Medical marijuana con artists target dying

Police will tell you that, whenever there is money to be made, con men will find the angle. This time they're advertising a special deal on medical marijuana.

“That's an immediate red flag,” said Dr. Kevin Sherin, Orange County Health Director, “somebody is trying to scam.”

The Department of Health says there's people advertising free or cheap medical marijuana, sometimes claiming they're from the state's Office of Compassionate Use.

“They're trying to get money, they're falsely claiming things that aren't true - that they're purporting to be the Office of Compassionate Use, claiming you can do credit card transactions. All of the above is false,” Dr. Sherin said.

What's true is that there's only one legitimate place to get information on who provides medical marijuana - and that's the State Health Department. They have the only official list of the companies that provide the pot, and the doctors who prescribe it. They never ask for credit cards.

“The state does not do credit card transactions with the office of compassionate use,” said Dr. Sherin.

People looking for medical marijuana need to see an approved doctor for at least three months before the doctor can prescribe it for them.