Rx-pot haul in California likely to fall

JOHN ROGERS

LOS ANGELES — When Elias Zaldivar was an 18-yearold college freshman and decided he wanted marijuana, he knew just how to get it, and it didn’t involve canvassing the corridors of his campus in search of that stonedout dude who sold pot from his dorm room. Instead, he went straight to a doctor.

On a busy Hollywood street, Zaldivar quickly located a clinic specializing in medicinal-pot referrals. He had a videoconference with a doctor from the waiting room, and, after their 10-minute chat, a receptionist handed him an official-looking letter with an embossed gold seal that allowed him to buy medical marijuana at any California dispensary.

Zaldivar, now a 21-yearold coach of mixed martial arts, has renewed his medical-marijuana recommendation each year since, always

using the same health claim. He still chuckles while recalling what he explained to the doctor to get him to issue him that first prescription: “I told him I had anxiety.”

In the two decades since California became the first state to allow cannabis for medicinal use, it’s been an open secret that pretty much anyone who wants marijuana at just about any time can find a doctor who will recommend it for almost any reason.

Technically, the doctor doesn’t provide a prescription but a “letter of recommendation,” because it’s illegal for a physician to prescribe a substance banned by the federal government.

Once that recommendation is secured, a person can also apply for a state-issued medical-marijuana card that, although not required, is more convenient to carry to a dispensary and, in the eyes of some holders, gets them taken more seriously as people who need pot to stay healthy.

Although some doctors who take the examination process seriously charge far more, the fees at most places that get one in and out the door in 10 minutes is about $40.

Now with recreational marijuana set to become legal Monday in California for anyone 21 and over, some people will be tossing their state-issued cards.

Revenue from the sale of medical marijuana is expected to drop from an estimated $2 billion in 2016 to about $1.4 billion next year, according to a study published this year by the University of California Agricultural Issues Center. At the same time, according to the study, the legal sale of recreational marijuana should bring in more than $5 billion as recreational pot captures about 62 percent of sales, while the black market retains about 30 percent.

“As they’ve gotten closer and closer to being legalized, they are not even asking for the recommendation letters anymore,” said 22-year-old Adam Salcido. He got his medicalmarijuana card to treat stomach problems he said he’s suffered since childhood, and plans to keep it for now.

Like Salcido, many people do use marijuana to treat serious medical problems.

“Some physicians, like myself, who see mostly very ill patients — such as those with epilepsy, cancer and other serious conditions — will likely not see a drop-off as we are involved in managing the cannabis treatment, not only providing a letter for access,” said Dr. Bonni Goldstein, a pediatrician who began treating children and adults with cannabis 10 years ago.