News » How to Find the Right Medical Marijuana Doctor





A Look At Patient-Physician Responsibilities

As a patient, you want to know your options and to get the treatment that’s right for you. Doctors have the responsibility to get to know their patients’ medical needs and to explore every option for helping that person, you, get the care that’s needed. Knowing what a doctor’s responsibilities should be is something that both patients and health care providers should understand.

Every state and area that’s legalized marijuana for medicinal use has different laws, so first and foremost, the patient and doctor should both be aware of the local statutes and requirements before proceeding into any medical marijuana (MMJ) inquiry. Getting information third-hand from someone who seems to know what they’re talking about is not advisable, as MMJ regulations can be tricky and “so-and-so said that it was…” doesn’t hold up in court.

Once you’re comfortable with the law as it applies to you as a patient or a doctor, you should understand what a doctor’s responsibilities are, regardless of the law. For the medical provider, this is already ingrained as standard patient care procedures.

The Doctor’s Responsibilities

The physician should:

Understand the patient’s needs and take responsibility for the patient’s care and treatment.

Have the appropriate training and understanding to properly prescribe medical marijuana or be able to give a researched, knowledgeable referral for same.

Perform all examinations, properly document, and be prepared to prove his or her responsibility for the patient’s care and have good reason to prescribe medical marijuana to the patient.

Monitor the patient’s progress and recommend dosage changes or other alterations to the patient’s therapy and prescription as needed in order to facilitate the best care for the patient.

The Patient’s Responsibilities

Patients should be sure that their provider is:

Licensed as a medical professional with all appropriate state, county, and municipal licenses as required by law. In some areas, only certain types of medical professional are allowed to discuss or prescribe medical marijuana.

Appropriately trained and knowledgeable in how medical marijuana is prescribed, used, etc. In many areas, this requires the medical provider to have additional licensing and certification.

Forthcoming with all requirements, forms, and any conflicts of interest he or she may have in your care or in the prescription or recommendations given. In many areas, medical providers are also allowed to sell medical marijuana directly, which could be a potential source of conflict that should be discussed.

And patients should follow all instructions, prescriptions, and participate in follow-up care as required. Many patients are under the impression that medical cannabis is all they’ll need. This is rarely true, as most patients still require follow up, dosage changes, or other adjustments and so forth as part of their normal medical care.

What is Medical Marijuana Prescribed For?

Medical marijuana is prescribed for many types of illnesses and symptoms. It is often prescribed as a way to counter some side-effects of other medical problems or treatments or as a way to treat many symptoms or disorders associated with the nervous system.

Cancer

It is often used in conjunction with cancer treatments to minimize or alleviate some of the side-effects associated with cancer treatment such as nausea, lack of appetite, etc. This is especially true of patients undergoing chemotherapy and terminal patients whose cancer may have progressed too far for treatment, but whose symptoms can be lessened.

Chronic Pain and Headaches/Migraines

Patients who suffer from chronic pain, migraines or headaches are often prescribed medical marijuana as an alternative to more debilitating or intrusive narcotic drugs. Many pain medications are addictive, can interfere with a patient’s work, or otherwise severely alter the patient’s lifestyle. Often patients do not react well to these heavier drugs and doctor’s find that cannabis works well as a substitute. This is especially true of migraines and headache sufferers.

Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, and Similar Neurologic Problems

Many neurologic symptoms, especially those involving tremors or even convulsions, are targets for medical cannabis use. Many of these problems involve inflammation of nervous tissue, which, it is believed, is lessened by THC. Some epileptics have found that MMJ reduces or eliminates their seizures without the side-effects associated with many of the other treatments available.

Depression, Anxiety, Arthritis, Glaucoma, and More

Marijuana has also been found to be helpful with depression and anxiety, has relieved some symptoms of arthritis, can lessen the inflammation behind glaucoma, and for many other things. New studies are published regularly (hundreds every year) that give further insight into the benefits (and sometimes the down sides) to marijuana as a medicine.

Talking To Your Doctor

Finally, no matter your ailment, you should talk with your doctor candidly about why you think medical marijuana might help. Even if your doctor resists the idea of cannabis as a medical treatment option, honesty is more likely to convince him or her that it’s an alternative that might be worth a try.

Most doctors are at least willing to speak with patients, but if yours refuses to discuss the idea, you may want to find a new practitioner.

Resources:

CA NORML Medicinal Cannabis Practitioners, information on California’s requirements for seeking approvals, finding a specialist, etc.

What editorial writers are saying about medical marijuana laws, amednews.com, American Medical Association

Use of Complementary and Alternative Treatments by Patients American Medical Association (video)

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