It is a short-term project – This case study was short term in that data was collected between September 2015 and December 2015. It is on a new topic – Medical marijuana is a relatively new topic, and this case study is a short-term project, interviewing professionals and experts as explained in Patton and Sawicki (1993) is appropriate for this case study. To gather basic facts about the problem – The questions asked during the interviews were designed to gather basic facts about the recommendation and distribution of medical marijuana among vulnerable populations. Interview Procedures and Protocols The procedures used to set up professional and expert interviews followed the protocol as described in Patton and Sawicki (1993): Make formal or informal requests in advance – A recruitment letter was emailed to potential subjects. Send reminder letters of follow-up phone calls – Once a positive response was received a follow-up email was sent to set a time and date for the interview. These emails contained a consent form that was signed and returned prior to the interview giving both consent to the interview and permission to record the interview. Collect background information prior to the interview – Background information was collected when possible by conducting an Internet search and by visiting the interviewee 's website, if available. Conduct video conference or telephone interviews if a face-to-face interview is not possible – All interviews were telephone interviews. The procedures used to conduct the professional and expert interviews followed the protocol as described in Patton and Sawicki (1993): Ask before using any recording device. – Each professional interviewed gave consent in writing to have the interview recorded. The interviews were conducted via speaker phone and recorded onto a password protected iPad. Promise anonymity and/or confidentially of information – Anonymity and confidentially of information was promised both in the recruitment letter and the consent form. Take notes during the interview – Notes were taken during the interview in order to later assist in determining the most salient points to be transcribed, but note taking was limited to allow focus and attention to be given to the professionals during the interview. Keep to the allotted time – All interviews were kept to the 20 to 30 minute time frame promised in the recruitment letter. Thank the person for the interview – Each professional was thanked in the follow-up emails, as well as at the beginning and at the conclusion of each interview. Professional and Expert Interviews Obtained On the onset of this case study, the goal was to conduct eighteen interviews of the following types of professionals from each of the three states: Legislators who were instrumental in developing the state 's medical marijuana policies, board members from each state 's local chapters of medical marijuana advocacy organizations such as The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), board members from each state 's …show more content…
After sending out over sixty-five email inquiries and conducting several follow-up email and phone inquires in the attempt to schedule interviews, only fourteen interviews were scheduled and conducted. These are as …show more content…
As noted above, a board member from the national office of SAM was approached in person at a Drug Abuse Prevention Conference prior to the delivering of a keynote speech. While not committing to an interview, the board member did give verbal permission to record the keynote speech and treat it like an interview. Although this speech did not directly address the interview protocol questions, there was enough information in the keynote speech to glean the basic information sought, so it was included in this case