The Obama administration's new policies supporting medicinal marijuana and its pledge to stop raiding growers and dispensers in states that permit the drug's medical use has led to a sharp increase in the number of people requesting to use it.
"I've been flooded with calls," Seattle attorney and marijuana advocate Douglas Hiatt told MSNBC.com. "It's, 'Where can I find a doctor?' 'How can I start a co-op?' You wouldn't believe it."
Obama said he has no reason to argue with doctors' research and compared the use of medicinal marijuana to patients who are prescribed morphine for pain.
Because the tracking of medicinal marijuana sales starts only once a state allows for medicinal marijuana use, conclusive data is scarce. However, Colorado reports it has received 4,720 applications from June 1, 2001, to the end of 2008. In the first two months of 2009 alone, over 2,000 requests were received. Elsewhere, requests have spiked between 50% and 300%.
