Providing Medical Marijuana: The Importance of Cannabis Clubs

Abstract

In 1996, shortly after the San Francisco Cannabis Club was raided and (temporarily) closed by state authorities, the authors conducted an ethnographic study by interviewing selected former members to ascenain how they had benefited from the use of medical marijuana and how they had utilized the clubs. Interviews were augmented by panicipant observation techniques. Respondents reponed highly positive health benefits from marijuana itself, and underscored even greater benefits from the social aspects of the clubs, which they described as providing important emotional suppons. As such, cannabis clubs serve as crucial support mechanisms/groups for people with a wide variety of serious illnesses and conditions. The authors concluded that of the various methods so far proposed, the cannabis clubs afford the best therapeutic setting for providing medical cannabis and for offering a healing environment composed of like-minded, sympathetic friends.

Keywords:

• cannabis clubs
• ethnography
• medical marijuana
• public policy
• social environment