Friday, March 5th, 2010
Consulting and Care for Wellness (CCW) has been in business for five years. Our patient fee includes a medical cannabis evaluation provided by a licensed physician. If approved, a year of 24 hour verification and a free consultation with a medical marijuana lawyer is also included. CCW operates legally under Proposition 215 and SB420. With a medical cannabis recommendation from CCW, a patient is protected under California law. CCW also offers massage, acupuncture, and a retail store!!
Investigators in Los Angeles and Orange County have discovered medical marijuana clinics selling fake doctor recommendations. The identities of doctors unrelated to the medical cannabis industry have been stolen and their signatures forged in order to create what looks like a legal document. These fake physician statements are not verifiable by law enforcement or by dispensaries. CCW has been renewing many recommendations for patients who have been deceived by these “doctors”. Please remember that you are getting what you pay for. Don’t put yourself at risk!
Two articles follow:
Doctor’s name illegally used in OC pot scam
Eileen Frere
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Watch video story (2:55) – http://abclocal. go.com/kabc/ video?id= 7281262
ORANGE, Calif. (KABC) — Orange County investigators are trying to unravel an alleged medical marijuana scam.
Police served a search warrant at a building in Orange Monday night and were at the location all day Tuesday. They’re focusing on an office called Medical Marijuana Evaluations Now, essentially a very small room with a few chairs and a desk.
“This is a fake license they sold me,” said medical marijuana patient Mario Chavez. Chavez paid $25, thinking the certificate would approve him for medical marijuana when presented at a dispensary.
“They didn’t let me get my medicine because it was a fake license,” said Chavez.
Chavez returned to the office in Orange that gave him the false paperwork. Its Web site is MedicalMarijuanaEvaluationsNow. com.
“I feel like I got burned,” said Chavez.
Orange Police officers also showed up after getting a complaint from Dr. Francois Phong Bui. He’s listed as the doctor recommending marijuana for patients. The problem: He has nothing to do with the company.
“Somebody has forged my signature and with my license and my name on the certificate,” said Bui, who is filing a lawsuit.
Bui is an OB-GYN in Westminster. He does prescribe medical marijuana but only for chronic conditions or terminally ill people.
Bui learned the company was using his name only after being contacted by marijuana dispensaries that were verifying what they thought were his patients. In fact Bui had never met them.
Eyewitness News was not been able to contact anyone with the company. According to its Web site, it charges between $75 for an evaluation and $25 for a renewal.
Orange Resident Jay Selig wanted to get his mother’s marijuana prescription renewed.
“That’s what the marijuana is for, her cancer,” said Selig.
“Twenty-five dollars is a good deal to get it renewed. You can’t beat it,” said Selig.
Until he was told more about the company.
“I’m upset at them that they’re scamming a lot of people that really, legitimately need this,” said Selig.
Police are investigating. They took two people in for questioning. They were later released.
Chavez did get his money refunded.
Dr. Bui plans to sue to stop the company from using his name.
“This is quite dangerous and so I just want to make sure everybody is aware of this,” said Bui.
Officials said that Tina Goods, a woman who works in the office, has not been seen since Monday night when police arrived to talk to her.
Marijuana Cards Being Sold Without Doctors’ ‘OK’
Reporting David Goldstein
Mar 1, 2010 11:05 pm US/Pacific
http://cbs2.com/local/Medical.Marijuana.Doctor.2.1529594.html
Watch story video (6:03) -
http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=128911@kcbs.dayport.com
LOS ANGELES (CBS): A CBS 2 undercover investigation found medical marijuana
clinics selling doctor-recommended medical marijuana certificates without
doctors present.
Los Angeles is about to implement some of the toughest restrictions in the
state on medical marijuana dispensaries. But in an exclusive CBS 2 News
hidden-camera investigation, we went undercover into medical clinics and
found that recommendations for medical marijuana are being sold without ever
seeing a doctor.
We found a man, who answers to the name of Dr. Scott, when he provides
patients with what amounts to a prescription for medical marijuana. We don’t
know if he was smoking some of his own medicine or tobacco, when we caught
him smoking a pipe in his car outside the clinic. But we do know he is not a
doctor.
David Goldstein: “How do you do that? Only a doctor can give out
recommendations?”
Dr. Scott: “I don’t have to talk to you, dude.”
Undercover producer: “I’m confused. Is this a doctor’s office?”
“Yes it is.”
At another location across town, a place bills itself as a doctor’s office,
but when we were there, there was no doctor, just prescriptions for sale and
medical marijuana.
We found it over and over — obtaining certificates to buy medical marijuana
without ever seeing a doctor.
With one of these cards or certificates, small amounts of pot become legal
in California! With one you can buy marijuana at hundreds of dispensaries,
like one we found in the L.A. area.
The law says in order to get a certificate, you have to be recommended by a
doctor, but that is not what we found.
Undercover producer: “Can I get my card here?”
“Yeah.”
“Can I do it legal?”
“Yeah go ahead.”
We sent an undercover producer with a hidden camera to a clinic in the
Garmet District.
Tobias: “My name is Tobias’
A man named Tobias said we could easily get a recommendation.
Tobias: “We’ve got to send your paperwork to get approved, so you have to
wait a second.”
He claimed to fax the paperwork to a doctor and minutes later’
Undercover producer: “How much was it?”
Tobias: “Sixty dollars.”
We got it. And he bragged about others who also come here.
“You know what’s funny. We get a lot of people from UPS.”
Undercover producer: “You get delivery boys?”
Tobias: “All the time. Another big market are LAUSD teachers.”
Undercover producer: “Stop it, LAUSD teachers?!”
Tobias: “Dead serious.”
Tobias then told us to go to another room where pot was for sale with our
new recommendation.
Undercover producer: “So what do you guys have? This is like Candyland.”
We walked out with the certificate signed by a Dr. Keith Wresch, who we
never saw.
Dr. Wresch admits he prescribes medical marijuana, but says he has nothing
to do with this clinic.
Dr. Wresch: “I mean it’s a forgery. It’s something they shouldn’t be doing.
No I’m not happy about them doing it.”
Tobias admits he has no medical training, but claims Dr. Wresch is involved.
David Goldstein: “Are you a doctor?”
Tobias: “No.”
David Goldstein: “Dr. Wresch says you’re just using his name here.”
Tobias: “No, I’m not using his name.”
David Goldstein: “That he has nothing to do with this?”
Tobias: “OK, you can believe what you want to believe, but that’s not the
truth.”
That’s not the only place we obtained certificates without ever seeing a
doctor.
Undercover producer: “Are you a doctor?”
One man said he worked under a doctor — whatever that meant. We got a
recommendation from him one day.
Undercover producer: “Hello.”
“Are you a new patient?”
Undercover producer: “Yeah.”
The next day we went there he was the receptionist.
And at another clinic, a man answered to the name of Dr. Scott. We caught
him smoking something in his car after he pulled up outside the clinic where
he works.
Dr Scott: “Nice to meet you. We’ll get you in there soon.”
Our undercover producer met with him. He asked her a few questions about her
ailment and immediately came up with a solution.
Dr Scott: “Have you ever tried marijuana?”
But when she asked about his qualifications…
Undercover producer: “I was just wondering…you say you’re a doctor right?”
Dr Scott: “P.A., yes.”
He admitted he was just a P.A. or physician’s assistant. But in less than
four minutes she was licensed to buy pot.
Dr Scott: “Are you taking any other medications?”
Undercover producer: “None.”
Dr Scott: “Let’s get you licensed then, OK?”
Undercover producer: “Great. It’ll be $60, huh?”
The recommendation was stamped with the signature of Dr. Jerome McCuin. He’s
an anesthesiologist who lives in Rancho Cucamonga, 50 miles away.
Doctor McCuin: “This is a forgery.”
Doctor McCuin also claims his name is being used.
Doctor McCuin: “This is not me. I mean I don’t know anything about it.”
The California medical board is trying to take away Dr. McCuin’s license for
an unrelated matter. He admits he worked briefly at the clinic a few months
ago. But says he never gave his permission to use his name.
Dr Scott: “You want to fill one of these out.”
We caught up with Scott at the hemp convention in downtown L.A. last week,
where he was issuing marijuana recommendations with a huge crowd waiting in
line.
David Goldstein: “You a doctor?
Dr Scott: “Physicians assistant.”
David Goldstein: “You giving our recommendations here?”
Dr Scott: “We’re doing recommendations at our booth, yes.”
David Goldstein: “How can you do that? Only a doctor can do
recommendations?”
Dr Scott: “I don’t have to talk with you, dude.”
David Goldstein: “But only doctors can do recommendations.”
Dr Scott: “Actually, if you look at the statutes of California, you know the
appropriate answer is yes, we can do it.”
But the Governing Board of Physicians Assistants says that while P.A.’s can
evaluate a patient, only a physician is authorized to recommend medical use
of marijuana.
In all we went to five clinics and got recommendations signed by five
different doctors.
“There you are. Your signature right there please.”
We never saw any of the physicians during the evaluations.
“They’re simply out there trying to make a buck.”
This undercover LAPD detective investigates the city’s growing medical
marijuana trade and says these clinics are popping up everywhere.
“Not a surprise there is a number of places that are set up as medical
marijuana recommendation mill that simply operate on a daily basis to churn
out as many recommendations for cash as they can,” the LAPD detective said.
Because of our report, police now say they will start investigating the
clinics after we found doctor-recommended medical marijuana without ever
seeing a doctor.
http://cbs2.com/local/Medical.Marijuana.Doctor.2.1529594.html
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