Sandy Banks buys marijuana -- but don't worry, she doesn't inhale

Sandy Banks is buying pot??? Well, yeah, for journalistic purposes. And then flushing it, for legal reasons. And then, because you're a very vocal group, getting all kinds of e-mail from readers about the escapade. More from her column:

I've learned enough from readers this week to understand why some consider it a wonder drug: The registered nurse crippled by a genetic joint disease who was able to toss her Vicodin and use her hands again. The disabled veteran with kidney failure who was vomiting every day until he began smoking marijuana. The single dad confined to a wheelchair after a traffic accident who is now able to climb a flight of stairs.

And I was surprised that I could have learned how easy the process of buying marijuana is by hanging around the mall, talking to 18-year-olds.

In the 12 years since California became the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana for medical use, the drug's distribution network has grown from a small collective of cannabis clubs to a sprawling network of unregulated dispensaries -- some with their own prescribing physicians.

More on the back and forth about medical marijuana and the law in Sandy's full column.

Oh -- and did you feel that? A small earthquake near Mammoth Lake this morning.

--Veronique de Turenne

Photo: Associated Press

Comments

[Xman]

I clicked on California local news, and I get this rehashed pseudo story. Dumbed down text is what comes to mind when I read crap like this.

Oh, and let's put the authors name in the byline so that they feel important.

[Hoot]

Who am I to judge someone who's in pain or dying? And, I also can't judge whether or not someone will really benefit from it. This is a personal health decision that shouldn't be governed by someone else's morals. I can't imagine telling a stranger to not consume alcohol.

[Jeff]

Let's think about this??? SHE said she flushed it, even if she has so called video of the so called MMJ going down the toilet you can't prove she really did flush it. I know I wouldn't, but I would say I would for business purposes.

[Mike]

I appreciate the multiple stories by Ms. Banks. Marijuana still carries the unfortunate stigma as an "evil thing", with purchases and sales done by tall hooded thugs in dark alleys, with hidden weapons and track marks on every available vein of his body. Ms. Banks illustrates the truth about marijuana, and without opining herself to death, provides a more realistic picture of this natural herb. Bravo.