EXCLUSIVE: Doctor accused of running a medical marijuana mill
January 10, 2010 9:31 pm
Dr. Atsuko Rees
BY KAREN VELIE
Former co-workers are accusing Dr. Atsuko Rees, a physician at HealthWorks in San Luis Obispo until July 2009, of writing medical marijuana recommendations for almost anyone who asked, while not claiming the bulk of payments for the visits as income.
The allegations come as medical officials across the country are asking if a small number of doctors are responsible for authorizing the vast majority of medical marijuana cards — possibly abusing a law meant to help patients with chronic health problems. These few doctors, many known for spending five to ten minutes with patients before diagnosing them with a chronic illness, are said to be practicing sub-standard medical care as they rake in between $150 to $250 for each diagnosis.
HealthWorks employees allege that Dr. Rees, a former co-owner of HealthWorks who now practices at Rees Family Medical on Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo, would see as many as 60 to 70 patients on so-called “Marijuana Fridays” when she practiced at HealthWorks. Both Dr. Rees and Mary Eanes, a physician’s assistant Dr. Rees continues to work with, would approve patients’ medical marijuana status. However, to comply with California law, Dr. Rees would sign off on patients as if she had seen each patient personally, former co-workers said.
Neither Dr. Rees nor Eanes returned numerous phone calls asking for comment. However, a call to their office confirmed the group is continuing to issue medical marijuana cards.
Even though Dr. Rees saw patients of all ages at HealthWorks, the bulk of her marijuana card clients fell between the ages of 15 and 25, with a large number visiting the clinic on, or within days of, their 18th birthday.
Medical marijuana patients under age 18 must have a parent present when seeing a doctor or visiting a dispensary, according to California law. Nevertheless, Dr. Rees gave a medical marijuana recommendation to a 15-year-old Nipomo boy who walked into the clinic complaining of headaches. He provided a note from his mother that said he could seek medical care without an accompanying parent.
Dr. Rees started writing cannabis recommendations in 2007 and since then has written more than 30,000 medical marijuana approvals for everything from sleeping problems to anxiety.
Cynthia Scott, a former business partner of Dr. Rees at HealthWorks, said that shortly after Dr. Rees began advertising for patients seeking medical marijuana, they began seeing scores of cannabis-seeking patients. Scott said many patients would come to the counter requesting to see the “marijuana doctor.”
Scott also said that when the partners began battling over the clinic’s growing reputation as a marijuana prescription mill, Dr. Rees told Scott not to worry because she was “keeping it all off the books.” Nevertheless, the partners’ disagreements escalated until Dr. Rees agreed to leave HealthWorks.
“She would put the money in her lab coat,” Scott said. “She would have pockets full of cash.”
While at HealthWorks, Dr. Rees also saw patients for medical problems not related to marijuana. A former employee, who was responsible for billing insurance companies, said Dr. Rees allegedly would pad the bills by reporting she had seen patients for at least 25 minutes, when in reality she had spent less than 10 minutes examining the client.
The illegal act of false billing, referred to as up-coding, can cause the insurance reimbursement for a medical visit to jump from $56 to $83.
HealthWorks’ current physician, Dr. Donella Jenkins, said that although Dr. Rees left HealthWorks some six months ago, the business continues to turn away multiple patients who are asking to see the “marijuana doctor.”
Approximately a year ago, officials at the Grizzly Academy were considering hiring Dr. Rees to help provide medical care for their students.
“I learned from nurses at HealthWorks that Dr. Rees was using the office to sell marijuana prescriptions,” said Dr. George Ward, a local physician who worked with students at the Grizzly Academy. “I said ‘she is not the doctor we want around our youth.’”
Just legalize it and be done with it.Quit all this BS.
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This on-line paper is worse than Globe or NE. Someone came up with a rumor to discredit someone else and this site published it. Maybe I’ll call this site and tell them McDonalds is switching to hotdogs only. Should make the front page.
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Rees’ husband, also a doctor said, “If a physician recommends or approves the use of medical marijuana for a minor, the parents or legal guardians must be fully informed of the risks and benefits of such use and must consent to that use. Again, nothing about a requirement for consulting with a parent in person.”
However the New York Times said, “Until the age of 18, patients requesting medical marijuana must be accompanied to the doctor’s appointment and to the dispensaries by a parent or authorized caregiver.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/health/22sfmedical.html
Mr. Rees, I guess this means the reporters at the New York Times are tabloid reporters and liars.
And for Rees’ claims that it is OK for her assistant to write recommendations for medical marijuana, as long as she signs the paper even though she didn’t see the patient, even pro marijuana sites dispute her assertions.
“CAUTION: Some commercial clinics have been issuing recommendations through physician’s assistants rather than directly through M.D.s. The legality of this procedure has been challenged by law enforcement. If your recommendation has not been issued by a licensed M.D. in person, it may not hold up in court. Patients are advised to check and make sure they are seeing a real M.D., not just an assistant.” http://www.420meds.com/Doctors.html.
Both Dr. Rees and her husband claim under 18 patients can see a doctor for medical marijuana without a parent. I think if you are going to make money on medical marijuana laws, you should know them.
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“Regarding the fifteen year old I allegedly saw without a parent: that never happened. While it is both legal and accepted medical practice to see underage patients with a note from a parent without a parent present, my policy is to require the presence of a parent or guardian.” Dr. Atsuko Rees. Why is everyone insisting she gives drugs to kids, after she took the time to provide us with an explanation.
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This is California, not New York.
Different states have different laws.
Anything can be challenged in court; it’s up to a judge to decide if the interpretation is to change.
The current laws addressing medical marijuana in California are as I have quoted them. Look them up yourself, I listed the references in my posting of 17 January.
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The New York Times’ article is about California’s medical marijuana laws. You have only quoted part of the law.
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Feel free to quote the entire law here if you want, but you will NOT be able to cite the part that says a minor must be accompanied by an adult, because it just ain’t there.
Also, I emailed Ms. Ellison, the reporter who wrote the NY Times story, and asked her where she got that information. Her reply: “Hi there–
That’s a good question; I believe I was citing the rules of Medicann, the
pot-doc network.” I went to the Medicann website (as if it would be more authoritative than the CA medical board website or the law itself) and there is no such statement there. I emailed Medicann, they have not answered.
SInce 1) the point is moot, as my wife Dr. Rees already stated that her policy is not to see minor medical marijuana patients without a parent or guardian present, and 2) I now find myself fact-checking articles that never mentioned my wife, the time has come to say goodbye to this site.
Any detractors out there who want to make something else up, you may do so without fear of retort from me.
You can have the last word, the floor is yours.
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Now The Supreme Court of the State of California gets the floor .
and thank you b-slo for your fact checking and clear informative contributions.
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Give me a break, Atsuko. You wait a week to reply and then claim that the reporter never made an effort to contact you? Did you ever contact Velie for a retraction? This really smacks of Gearhart’s protestations…
This story is not about the merits of, or concerns about, medical marijuana, but about your blatant disregard for the law. You dilute the importance of mm for patients with true chronic pain. You are responsible for your own reputation. Own it.
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When once asked why he didn’t aggressively respond to his detractors, Muhammed Ali repilied, ‘Dogs howl at the moon, but the moon doesn’t howl back.’
The ‘reporter’ never made an effort to contact Dr. Rees; I know, I’m her husband. Dr. Rees has no interest in tabloid journalism, and had no plans to contact Ms. Velie at all for any reason ever. It was only at my urging, telling my wife that about half the people posting responses seemed reasonable and deserved to hear the truth, that she wrote her rebuttal at all. Anyone writing something here for Dr. Atsuko Rees to read will receive no response from her, as she doesn’t visit this site.
As for your anonymous and unsupported assertion that my wife has a ‘blatant disregard for the law,’ at the risk of being crude I challenge you to ‘put up or shut up.’ I cited the relevant laws in my response to nancy below. If you have evidence of illegal activity, tell us what activity is violating what law, or go to the police or the medical board with your evidence. If you don’t have any evidence, than you, like others, are just spreading malicious false gossip.
Fortunately, it appears by the lack of recent ‘like or dislike’ responses that interest in this non-story is on the wane. While there is a certain perverse fascination with reading the uninformed and mean spirited attacks on my wife, kind of like watching those police chase shows on TV while waiting for the pasta to cook, I don’t think it’s very healthy, and I plan soon to join my wife and bid a permanent farewell to calcoastnews.com.
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Wow, using the *Gearhart* brush on Dr Rees,,, is quite a stretch Scarlet, considering Mr Gearheart has never responded to allegations made about him on this website IIRC, yet, Dr Rees does take the time to respond, in a very polite, and circumspect manner,(maybe tepid) I don’t think she deserves the harsh judgement inferred.
I have seen no evidence that Dr Rees has broken the law, has anyone commenting here seen evidence, actual ‘happened in reality’ evidence? hands?
I hope Dr Rees feels she is welcome commenting here like anyone else, I for one, thank her for responding.
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Gearhart rebutted Velie directly on Congalton’s show, zaphod. And rees claimed that velie had never contacted her and then rees’ husband said she chose not to. Yes, I see how you would find that immensely credible.
If not 30,000 recommendations, then how many rees?
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This is Dr. Atsuko Rees. My rebuttal has taken awhile because I did not receive any phone calls or requests for comments from CCN, and did not know anything about this article until after it appeared.
and
I am Dr. Rees’ husband. She was not contacted by CCN prior to the article. Anyone who says she was is either misinformed or lying.
The ‘reporter’ never made an effort to contact Dr. Rees; I know, I’m her husband.
credible enough..
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“Neither Dr. Rees nor Eanes returned numerous phone calls asking for comment.”
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I do have to admit that 30,000 recommendations in 3 years sounds rather staggering. That would be 200 recommendations a week for 3 years (allowing for a 2 week vacation each year) to the tune of $4,500,000. Does HealthWorks really have 30,000 records on file for MMR’s?
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“While it is both legal and accepted medical practice to see underage patients with a note from a parent without a parent present, my policy is to require the presence of a parent or guardian.”
I suggest that Dr Rees familiarize herself with California law before she gets herself into big trouble. It is absolutely against the law to give a marijuana recommendation to a minor without consulting with the parent in person. That’s a fact, check with the AG or any knowledgeable lawmaker.
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Two points:
1. Medical marijuana in California is governed by Health and Safety Code section 11362.5. It says nothing about a requirement to meet with a parent in person. Neither does CA Family Code sections 6500-6911 that discuss who can authorize medical treatments for minors. The CA Medical Board website, http://www.medbd.ca.gov/medical_marijuana.html , says: “If a physician recommends or approves the use of medical marijuana for a minor, the parents or legal guardians must be fully informed of the risks and benefits of such use and must consent to that use. ” Again, nothing about a requirement for consulting with a parent in person. So, if you know that it is ‘absolutely against the law to give a marijuana recommendation to a minor without consulting with the parent in person’, please tell me, what law are you referring to?
2. Even if you were correct, I fail to follow your logic. Dr. Rees states that despite there being no legal requirement, her policy is to require the presence of a parent or guardian. So she is consulting with the parent in person. So how would she get herself into big trouble?
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“She would put the money in her lab coat,” Scott said. “She would have pockets full of cash.” claims her co-worker, the goverment created this supply and demand enabling her to do this,
(if it really happened), and she wouldn’t be the first in this capitalistic country to capitalize on a demand created by laws or the lack of them, remember slavery was a legal highly profitable trade. My point decriminalization of this weed, is way, way over due, and this doctor has only done what this country is based on, taking money from the other guys, using a doctor’s degree as a tool to do it, all completely legal.
Now; if we were smart all this could be stopped by voting for the legalization of the drug THC.
As far as I know no one has smoked some and gone out and committed violent crimes, suicide, as they do on prescription pain killers, meth, booze, heroin, well you get the picture.
I feel this doctor has been wrongfully accused by a jealous co-worker who didn’t have,pockets full of cash, stranger things have happened.
And if you really need proof, go and see Dr. Krakovesky at the old pain center on foothill, talk about a racket, you fill out a first grade comic and they see you for five minutes, fill yours scripts for powerful pain killers and dangerous tranquilizers, but watch out, a few misguided words out of your month and this nice doctor becomes Hitler, stating ,”How about I dismiss you as a patient,” in a heavy German accent!
I went cold turkey off highly addictive medicines, causing me to never trust anyone in specialized medicine, and to put it bluntly, suffer at the hands of the Dictator at the Pain Center, Dr. Krakovesky. Don’t ever go there and if you are unfortunate enough to have too, beware they can take it all away, at least you can buy more pot, if you run out.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a rebuttal submitted by Dr. Atsuko Rees in response to the allegations raised in the article by Karen Velie.
This is Dr. Atsuko Rees. My rebuttal has taken awhile because I did not receive any phone calls or requests for comments from CCN, and did not know anything about this article until after it appeared.
Medical marijuana is recognized by the American College of Physicians (the largest organization of internal medicine doctors in the US) as a valid and valued treatment for many health problems. It is not a panacea, but many chronic pain patients are able to reduce their intake of narcotic medications, cancer patients are able to eat and function better, migraine sufferers experience relief, and so forth. Some data indicate that medical marijuana is associated with an improvement in indices of aging.
Whether due to misinformation provided by sources, or due to sloppy or biased reporting, the article is very inaccurate and misleading. Some of the objectionable points follow:
Ms Velie states (she doesn’t allege or quote someone who might know, she states) that I have written 30,000 recommendations for medical marijuana in the last three years. This is wildly false; I have seen perhaps a tenth of that number. I “rake in” (I find that term somewhat unprofessional and prejudicial) $150 per such evaluation (this is the sole fee, unless other testing is required); if I’d have done 30,000 of them I could retire.
I would anticipate that it is true that a small number of providers authorize the vast majority of medical marijuana cards in this county, as there are very few doctors who include medical marijuana in their practices at all. I cannot speak for ‘these few doctors’ and I have no idea how long they spend with their patients.
Regarding the fifteen year old I allegedly saw without a parent: that never happened. While it is both legal and accepted medical practice to see underage patients with a note from a parent without a parent present, my policy is to require the presence of a parent or guardian.
I can rarely see over 25 patients per day, 60 to 70 patients is a fantasy.
We do accept cash. I declare my income and pay my taxes. No one involved in this article has ever seen my tax returns.
At my partner’s request, the medical marijuana part of the practice was kept financially separate from the rest of HealthWorks.
Physicians’ assistants and nurse practitioners generally are employed by and supervised by a physician. I review and sign the notes and recommendations of my employed mid-level providers as required by law.
A couple of the posts were of concern to me. “Malovato” posted a concern about patients ‘running a scam’ and diverting the medical marijuana. Each patient receives an appropriate medical evaluation. If I learn that a patient is diverting medical marijuana, or narcotics or sedatives or any substance for which there may be a secondary market in our society, I discontinue the recommendation or prescription.
“Rukidding” states s/he went to HealthWorks for follow up with me after I had left, and was given ‘no explanation’ of where I had gone. I would like to apologize to for any inconvenience s/he experienced. The agreement between HealthWorks and myself was that HealthWorks would send a letter to all patients and disclose my new practice location to all callers and visitors asking for follow-up with me. I’m sorry that apparently did not happen. My posted flyer at HealthWorks indicating my new location was taken down.
It is true that my split with my partner at HealthWorks was less than amiable. I enjoyed creating HealthWorks, and until the uncomfortable end, I enjoyed working there and I valued the relationships with my employees there. I anticipate they’ll continue to do good work, and I wish them well.
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We allow Tylenol _an over the counter drug_ to be made in another county, skirt the Food and Drug Administration’s inspection of the product, sicken people with contaminants [all lots of Tylenol arthritis have been recalled recently please google], and we don’t allow the use of medical marijuana.
Un believable
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Well with all the people flocking for a marijuana recommendation, I think it’s time to just legalize it and stop all the confusion and game playing. The people want it and they have voted on it. This is no different than when there was prohibition. When the people want something they will get it by whatever means necessary, lets stop bogging down the legal system over a bunch of bogus propaganda. There is nothing wrong with marijuana. Alcohol is far more destructive and most people who use marijuana detest alcohol. “In with marijuana, out with alcohol”, say I.
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I will discuss this doctor’s care. I am a 47 year old male that lost my home in a fire that almost killed my wife and I. I started to have anxiety attacks to the point one sent me to the emergency room because I thought I was having a heart attack. My family doctor prescribed Xanex OVER THE PHONE without even seeing me. I just had to walk into the office and pick up the prescription. Xanex made me a zombie all day which does not fare well with the type of work that I am in. I went to see Dr. Rees, got a rec and haven’t looked back since. I medicate only in the evening before bed and no more severe attacks. Every time I have been there, the girl at the front desk has always taken my money, not the doc. Some people are such a joke. To think that regular doctor’s a some kind of GOD is completely off base. They get kickbacks from big Pharm all the time for prescribing a drug. Where do you think the free samples come from? Anywhoo, the state senate is looking at legalization as we speak.
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So, you are a guy with anxiety who smokes a little dope. Why not let Jack Daniels take care of your troubles like the rest of us?
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They have morphine, demoral (sp?),oxycontin and a host of other pain killers. Should we just limit it to one choice? Plus, I don’t like Jack Daniels. This is America. We get to choose.
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I am a doctor and there are no “kickbacks” for giving out samples, in fact it’s extra work and done as a courtesy to the patient. The kickbacks stopped more than 8 yrs ago they are not legal anymore. The samples are “free” to the patient and extra work, logging, storage space, regulation, etc to the doctor. the doctor makes no money off this whatsoever so you have no clue what you are talking about.
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I stand corrected. Didn’t know they changed that 8 years ago. I might not have had a clue about the kickbacks but the rest of my post is fact Nancy33.
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I agree with DeepBlueSLO that the step to take is an alert to the medical board. If the accusations are true, it should be discovered by that body and not first tried in the press.
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“This doctor has clearly given everyone and anyone a recommendation for MM for the asking and the right price”
Cindy how do you know that she ‘clearly’ gave everyone and anyone a recomend, do you simply believe every bit of gossip that you hear or read? There is nothing clear about this article. There is absolutly nothing in this article that demonstrates that there are ANY facts in this case. I know better than to believe every/any digruntled ex employee or business partner. Someone
told Karen that a 15 year old kid recieved a recomend. from the doc.., someone told me Sarah Palin was a rocket scientist. I don’t believe that kids should smoke pot but I don’t know that this really happened. I spoke with my friend that I mentioned that’s a patient of this doc. He was charged $150.00 and that’s it, no $100.00 office visit. How many people think that these people getting recomendations wouldn’t be getting pot anyway. At least they aren’t getting it from some mexican drug cartel. One last thing. I’m glad that the doc hasn’t responded, why should she? I wouldn’t want my doc discussing issues that might have something to do with my care.
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I think you missed this information. Cindy worked along side Dr. Rees in the same medical practice. It is well known and established information in SLO and Atascadero among the young adults.
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I am not the Cindy who worked with Dr. Rees. I have been posting here on CCN since it’s inception when it was Uncovered SLO. I am not and never have been in the medical field, I’m an accountant for private industry. My experience with Dr. Rees is exactly what I have said it is.
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Typo, you ask, “Cindy how do you know that she ‘clearly’ gave everyone and anyone a recommendation”? Perhaps you missed my earlier post about the old friend that I rented my home out to while I worked out of town for a year between 2007-08. I witnessed her do it for the asking and the cash, that’s how I know. When I told my friend he could grow some pot on my deck if he kept it legal, I never in my wildest dreams thought he would find a bunch of people to send to a local Dr for recommendations, who would then in turn, designate him as a caregiver. It was so easy for him because she gave it to everyone he sent to her (including him). I don’t have anything against MM, in fact there was a three month period back in 2003 when I had to use it for 3 months. It worked and then I didn’t need it anymore because the condition subsided. I had to prove to a Dr. what my condition was and bring all my medical records to get the recommendation. So I was very surprised to find pot growing all over my back deck, my guest bathroom and my office when I returned home after completing my project. Like I said, she gave anybody who wanted to grow pot a recommendation and he managed to keep it legal like I had asked. My whole property smelled like a skunk, who would have thought when I said keep it legal this would have happened!
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Just a heads up Cindy, and anyone else who may be equally misinformed. If Dr Rees is telling people they can grow as caregivers for anybody and everybody they feel like it is incorrect. In order to be a “care provider” as intended under Prop 215, there are certain guidelines which must be met. Simply having a friend who allows you to copy their recommendation doesn’t cut it. Providing misinformation like this to uneducated people will get them put in jail.
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My question is, why does it cost so much more to see Dr Rees for a medical marijuana recommendation than it does to see (her) or a doctor at HealthWorks for antibiotics or any other illness? I would think diagnosing and prescribing is far more of a service than accommodating a request for a marijuana recommendation. Sounds like this doctor was taking advantage of a popular unlimited “supply and demand” phenomena.
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Last time I went to a medical doctor for a regular check up of any kind it was $120.00, waited in the waiting room for 45 minutes, saw the doctor for 15, is there some kind of difference here that I am unable to comprehend?
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i have to admit that when i saw this article and this doctor’s smiling face, i chuckled a bit, without even having to read the article. let me tell you why. about 6 years ago i woke up with major back and neck pain and could barely move. i hadn’t been ill, hadn’t done anything strange to cause injury, and had no other health injuries so i went to the ER. they did a bunch of test and ended up thinking i may have meningitis so they did a spinal tap. came out negative, gave me some pain killers, told me to come back if things got worse and to follow up with my doctor. next day i wake up with excrutiating stomach pains so i call her old office to see my normal doctor. he couldn’t get me in but she could squeeze me in later that day. i go in and wait in the waiting room for well over an hour, they were very busy. it is after 5 and everyone wants to go home. she has me come in, asks me what hurts, looks in my ears and down my throat and diagnoses me with an upper respiratory infection. huh? i had no cough, sore throat, any symptoms of this! i pointed this out to her, she looks irtritated and writes me a prescription. immediately my mom takes me back to the ER. with a little bit more to go off now, they run some more tests and it turns out i have a very large cyst in my ovary which was causing all the pain. i can see how she got confused… reproductive system… respiratory system… both start with r’s, right!
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That’s scary.
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There are several points that people seem to be missing with this story. Do you think it’s normal for a 15 year old boy to suffer from migraine headaches? Is a recommendation for marijuana appropriate for a 15 year old with headaches? Is this conscientious medicine? This boy wasn’t even accompanied by a parent (he had a note from his mother). Is it proper to treat patients off the books? These recommendations have to be kept on file because law enforcement has to verify them at them times. This doctor has clearly given everyone and anyone a recommendation for MM for the asking and the right price. This doctor also put her partners at HealthWorks in a precarious situation.
I might add that Dr. Rees was contacted by CCN on more than one occasion and given plenty of opportunity to respond, she chose not to.
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And why should she. You do know about doctor patient privilege right? She can’t talk about what she does for the aid and benefit of her patients! Until there are charges by a legitimate government authority this is all hearsay and nothing more than tabloid reporting. No one should speak of things as if they are truth if they were not present to witness them yourself in living flesh. If someone was and has a legitimate concern then go to the proper authorities and let them do their job until then please be quiet.
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Doctors can and do talk about what they do for the benefit of their patients all the time. They just can’t mention the name of their patients. If Dr Rees believes in her philosophy about using marijuana for everything and anything by anyone (of all ages) then this would have been her perfect forum. She could have told her side of the story, she knew this story was going to be printed.
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Choosing not to respond to a reporter’s requests for interviews is not against the law, nor does it allow a journalist to write just anything they want. We have freedom of speech AND the right to NOT speak in this country.
But calling someone a crook, or suggesting they are dodging taxes or conducting malpractice is potentially libelous on its face. And Karen needs to have more than the idle gossip of former co-workers to defend against that.
I have a friend who has suffered from migraines since he was in elementary school, he’s 48 now. Pot helped him, and this was long before the term medical marijuana was even invented.
Why is it that a 15-year-old kid shouldn’t be able to go to the doctor himself and get MM but a teenage girl can have an abortion without telling anyone? Don’t freak out, I am pro-choice but doesn’t that seem a little odd? Far more people die from botched abortions and even pregnancy itself, than the use of Mary Jane.
As for the “recommendations” made by doctors, my understanding is a person is supposed to take the recommendation to the County Health Dept and apply for a county-issued MM card. That’s what you’re supposed to show the dispensaries, and cops when they contact you, not the doctor’s note.
Why you need or want MM is nobody’s business, not the cops, the county, the courts nor even CCN.
And since when is it against the law for someone to make money? The county certainly makes money on the MM cards. You have to pay for it and the only thing you get back is a promise that the cops will leave you alone, which frankly, depends on WHICH cops are doing the asking.
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Cindy (I suspect Cynthia Scott from Health Works),
You may be 100% right about Dr. Rees, but being a bad doctor is not a crime (malpractice is a civil action). However, the law provides a distinction about what you can publish when you accuse them of a crime. If you feel crimes were committed, then you should have contacted the medical board and law enforcement. If you post your accusations online and happen to be wrong – then you may be getting a summons.
Business breakups are like divorces, someone is always very bitter and rarely does the blame fall squarely on one party.
Also, in California, anyone over 12 can seek outpatient, non-surgical mental health treatment on their own without parental consent:
http://www.youthlaw.org/fileadmin/ncyl/youthlaw/publications/minor_consent/CA_consent_mental_mar05.pdf
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I am Dr. Rees’ husband. She was not contacted by CCN prior to the article. Anyone who says she was is either misinformed or lying.
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DeepBlue, Typo and Paperboy:
Personally I think marijuana should be legalized for adults and taxed accordingly. As far as minors and juveniles are concerned, it should be regulated in a manner consistent with tobacco and alcohol laws. Because marij does impact the learning process and brain function for young people I suggest that it remain illegal for anyone to provide or sell marij to any minor and that the penalty for such behavior is stiff.
Medicinal marij is fine so long as the process it is not abused by certain physicians who care more about the money than the welfare of the patient. There are too many cases of marij being perscribed for questionable ailments. I think the New Jersey law was written much better then California law and I believe that medicinal marijuana should be dispensed through a legitimate source akin to a pharmacy.
As to these suggestions that the Cal Coasts article is defamatory, I suggest that should the Doctor (and I use that term loosely) go down the road to litigation, her business records and professional practices will be subject to significant scrutiny by the Medical Board and the IRS and only then will the rest of the story be fully exposed.
Actually I think the medical board should examine this situation to determine if the Doctor has breached her ethical responsibilities.
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If the medical board is going to try and sort out whether there is a breach here, by all rights they need to look into every prescription written for any kind of sleeping aid, anti-depressant and medication for stress related disorders. It’s only fair, how can anyone condone discrimination over a legal substance and a doctors right to recommend/prescribe it, if it is not across the board. 30,000 will probably become a miniscual number in proportion to all those other drugs? The other abuses are actually causing people to DIE from over prescribing where is the uproar over this?
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I have no idea if Dr. Rees is a good doctor or not. I do know (as per the CA Medical Board web site) she graduated from an accredited medical school, is fully licensed in CA, and has no prior disciplinary issues. What I also know is that if you publish or imply an accusation of a criminal act (such as tax fraud), you better have personally reviewed the person’s tax returns and business financial records – I doubt Karen had access to those documents. Putting money in your pocket (or lab coat) is only against the law if you fail to report it to the IRS.
I appreciate the service this site provides, but reprinting criminal accusations without supporting evidence or affidavits could provide easy money for the right attorney.
Truth is the ultimate defense for defamation, and if everything Karen has printed is true, then she has nothing to worry about. Just be care what you post – there are likely more eyes watching this site than you know.
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Back to prohibition for children with glacoma?
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I find it interesting that only a few comments address the issues of unprofessional conduct — overcharging with regard to time spent with patients, taking cash and providing no receipt, seeing minors who are not accompanied by an adult and excessive writing of medical marijuana prescriptions.
Anytime I have seen a physician their office staff handles payments. I never seen a doctor who took cash and stuffed it in their pocket. It is quite clear to me that she is under reporting her income. This is tax fraud.
A very few physicians like her are making a mockery of a well intentioned law. Now that this is in the open it will be interesting to see if law enforcement takes action and if the local medical board will follow-up.
As we all know this county has a practice of ignoring white collar crime so my bet is that nothing happens.
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More distressing than this article and any speck of truth that “may” be in it is your statement that this is “quite clear to me that she is under reporting her income.” My mother used to tell me believe half of what you see and nothing that you hear. You must be some kind of savant if you can tell this is totally true enough to determine “quite clear” guilt.
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My previous renter was handed a receipt by Dr Rees. I have it here in my desk. It does not have her name or the name of her practice on it. It is a generic payment receipt for $150.00 cash and says it is for “MM”.
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Swell, as mentioned before and after, if you are so certain somehow the law is being broken, stop obstructing justice and report it to the proper authorities.
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There is absolutely nothing illegal or unethical about what you describe. Receipts are only required if the customer requests it.
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There is so much re-education necessary when it comes to marijuana. First flat out lie is it is not addictive in any way shape or form. Secondly it is not the “gateway” drug everyone cries out about. If there is a gateway drug it is alcohol. There are no chemicals or additives in it, just naturally ocurring THC. Thirdly there are no devasting and health destroying side effects like you see listed for all prescription drugs. All this uproar has been created to keep people addicted to seeing doctors for exhorbetantly over priced prescriptions so they can become addicted to them, have their teeth rot, liver and kidneys fail so they can prescribe more drugs.
Let’s end the witch hunts and let people have their medicine, God only knows just living in our society is reason enough to need medical marijuana. Find some real evil to try and destroy.
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This is too bad. As much as I like this site and Karen’s past work, I think this article crosses the line.
If you go out and accuse a licensed physician, who has no history of problems from the CA Medical Board, of illegal or unethical actions, you better have some strong concrete evidence – not just quotes from former co-workers. I’m talkin’ audio/video/physical documentation sort of stuff – not he said/she said. A doctor really trades on their reputation and if you set out to damage it, you better have consulted an attorney first.
There is an lawyer in Grover Beach, Kurt Berger, who really knows his stuff when it comes to online defamation – I would love to hear his take on this.
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DeepBlueSLO,
CCN has never reported false information. CCN just might have a lot more proof than you think. My bet is on Velie. She doesn’t always tell us what she has to back up her fact finding.
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Of all the innuendo and nonsense in Ms. Velie’s article, let me pick just one point. Ms. Velie says that since 2007 Dr. Rees “has written more than 30,000 medical marijuana approvals.”
This is false.
I’m Dr. Rees’ husband. We file our taxes jointly. If she had grossed over $4 million from medical marijuana in three years, I would know.
What rubbish.
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I would love an opportunity to speak to Ms. Velie about this article. As a student, in my English classes (especially during the section on Orwell’s 1984) a lot of emphasis has been put on recognizing when the media, the news, abuses their responsibility to the community by presenting stories that are unilateral and unabashedly biased. Indeed, in some of the worst cases, the breaking “news exclusives” are nothing more than glorified advertisements. Thus, my rhetorical analysis would be as follows: “Why,” I would ask, “why is it that this article–that alleges such serious, and incredibly damaging accusations against the former owner of Healthworks–depends entirely upon the accusation of either the current owner of Healthworks or her nameless employees?” Who gains from this very blatant attack on Dr. Rees? Well, “Healthworks” is mentioned in nearly every single paragraph. One may wonder how this happened. Perhaps it is that Healthworks is now a main sponsor of Cal Coast News? Perhaps because Healthworks is now running an ad next to this very “article”? I hope that the editor of this “news” source addresses this issue, for indeed, it is so transparent it is embarrassing. Additionally, Ms. Velie uses diction such as “in reality,” in her article, which beg the question, exactly what “reality” are we talking about here?
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There appears to be more than one moderator at work, I reviewed and restored your comment.
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What a witch hunt. It sounds as if most of you including the doc in this ‘article’ don’t have a clue. First mistake, these docs don’t write ‘prescriptions’ for MJ they write ‘recomendations’. I have a tough time getting to sleep, its a terrible. I’m lucky to get 3 hours a night. It takes only a few minutes with any doc that I’ve seen for them to write me a prescription for Ambian or some other strong sleeping pills. I won’t take them they are dangerous. So why are you all on this witch hunt for something that is so much safer than than sleeping pills or opiates? The doc doesn’t need to spend a lot of time with the patient as this is such a benign cure or aid that helps so many people. I know someone that goes to this doc and she spent time with him to find out why he felt that he needed it. How long should it take? My gosh with all the problems in the world this is called in depth reporting, you can do better than this….or maybe you can’t.
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So what’s the difference between this doc and one who hands out prescription painkillers like Halloween candy? The difference is that pot is not physically addictive like prescription pain meds.
Frankly, I’m shocked that any doctor would let someone like Cindy, who is not a relative of her patient, into the exam room with them in the first place. Clearly, she does not respect the privacy of the person she refers to.
The only thing wrong with this is the prices she’s charging for the prescriptions. Is the $150-$250 on top of the $100 office visit fee?
”While at HealthWorks, Dr. Rees also saw patients for medical problems not related to marijuana. A former employee, who was responsible for billing insurance companies, said Dr. Rees allegedly would pad the bills by reporting she had seen patients for at least 25 minutes, when in reality she had spent less than 10 minutes examining the client.” Sorry, but using “allegedly” in this instance does not CYA. This is libel on its face and unless the unnamed source is willing to back this up in court, CCN is potentially in big trouble.
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Unfortunately, one of those individuals named in this article also gave someone a prescription for phentinol (sp) with little to no office time.
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Karen, thanks for taking this on. Abuse like this endangers the needs of those who really need it.
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Agreed. I am all for medical marijuana. Dr’s like Rees put the entire program at risk.
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I met this doctor and witnessed her write a prescription first hand. I rented my home to an old friend back in 2007 while I was working out of town. He told me he wanted to grow marijuana on my back deck and I said it was OK with me as long as he kept it legal. Although he was new to the area he had no trouble getting the name of Dr Rees. I went with him to the appointment because I wanted to ask her about her experience regarding local MM laws. She charged him $150.00 cash and listened to his heart and looked in his mouth (that was it)! He had no documentation of any prior medical problems and I didn’t think he would be able to get the prescription without proof of a legitimate aliment, boy was I wrong. He then asked her about how he could be a legal caregiver and she handed him forms and said ” just have anyone you grow for fill this out and designate you as their caregiver, of course they will also need a prescription. ” When I returned home 6 months later there was pot all over the place. He had sent a bunch of friends there and got them to make him the caregiver! I made him move out as soon as his harvest was over, what a nightmare.
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Once again I would admonish you if you were there and saw something you KNOW to be illegal go to the authorities. If you truly believe there is someone illegal or wrong going on speak up to THEM or forever hold your peace. You are just as guilty of wrong doing if you see a law being broken and don’t report it. It’s called obstruction of justice.
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I was recommended to this “doctor” for a pre surgery physical. After the physical I went back for a visit and was told that the doctor had moved on with no explanation of where she went. This story only confirms my belief of this “doctor”. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck then it usually is a QUACK.
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Karen Velie will be interviewed about this story today (Monday) around 4:45 p.m. on News/Talk 920 KVEC AM. You can also hear the Internet stream at http://www.920kvec.com.
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This whole “medical” marijuana idea is such baloney and needs to be discontinued. My nephews 20 year old best friend received a marijuana medical card for some bogus ailment. He admits to me with no shame, he sells half the pot he buys from the dispensary to his buddies to break even on money he paid for the weed and smokes the rest. I’m sure he’s not the only guy pulling this scam.
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My 20 year old son went to get one and all he had to do was show his scar on his knee from when he had had ACL surgery in high school. That scar has not stopped him from doing one other thing he wants to do physically.
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Rather have him selling pounds, nephews at 20 sometimes make things up, and yes I would yank his card if I were his doctor.
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I sure hope they can prove their accusations because if not I see a lawsuit for libel coming their way.
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I would be happy to help with this. I KNOW this is being done by these two medical professionals, and others as well.
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how about we just decriminalize marijuana and regulate it like alcohol . no , i do not drink or use marijuana or any other drugs .
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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The problem with this is that tax payers are already spending millions of dollars supporting people’s addictions (alcoholism and tobacco use) either medically or legally and in some cases due to disabilities due to these addictions. I am considered to be liberal but I don’t want tax money going to pay for people’s addictions especially because it has become legal for them to make poor choices. There is absolutely no accountability for choice making in these cases
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how about the billions we spend to on enforcement , courts , and incarceration . i also admit to an addiction , i know it is really bad for me i know it will kill me and i try to push on to my friends and strangers all the time . but because it is legal i do not have to go to some seedy place to by it
from some seedy person , not knowing what other chemicals are in it or if they do not have what i want try to push some other thing on me like cocaine / meth / speed . my addiction , BBQ’d pork and beef .
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