Since so much is being said about medical marijuana I decided to do a little research about it. Currently 13 states have approved the use of medical marijuana for certain conditions that have not responded to conventional treatment.

Getting permission to use marijuana for medical purposes is not just a simple matter of going to your doctor and getting a script to hand to your local dealer. You must have a condition that is approved by the state such as AIDS, cancer, chrons (sp?) disease, cathexia, epilepsy, glaucoma, MS and certain others. Not all states have the same conditions approved.

Some states say that you must be treated by the same doctor for the same ailment for at least 12 months and must have tried conventional means of treatment first. When those have failed, you and your doctor can apply to the state to use medical marijuana. In most states there is a filing fee. Once approved there are strict limits on how much you (or your caregiver) can possess at one time, it ranges from 1 to 8 ounces and a certain number of plants.

If you are found to be outside the guidelines for use and possession, you can still be prosecuted so it is not a free for all. You can also be subject to random drug testing to make sure you are only using the approved amount and are not using other drugs.

Some states require certain testing beforehand such as a pulmonary function test and some require psychological testing as well to make sure you don't have a tendency for addiction.

Since most of the conditions that are approved are very debilitating, I highly doubt Michael Phelps was using medically approved marijuana.