Adventures in California Medical Marijuana

With the fall of the economy, many people are left with two choices: Do we seek unemployment? Or do we call upon our American ingenuity and "pull ourselves up by our own bootstrap"? Not surprisingly, there has been a spirit of entrepreneurialism that has sprung up around here lately as a response to circumstances. Equally, unsurprisingly, many have answered the call of the promise of the Green Rush.

What is the Green Rush? Well, much like the 49'ers of old who flocked to California in droves in response to promises and tales of gold nuggets the size of your head, many are rushing to the land of sunshine and beaches in hopes that they can make a living tending the crops of California Medical Marijuana. Tales of nuggets the size of you heard included, of course.

But how realistic are these dreams? As someone who's always been pro- California Medical Marijuana legalization , I've always been nothing but supportive of dispensaries and grow-ops. I've seen friends benefit from it's medical benefits for problems ranging from cancer to chronic body pains. I've even grown some over seas and shared it with friends and travellers. But, here, home in California, I've never made the step between supporter and activist.


Then came last winter. My boss was having problems. Big problems. Not only was he behind on my wages (to the tune of 30 thousand), but he had defaulted on loans opened under his friends' names who were also his employees. After the sheriff came and closed the building, it became clear the ship was sinking. Calls to the boss were not being answered and employees were running around like chickens without heads. I was behind on rent and running head first into my credit limit. I'd sooner see my 30 thousand from a Nigerian Internet scammer. But the job in the industry I had for several years was what I was good at. And it was looking bad for everyone in that industry.

It was a few nights later, I ran into an advertisement for a California Medical Marijuana class. Was I skeptical? Uh, yeah. But I was also desperate. My wife placed the class tuition on her credit card (using a cash advance) and off with sharpened pencils we went.

Thank God she was there because I zoned out mid-way through all the legaleese and articles. It was intense, to say the least. The room was filled with people ranging from someone you'd suspect isn't quite using their closet for shoes to someone you might sit right next to in physics class during finals.

After class, my head was spinning and it took some time to digest all the information. I had my California Medical Marijuana card and knew a few people that also had one. Now I had to decide, what avenue would I pursue?


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