Pubdate: Sat, 02 Mar 2013
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2013 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg
Page: C5

MEDICAL POT POPULAR AMONG TECH WORKERS

Being a computer coder takes a physical toll. The long hours sitting 
at a keyboard can cause back and wrist pain.

You can run to a pharmacy and pick up some Advil, or if you're in 
Silicon Valley, you can drop by the Palliative Health Center for some 
Sour Diesel.

Palliative Health is a medical marijuana dispensary, one of many in 
San Jose. Inside, iPads are mounted on pedestals so patients can 
scroll through and check prices and availability of Sour Diesel, Chem 
Dog and a dozen or so other strains. The shop offers 
marijuana-infused sodas, muffins and chocolates, and monthly classes 
on cooking with cannabis.

Around 40 percent of Palliative Health's clients are tech workers, 
said Ernie Arreola, 38, the assistant manager. "We're seeing people 
from some semiconductors, lots of engineers, lots of programmers," he said.

That makes sense, because the shop is a short drive from some of the 
area's biggest employers - Cisco Systems, Google, Adobe Systems, 
Apple, eBay. Also, people in Silicon Valley do like their pot.

106 pot clinics

San Jose has 106 pot clinics (four are delivery-only) - more than 
four times the number in San Francisco, twice as many per square mile 
as Los Angeles, and, according to San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, "many 
more than are necessary to meet the medical needs of our population."

The pot dispensary industry in San Jose really took off after 2009, 
when the Obama administration said it wouldn't prosecute patients 
"with serious illnesses" or caregivers complying with state laws. 
California is one of 18 states, plus the District of Columbia, that 
have medical marijuana laws.

In California, a would-be marijuana buyer must show a dispensary that 
a doctor has recommended the drug for migraines, arthritis, "or any 
other illness for which marijuana provides relief," according to the 
1996 California ballot measure that started it all. Doctors charge 
about $40 for a recommendation. Federal law bans doctors from writing 
out a formal prescription.

Usage 'common'

Marijuana use is "extremely common" among tech workers, said Mark 
Johnson, 34, chief executive officer of Zite in San Francisco. The 
company, owned by Time Warner, produces an application that offers a 
personalized news stream on smartphones and tablets.

"People just don't care," said Johnson, who added that he smokes pot 
daily. "If you do, you don't need to hide it; and if you don't, you 
accept that there are people around you that do."

MedMar Healing Center, a half mile from Adobe headquarters, offers a 
marijuana-infused chocolate toffee called Veda Chews that appeals 
especially to the roughly 15 percent of customers who are tech 
workers, said Doug Chloupek, 35, its CEO and co-founder.

"It does not give the high or intoxicated feeling that you would 
typically get from a lot of medical cannabis," he said. "Those who 
are coding for 15 hours a day with cramping hands, that is the 
product that allows them to have mental clarity and still get pain relief."

Veda Chews sell for $13 apiece. MedMar also carries $10 joints with 
names such as Sour Grapes, Skunk and Super Silver Haze, along with 
cannabis-infused breath sprays, brownies and chocolates.

Not in workplace

None of this abundance should obscure the fact that companies don't 
want employees getting high at work. Cisco forbids use or possession 
of "illegal drugs while on Cisco-owned or leased property, during 
working hours, while on company business or while using company 
property," said Robyn Jenkins-Blum, a company spokeswoman. Adobe has 
a similar policy, according to a company statement. Neither company 
screens potential hires for drug use, which is probably just as well.

"Silicon Valley data support recent news reports citing some 
employers who say they are having a hard time finding candidates that 
can pass the pre-employment drug test," said Barry Sample, director 
of science and technology for Quest Diagnostics Employer Solutions.

Johnson says that Silicon Valley's predilection for marijuana 
shouldn't come as a surprise. The tech industry employs a lot of 
intelligent people, he reasons, and a lot of smart people smoked 
marijuana in college and never lost the habit.

"Pot is an extremely functional drug. Coders can code on it, writers 
can write on it," he said. "I see good days ahead for pot."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom