Marijuana and massage therapy don't always go together

A Flickr photo

"Before you ask, no, you can't have any weed."

Part of House Bill 1284, Representative Tom Massey's attempt to regulate the medical marijuana industry, states that "the act of supplying medical marijuana or marijuana paraphernalia, by itself, is insufficient to constitute 'significant responsibility for managing the well-being of a patient.'"

This language is part of an effort to encourage dispensaries to mutate into wellness centers that offer services beyond simply supply pot -- like, for instance, massage therapy. But that doesn't mean every massage therapist is automatically a medical marijuana supplier, despite what authorities in Grand Junction seem to believe.

The Daily Sentinel reports that the city incorrectly labeled two local businesses as dispensaries. One is a pipe shop -- as in tobacco pipes -- while the other offers "massage therapy and meditation teaching." Which, contrary to popular opinion, can be done without the aid of ganja.

Judging by her quotes in the Sentinel, the therapist, Catie Butcher, was quite upset by the mistake.

"I do volunteer massage therapy at hospice with 1,500 mostly conservative people," she said. "My main clientele are woman over fifty who for the most part are conservative, so I expect some damage to my business, and I'm hoping that I don't get any vandalism."

That's the kind of paranoia we often associate with people who've smoked too much weed...