Desert Hot Springs hosts medical cannabis forum
Wednesday’s date was 4/20 and that number has become synonymous with marijuana. One desert city held an expert panel to educate people on medical cannabis.
It was standing room only at the first Desert Hot Springs medical cannabis town hall forum.
“I do believe they are on to something and I do believe this marijuana needs to be legalized,” said Cheryl Baker. She lives in DHS with her husband who is a Vietnam War veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
“It means so much to us that the dispensaries are allowed to operate so that marijuana is legalized so that he can come home and react to situations that normally he can handle,” said Baker.
The city of Desert Hot Springs recently approved legal cultivation of medical cannabis.
“I think there has been a lot of talk in the community, and now we are some of the leaders in the state of California. I think people are really interested in why we are the leaders and what is really going to benefit these communities,” said Scott Matas, mayor of Desert Hot Springs.
Panels of experts educated the crowd on many aspects of the medical cannabis industry and how it’s changing in the state and in the city.
“Desert Hot Springs declared a fiscal emergency in 2014 and they turned to medical cannabis to see if they could generate an additional revenue source. They are on to a very good thing they stand to double their budget in the next 18 months to two years,” said Jason Elsasser, one of the owners of CV Pharms, a cultivation business in the city.
“Polls show that 80 percent of Americans believe that if a doctor feels that marijuana would be beneficial person then they have the right to have that medicine. So I think that most Americans now understand that marijuana has medical advantages,” said Lanny Swerlow, a registered nurse who has been fighting for legal cannabis reform for years.
Another big topic of discussion is was the possibility of voting in recreational use of cannabis in the state. Many of those in attendance do believe that is a likely going to happen soon.
