[4] In the years immediately leading up to the Amendment's adoption there was a newfound interest in medical marijuana research.

[3] The director of the white house office National Drug Control policy sought clear answers and so they asked a non-governmental body the Institute of Medicine to reviewed the medical data.

After eighteen months and considering more than five hundred scientific papers the IOM found that there was remarkable consensus for the potential of cannabinoid based drugs for medical use and almost no data about any proven benefits.

More than sixty thousand patients held red cards with a six-month waiting list to be added to the growing registry.

[4] The state recognized recommendation, called a "red card" due to its red color, can be used at any marijuana dispensary in the state, though naming a single marijuana dispensary as a patient's "caregiver" often affords the patient discounts on medicine.