NCJ Number
214394
Journal
Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse Volume: 4 Issue: 3/4 Dated: 2005 Pages: 183-204
Date Published
2005
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article describes the production, distribution, and administration of nonsmokable cannabis products by members of a California health-care collective named the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM).
Abstract
Despite Federal prohibitions on marijuana use, over the past decade several States have passed legislation that permits patients, under the management of a physician, to use cannabis for medicinal purposes. Federal opposition to the prescribed medicinal use of marijuana has focused on the adverse health effects of smoking a botanical substance rather than the weaker claims of the negative health effects of the cannabis itself. This article addresses the variety of means WAMM has developed for delivering marijuana for medicinal purposes, other than through smoking it. WAMM's media for marijuana delivery include baked goods, tinctures, capsules, soy-based beverages, and liniments. WAMM members' accounts of making and using these delivery mechanisms for marijuana illustrate innovative strategies of harm-reduction and patient empowerment. The authors advise that WAMM's development of nonsmokable delivery systems for medical marijuana use is an example of how grassroots innovation and collective organization can challenge accepted assumptions about medicine, health care, and the alleviation of suffering. Data collection for the analysis of WAMM's efforts began in 1998 and is ongoing. Research has involved researchers' attendance at weekly membership meetings, during which medical marijuana is provided to member patients. Researchers also observed volunteer work in WAMM's garden and participation in a variety of organizational activities. Openended interviews were conducted with 36 WAMM members. All informants were legal medical marijuana users protected under California Health and Safety Code Section 11362. 8 notes and 17 references