Where Is Medicinal Marijuana an Option?
Thirteen states have laws that allow the medicinal use of marijuana without threat of criminal prosecution: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. People with HIV must present a doctor’s note recommending medicinal marijuana use to a state registry or the health department (it varies by state) in order to get an identification card that will protect them from arrest and prosecution if they are caught with the marijuana. The medicinal use of marijuana is not legal under federal law, and while the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) does not target individuals who use medicinal marijuana, it does occasionally shut down businesses that grow and distribute it. Even in states where the use of medicinal marijuana has been decriminalized, doctors legally cannot tell their patients where to get marijuana. In California, people with HIV often turn to “pot clubs” — essentially group purchase clu
