REEFER MADNESS

Goleta Doctor Cracks Down on Pot-Seeking Patients

Years ago, if you wanted to smoke marijuana, you'd likely turn off
the lights, pull down the shades, and hunker down before puffing.

Today, you might amble down to one of Santa Barbara's eight medical
marijuana shops, letter from a doctor in hand, and score pot to ease
your physical woes.

But getting that letter might be a lot harder than some people seem
to think, especially if you try to make an appointment with Dr. David
Bearman, a well-known Goleta physician.

It'd be easier - and probably a lot cheaper, from what I hear -
to score weed on the street than to jump Dr. Dave's hurdles.

Although he's not familiar with how other Santa Barbara area doctors
operate under Prop. 215 (the California medical marijuana measure
approved by voters), he feels that certain California out-of-town
chains offer brief, what he calls "HMO-style" appointments with
patients claiming medical need to alleviate their ailments.

"Frankly, most doctors, patients, and dispensaries are concerned
about these brief office visit approvals."

I have a sore back and although I wouldn't dream of soothing the
aches and pains with wacky tobaccy, even temporarily, I asked Dr.
Dave what it takes to get one of his letters of recommendation.

First, he said, you can't even get an appointment without a careful
screening. "We do not make an appointment for just anyone," unless he
has a pretty good idea that he or she is likely to qualify under the
Prop 215 measures, Bearman told me.

"We try to see the patient's medical records before their
appointment, or if not, have them bring [their records] in with
them." Otherwise, Bearman said, the only time he would issue a letter
without copious documentation is when an exam documents a serious
problem - such as a missing limb, lumbar or cervical fusion,
multiple knee surgeries, or the like.

And if you suspect that most of his patients are college-age kids
trying to score, Bearman says 90 percent of his clients seeking
marijuana letters are 25-years-old or older, and very few have Isla
Vista addresses.

So what about those "HMO-style" doctors, as Bearman puts it? "The
position of these doctors, who may see the patient only briefly
before granting their approval for medicinal cannabis, seems to go
something like this:

"If a patient tells them that they have a particular medical problem
and that cannabis is useful to them, these doctors will recommend
cannabis. They say that they have no reason not to approve its use
when it provides medical benefits, because they see cannabis as
being extremely safe and because they can."

"I take a more conservative view," Bearman says, blaming the problem on what he calls "vague" guidelines set down by the Medical Board of California, which allows for "wide latitude for interpretation by the MBC."

Because the MBC has been on what he calls "a witch hunt"
investigating doctors who OK marijuana letters, contrary to a court
ruling, many physicians avoid the issue, Bearman said.

"At least 60 local doctors have referred patients to me, 15-20 local
doctors have made a few approvals, and at least three other
physicians are making recommendations for patients for whom they are
not the primary care provider."

"I have been working with other like-minded physicians to set up a
specialty of cannabinology,' which would lay out acceptable medical and ethical standards. No one is benefited by the perception
or reality of people who are not ill [getting] medical cannabis approval."

Meanwhile, the Santa Barbara City Council soon plans to consider a
possible moratorium on new medical marijuana dispensaries, along with
guidelines. Some residents have complained about the location of the
present ones, which apparently wouldn't be affected by the moratorium.