Seniors at what Laguna Woods, the retirement community formerly known as Leisure World, have recently discovered medical marijuana. The average age of Laguna Woods residents is 78, and many have serious or chronic illnesses: diabetes, arthritis, glaucoma, MS, cancer. A growing number of community members have discovered that marijuana helps their symptoms in a way that little else can.
There was only one problem with this new found interest in medical weed. Residents had no place to get the stuff. There are no dispensaries in the area in that many cities in conservative Orange County have voted to ban dispensaries within their city limits. So last year a group of Laguna Woods community members got together and lobbied to pass an ordinance that would permit a pot dispensary to open within Laguna Woods city limits. The ordinance passed, and now residents are planning on starting a collective to provide medical marijuana to those in need.
Sunday’s California Report has the story.
PS: Interestingly, last week activists launched a campaign to legalize marijuana in California. The proposed ballot measure filed with the California attorney general’s office, to be voted on in the spring of 2010, would allow adults 21 and over to possess up to an ounce of pot. Homeowners could grow marijuana for personal use on garden plots up to 25 square feet.
With all the problems in California, one would expect its citizens to want such an escape. If some cause with hippy liberals can’t be “for the chilldren,” then say it’s for old people.
Next thing you know, marijuana will be a “right” under a Democratic health plan — yeah, “right” before they cut off their care, toss them into a hospice, and turn them into Soylent Green…for the children.
Oh, yeah, be sure to tax it a lot. Given the drug use in California, that should balance the budget.
My abuelita would really enjoy living in at Laguna Woods and smoking some weed. My abuelita was a very strong woman back in her day, she was a “Rosie the Riveters†during the war years, she worked at Douglas Aircraft and found out how strong and independent she really was.
But now her arthritis causes her much pain, she has been drinking a few Ramos Gin Fizz to manage the pain, but the old folks at Laguna Woods have a better solution.
I’ll have to drive my abuelita from HighPark over to Orange County and have her take a look at Laguna Woods. My abuelita can educate and entertain the old folks at Laguana Woods with all her great stories.
Don’t worry about the pain of senior citizens. Under Obama’s rationed care, they’ll die soon enough.
Senior Citizens Left Off Government’s Swine-Flu Vaccination Priority List
Where are all the activists for that?
Let’s get socialized medicine like Great Britain!
Patients forced to live in agony after NHS refuses to pay for painkilling injections
What’s wrong with those Brits? Haven’t they heard of “medical” marijuana?
IMHO, Any senior citizen should be able to obtain any drug they wish as long as it’s helpful to their needs and medical problems. I as a youngster and in lot’s of pain and confusion used to chip a little heroin on occasion and found it to be an instant and pleasurable release from all the depression and anger I carried around. Thankfully and with help from family and counseling I ended that dangerous flirtation with the opium poppy and it’s offspring, but I still remember that rush of euphoria and the feeling of bliss and an almost zen like acceptance of life’s consequences.
Like Alan Arkin’s character in the movie “Little Miss Sunshine” who stated that heroin should only be used after the age of 70 or 80, I wouldn’t mind having the ability to acquire and use some of the poppy in my old age.
Many years ago a fine and wise old Dr who became a friend told me that when he first started his practice(before the punitive and ridiculous drug laws came into being), he would routinely prescribe Morphine derivatives, Cocaine, and Marijuana for older depressed patients, and he stated that they worked like a charm.
My own Abuela (Grandmother, who the troll with donquixotephobia mentions above, and quoting from my post at LA Eastside this AM), got hooked on codeine laced cough syrup and wine in her last couple of years of life. Many other family members were up in arms and warning about Grandma getting hooked on this combination, besides her lifelong habit of chain smoking.
I was on Abuela’s side and always allowed her smoke and drink her wine and cough syrup, it made her happy and relieved her pain and discomfort during her last couple of years on Earth. In fact two days before she died peacefully, at almost 90 years of age, I visited her at the rest home (broken hip), and we laughed and talked (I holding back tears), as we shared a couple of glass’s of good red wine, a cigarette, and a couple of swigs of cough syrup.
Elderly Citizens should have anything they desire made available to them during their last days, that’s the least we can do for them.
Good story about your Grandma, DQ.
The thought that any country, government,religionists with their diverse God theories, or any entity beyond loved ones should decree how a human being meets their end days is ludicrous and smacks of a blatant fucking power trip. I recall annually on the day of his death my old friend who as the preacher was doing his ministrations called the man of the cloth in close to whisper in his ear. “Go fuck yourself”.. The “sky pilot’ left in a huff and we shared some time as he met his end.
Gava, I bet the preacher didn’t take his advice. But, more likely, the preacher respected your friend’s wish to be left alone, understood that some people in difficult situations are prone to say anything, and then prayed for him.
DQ, you can’t assume that every elderly person’s request is best for them or the right course, especially when they have dementia. Otherwise, my mother-in-law in a retirement home would never take a bath or change clothes and would be wanting Dairy Queen all the time.
Of course he didn’t take his advice, but I witnessed his flustered huff. Maybe my friend had a better connection with the Almighty than his so-called emmisary?
Woody, of course we want to keep the elderly dying person clean and safe, but if they need meds, or if you will, drugs, including a smoke or a drink,or Dairy Queen, whats the harm? And there is no mystery when it comes to knowing they are contented, you can tell by the smile on their face.
I see no problem with the “old folks” having some “feel good” type drugs. Why not let them experience an occasional high. For most of them life becomes a real “pain” once in the nursing home.
As it is the nursing home staff keeps most of them zonked out on all other kinds of prescribed chemicals, anti-psychotics and anti-depressants, mostly to keep them out of the way and out of their hair throughout the day.
Once OBamaCare is passed, they will be lucky to get an aspirin a day. Cash for Senior Clunkers? Well, let’s hope not anyway.
On second thought maybe that should read – “Cash for Clunker Seniors”! 🙂
I wonder what the negative effects on lungs are from smoking modern, hi-octane MJ? Or are cookies the best way to consume medical marijuana.
Getting older all the time…
Masturbation will give you a caved-in forehead and deafness, Woody.
John Moore – That is what is great about the whole idea, the chances of lung cancer are almost nil (assuming they did not smoke in their earlier life) because they do not have long enough for the lung cancer to develop in all probability, but “MJ cookies” – for sure are the safer way to go. I hope somebody offers me lots of “good cookies” when the time comes. 😉
The problem Em is that smoking weed or cigarettes damages the human immune system. This leaves the elderly who use medicinal weed open to not being able to fend off other diseases.
Is that enough of a reason to deny the pain relief weed might give as compared to other legit medications? I don’t know, but like Dennis Leary once said “the years you lose at the end due to bad habits are the worst ones as it is, when you can’t remember anything and it hurts to pee”.
Medicinal marijuana for youngsters is a crock, for the elderly I’m not so sure.
You are probably right Sure Fire. I presume then that consuming weed through food would do the same to one’s immune system, but still at that age, if your last couple of years or so, consist of essentially being wheelchair bound or bed-ridden, I am not so sure that it might not be a kind and generous gesture to allow some “old folks” with arthritic or other type pain, IF THEY WISH, to experience some occasional relief and blissful thoughts. I don’t know the answers, the suggestion just seems harmless enough, at least under those circumstances. (
Here’s an argument I’ve made so many times I’m getting bored with it:
By the time one reaches my age (I’ll be fifty-one in ten days) one has known – at the very least – fifty people who have died on lung cancer and another fifty who have died of cirrhosis of the liver. Now ask yourself the following question:
How many people have I personally known who have died as the result of consuming too much grass?
ANSWER:
Not only have I never known anyone to die in that matter, I am not aware of it happening in all recorded human history.
I cannot believe that seventy-two years after pot was made illegal, we are still having this same stupid argument.
I need a drink….On second thought….
http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
That’s pretty funny Tom, people who get too high have certainly died, oh not due to consumption abut due to the acts they’ve done while too wasted. Too much of most things is bad for you.
If you are concerned with the problems smoking marijuana may cause both medibles and tinctures may be better solutions.
One of the biggest problems I see with smoking the medical marijuana is the other residents smelling it and wanting some.
Unfortunately they could only share with those with a medical marijuana card:)
According to the American public health department, senior marijuana smokers are less likely to try to stop marijuana smoking than younger smokers but they’re failing.