BUSINESS BOOMING FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA DOCTORS

CHICO -- Every Tuesday, Nikki Koons is reminded that the demand for
medical marijuana is great in Chico.

Koons is the office manager for Chico Natural Care For Wellness, a
doctor's office that specializes in recommending medical marijuana for
qualified patients.

Tuesdays are the days that Dr. Cristal Speller takes in new patients,
and the days Koons said are the busiest of the week.

"It's pretty packed," Koons said.

"Every week we probably see 40 to 60 new patients."

The East Avenue office has been open for about three years, Koons
said, and in that time, the practice has built to approximately 4,000
patients, mostly from Butte County.

Although Koons said she sees a "wide variety" of people with a
multitude of ailments, she said the top two conditions people come in
with are anxiety and chronic pain.

She noted some patients have mentioned obtaining medical marijuana
from dispensaries that have popped up in the city.

She said she sees patients come in to Natural Care for Wellness in
wheelchairs and carrying bags full of pills, often looking for a
medical option that doesn't include the side effects prescription
medications can bring.

Although there is a stigma associated with medicating with marijuana,
Koons says the people she encounters simply want an alternative to
ease their pain.

"A lot of it has nothing to do with smoking pot," Koons said.