorts of harmful substances, potentially transforming a benign, medically useful product into deadly poison for some who might ingest it.

Clearly, none of the above-mentioned options are appropriate for the acquisition of medicine. Dennis Peron, a San Francisco marijuana dealer since 1973, provided the solution to this problem in February 1994 when he and several other activists co-founded the first medical cannabis dispensary, The Cannabis Buyers Club, in San Francisco. (This same group later collaborated on California Proposition 215.)

Peron didn’t limit the club’s offerings to a smorgasbord of cannabis products—which included cannabis of different potencies, cannabis pastries and other foods—and smoking paraphernalia, he endeavored also to create a comfortable place where patients could relax and use their medications in a friendly atmosphere. The club was both staffed and utilized by seriously ill and dying people.

Other clubs, based on Peron’s creation, began to appear in the San Francisco Bay Area. Most were modeled on the SF CBC but had individual modifications. The Oakland club, for instance, did not permit smoking on the premises, and another placed more emphasis on research, but all were places where seriously ill and dying patients could easily obtain their medicine and socialize with one another.

For nearly two years researchers Harvey W. Feldman, Ph.D. and R. Jerry Mandel, Ph.D. studied the functions of cannabis dispensaries in the San Francisco area, and interviewed the patients who depended upon them for their medicinal cannabis needs. Feldman and Mandel wanted to determine the role of these clubs in patients’ lives. Nearly all of the patients interviewed reported that they received at least as much healing power from the social atmospheres of the clubs themselves as from their medicine.

As social scientists the authors concluded that of the various methods proposed for delivery of medical cannabis to the patient, “… cannabis clubs afford the best therapeutic setting for providing medical cannabis and for offering a healing environment composed of likeminded, sympathetic friends. …cannabis clubs are not only a desirable method but a preferred method for the distribution of medical marijuana.”

Who's Who in Medical Cannabis - Ed Rosenthal - by c.a. riley

It is difficult to imagine there might be readers who have never heard of Ed Rosenthal, the outspoken advocate for the legalization of marijuana and proficient cannabis grower. During the Reagan presidency, Rosenthal had been an advisor to the federal government’s Compassionate Use Investigative New Drug (IND) program, wherein cannabis was grown at the University of Mississippi and distributed to the few patients whose medical conditions had qualified them for the program.

In 1994, while Dennis Peron was creating the first cannabis club across the bay in San Francisco, Rosenthal was working in Oakland with state and local governments to develop a similar means of delivering medical grade cannabis to qualified patients. Rosenthal has never limited his advocacy to medical cannabis, but the City of Oakland deputized him to produce cannabis for medical use because he is so widely recognized as an expert grower.

Unfortunately, Rosenthal’s role as “official” medical cannabis grower for the City of Oakland did not protect him from federal authorities. The federal government refuses to recognize states’ rights to enact medical cannabis policy, and in 2002 DEA investigators arrested Rosenthal for cultivation of about 100 cannabis plants, which he was growing for an Oakland cannabis club.

At the trial, Rosenthal’s attorneys were not permitted to argue before the jury that he was sanctioned by the Oakland city government to grow cannabis for city dispensaries! Rosenthal was convicted, but U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer dealt the federal government an unexpected setback when he sentenced Rosenthal to time already served: one day. When jurors learned the truth about the nature of Rosenthal’s activities, most were infuriated and denounced their own verdicts.

Ed Rosenthal was determined to clear his record. After several years of appealing his conviction, the 9th Circuit Appeals Court finally overturned it in 2006. End of story? No. The U.S. Attorney’s office re-indicted Rosenthal and on May 14, 2007 a new trial got underway—with a promise from the judge of no additional prison time.

Judge Breyer again did not allow Rosenthal’s attorneys to argue before the jury that his work was city-sanctioned, and he was reconvicted on three of five charges. Judge Breyer kept his promise and did not give Rosenthal any additional jail time. Ed Rosenthal is again appealing his conviction.

When he is not being harassed by federal officials Rosenthal writes and publishes many works, and is a general humanitarian. Along with his wife, Jane Klein, he owns and operates a publishing house, Quick Trading Company, in Piedmont, California, which specializes in cannabis-related books by Rosenthal and other authors.

Rosenthal has thoroughly researched cannabis production and was one of the first American writers to travel to The Netherlands in search of information about cannabis breeding and production techniques, which he happily shared with readers around the world.

His first book, Marijuana Grower’s Guide, is the only book on marijuana cultivation to have been reviewed by The New York Times Book Review. He has written more than twenty other books on the subject, and for nearly two decades Rosenthal’s “Ask Ed” advice column has answered all sorts of readers’ and breeders’ marijuana questions.

Ed Rosenthal is a member of the International Cannabis Research Society and the Garden Writers Association of America. He has worked with California legislators, actively promoting and helping to develop civil regulation policies for the state’s medical cannabis program. He also serves from time to time as an expert witness on marijuana cultivation in federal and state trials.

Rosenthal was born in 1944 in Bronx, New York. In 1988 he married Jane Klein and they live in Oakland, California. Rosenthal has a son and a daughter.

His popular blog is at http://edrosenthal.blogspot.com.
Quick Trading Company – Rosenthal’s publishing house
Green Aid – The Medical Marijuana Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc.

What's New

Alabama: Considering a medical marijuana law.
   HB642 - The Michael Phillips Compassionate Care Act of Alabama

Arkansas: Considering a medical marijuana law.

Connecticut: Considering a medical marijuana law.

Delaware: Considering a medical marijuana law.

Florida: Medical marijuana petition drive underway.

Idaho: Considering a medical marijuana law.

Illinois: Considering a medical marijuana law.
   Bill Status of SB1381

Iowa: Considering a medical marijuana law.

Kansas: Medical marijuana petition drive underway.
   Marijuana Bill Reaches House

Maryland: Considering a medical marijuana law.
   Bill Status of SB 627

Massachusetts: Considering a medical marijuana law.

Minnesota: Considering a medical marijuana law.

Missouri: Considering a medical marijuana law.
   HOUSE BILL NO. 1670 - An Act relating to the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes
   Cottleville Mayor Don Yarber hopes Missouri legislature passes medical marijuana law

New Hampshire: Considering a medical marijuana law.

New York: Considering a medical marijuana law.

North Carolina: Considering a medical marijuana law.

Ohio: Considering a medical marijuana law.
   HB 478

Pennsylvania: Considering a medical marijuana law.
   HB 1393

South Carolina: Considering a medical marijuana law.

South Dakota: Medical marijuana petition drive underway.

Tennessee: Considering a medical marijuana law.

Texas: Considering a medical marijuana law.

Wisconsin: Considering a medical marijuana law.
   The Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act

Featured Recipe - Quiche a la Canny by Jay R. Cavanaugh, PhD

Wow, how did we come up with this incredible treat? I'm one of those guys who doesn't eat quiche while my Nurse Nancy Wife never met a quiche she didn't like. Hey, I was just trying to find a way to get rid of some purple onions and voila, kick your butt quiche that tastes great just happens. Originally, this recipe was for a type of Vidalia sweet onion quiche. Vidalia's are nice but Maui are so much better. We had purple so this recipe is a bit tastier and less sweet.

There are two parts to Quiche a la Canny. The first part is a straight filling. The second is the canny crust. You can buy or make regular pie crust and end up with a dish you could serve proudly to the PTA or you can make canny crust and risk Federal Prison for violating laws against medicinal quiche. Incredible isn't it?

The Filling:

One pint heavy cream
One pound bacon
7 egg yolks
One Cup grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
One tablespoon Essence (see recipe below)
One teaspoon cracked black pepper
One teaspoon kosher salt
A splash of Lea and Perrins
One head of split garlic
One medium purple onion- peeled and finely chopped
Optional- Chopped mushrooms, green onions, chopped and seeded tomato, diced Jalapeno chili
Super Optional (not for the PTA)- 4-6 grams powdered bud (a nice one like Blueberry or Cali O)

Essence: Emeril has his, I have mine J You can improvise and make your own. Here's Dr. Jay's:

2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder (granulated is even better)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon onion powder

Canny Crust:

½ cup of Better Bud Butter
4 oz cream cheese (you could also use a nice ricotta)
1 cup all purpose flour

Directions:

Filling- Chop up a pound of bacon and cook in a frying pan until brown. Drain the bacon, set on paper towels and place aside for later. Split and peel a head of garlic. Bring the cream to a simmer and add the garlic gloves (and ground bud if used to "green the cream"). Simmer for 5-10 minutes then remove and discard the garlic and strain the mixture through cheese cloth. Wisk the seven egg yolks. Add the dry spices and Lea and Perrins to the frothy eggs. Slowly temper the cream (a little at a time or it will curdle the eggs) into the seasoned eggs. Mix in the cup of grated cheese and the onions then fold in the crumbled bacon and the optional ingredients of your choice. Gently pour into a ready pie crust.

Canny Crust- Beat softened Better Bud Butter and cream cheese until smooth, light, and green. Fold in the flour until the right consistency is achieved. Use a wooden spoon or plastic spatula for mixing. Pat and roll out the dough into ten inch circles. Lay into an eight inch aluminum pie dish and chill for at least one hour. You can make the crust the night before you want to make quiche. You can even freeze and store the pie shell.

Baking- Place the ¾ filled pie crust in the center of a 350 degree oven in the middle of a baking sheet. Our quiches took 45 minutes to cook but I'd check at 30 minutes and wouldn't be surprised if cooking took up to an hour.

The Quiche A La Canny is done when brown on top and firm to a fork. Let cool, slice into serving pieces and enjoy! You know this quiche thing is not bad. It's sort of an omelet pie. We were able to fill two eight inch pies with this recipe. Each was cut into six pieces. My math says that using Better Bud Butter you end up with from 1-3 grams worth of cannabinoids in each piece. If the super duper optional green the cream with bud is utilized the potency is increased another 50%. Yikes.

Recommended beverage: Rodney Strong Russian River Pinot Noir

Ps: If you have a big appetite keep a couch handy