The Dope Show

After my article about Oregon's first Cannabis University opening ran today, I got a call from a guy asking if I can help him find some marijuana.

"Don't worry about leaving a message on my machine," he said. "Only my wife and I can get the messages."

Uhh.

Here's my article:

HILLSBORO -- Classes at the Oregon Medical Cannabis University are usually packed. But as Claudia Lavander demonstrated how to create a muscle-relaxing salve (key ingredient: marijuana), she spoke to a mere audience of one.

Having a reporter attend the class had scared students away, she said.

"I'd love for you to be here with a full class," she said. "But I have pilots and lawyers, and they don't want to get labeled."

Even as more patients turn to medical marijuana, even as rules relax and cannabis cafes open, people still worry about stigmas. That's why Lavander's salve recipe includes marijuana-masking tea tree oils. And that's why her business partner, Clancy Adams, dresses nicely and speaks scientifically.

It's all about image, Lavander says. If they want to get down to their preferred business -- "helping people help themselves" with medical marijuana -- they first have to help the world see they're legit.

Read the rest here