Who Owns Me? The Problem with Marijuana Cards

Recreational cannabis it’s still a mirage for the best part of the states in America and all around the world. Still, medical marijuana is not doing that bad, all considered. Just think about where we were three years ago and where we are now: half of the USA said yes to cannabis and/or cannabis oil, and many other nations are considering medical cannabis as a possible cure for many diseases. This all sounds great, of course. There is, however, a problem to be considered: it is called medical marijuana card. While it seems fair to ask for an ID card to access medical pot, people in both Colorado and Washington are starting to wonder about their own privacy and the stigma that still characterizes cannabis smoking. Let’s talk about it.

If you go somewhere to buy an aspirin, you don’t have to show any kind of identification card, correct? And if you are going to a pharmacy to get a drug your doctor prescribed to you, you have to show your ID, sure, but you don’t have to apply for some kind of special ID card in order to begin the treatment you need, is that correct too? Great. Now, can someone explain to me, and to the people who live in the (many) states where medical cannabis is available to patients, why do I need a special ID card if I really need marijuana to deal with my condition, and my doctor agrees? For instance, according to the rules of the state of Colorado, if you want to apply for a medical marijuana card you must submit a bunch of documents, including a check, a statement from your doctor, and a series of strange forms. Why is that, exactly? Why can’t I just have my cannabis with a simple prescription signed by my doctor? At the end of the day, I can access drugs that are very dangerous, and potentially harmful, with a simple prescription: why is cannabis different?

These questions are extremely important and shouldn’t be underestimated. As long as cannabis is considered more problematic than the rest of the usual treatment, and this is clearly the message sent by the politicians who ask us to go through a crazy bureaucratic journey to access the pot we need, legalization will only be an excuse for building a new layer of control and surveillance. Is it really that bad if I want to be able to buy my seeds and smoke my personal medical marijuana without being harassed by people who really aren’t my doctor?