Quality of Life

Get out of jail free

Posted on: September 9, 2011Written by:Ron FrenchTopic:Quality of Life

Tags:jail, marijuana, parents

Anyone who’s played Monopoly knows the importance of having a “Get Out of Jail Free” card in their pocket. If a physician friend of mine is right, some Michigan teens have something similar stuffed in their wallets and purses.

The doctor and his colleagues have seen an influx of parents coming in with their teen sons and daughters. Their teens are suffering back pain, or headaches, or nausea, the parents say, and they believe their child needs medical marijuana to cure their maladies.

The certifications are less a cure than an insurance policy, my physician friend said, intended to keep teens out of trouble if they are caught with pot. If a police officer pulls over a car on a Friday night and smells a certain weedy substance, the teen can pull out his or her medical marijuana registry ID.

I very much doubt that families taking advantage of the state's loose medical marijuana law want their kids to smoke pot, or even expect them to. Instead, it’s seen as a way to help their kids avoid a criminal record for a stupid teen-age mistake.

I’m not sure that justifies twisting the law like a pretzel.

Read 2 comments

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Comments

BohoMamo
Sat, 09/10/2011 - 3:31am
You are a prime example of why journalists deserve NO respect! Instead of spreading water-cooler gossip about what some nut-job might do to their kid, why don't you try educating yourself AND the public! Quit with the fear-mongering rhetoric--it HURTS real people, FACT: any old pain doesn't qualify a person to get certified to use medical marijuana; it must be chronic and debilitating FACT: Any patient under the age of 18 must get certification signatures from 2 doctors and previous records are required FACT: Last time I checked (several weeks ago) there were 34 minors in the State who are registered to use medical marijuana-is that what you call an "influx"?? FACT: Anyone falsely claiming medicinal use is subject to ADDITIONAL penalties FACT: My 13 yr old daughter is a mmj patient due to ovarian cancer-SHE could have written a better article!!
Melissa Griggs
Sun, 09/11/2011 - 12:59am
Is it not possible that these kids DO have back pain, headaches (I had HORRIBLE Migraines as a teen) nausea, sports injuries, female issues, school stress or whatever? is it not possible that the parents of these kids are intelligent enough to realize that a harmless plant is always a better choice than a chemical drug which the doctor would prescribe? Even if it is just a "get out of jail free card" So what? Do you have any idea what a simple possession of marijuana charge can do to a kids life? no student loans, no joining the military, no passing a background check for housing, no car loan, no job... I say BRAVO!! to parents smart enough to realize the Laws against Cannabis WILL do far more harm to their kids than Cannabis ever could.