Do you need to tell your doctor about smoking weed? Over half the US has hopped on the green bandwagon in legalizing medical weed. Even still, in the states slacking on marijuana law reform want to medicate with pot. But is it actually OK to let the doc know blazing helps your symptoms? Do you really need to tell your doctor about smoking weed?

How HIPAA Keeps You Safe

Maybe this will help you chill about coming clean about using pot to your doc. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA offers the promise of a safe space at the doctor’s office. Joe Elford, a lawyer at Americans for Safe Access, explains why you’re in the clear.

“A doctor’s recommendation for medical marijuana is very private since HIPAA makes it nearly impossible for even law enforcement to obtain private patient records.” Great news! HIPAA secures patient privacy, so a doc can’t go to the cops and turn you in for toking.

Still paranoid the doctor can’t be trusted? The Center for Disease Control doesn’t even want them bothering with looking for THC in routine patient drug screening anymore.

With the opioid crisis and health issues plaguing the nation, focus has shifted away from weed as dangerous. Instead, research has encouraged a growing consensus of weed’s medicinal value.

Quality Medical Marijuana Doctors

But just because you tell your doctor about smoking weed doesn’t guarantee access and good advice. Even states with medical marijuana can’t find doctors to recommend the drug to patients.

Sometimes it isn’t cost-effective to become registered to approve a patient to use weed. And the medical marijuana programs can move slowly to start, like in the case of the New York’s Compassionate Care Act.

Other docs just plain refuse to suggest bud. Being a doctor rooting for the cause for medical weed still comes with risky consequences. They potentially face federal punishments for prescribing weed because of its status as a schedule 1 drug.

Furthermore, many doctors still lack the critical knowledge of the positive and negative effects of treating certain conditions with pot.

Currently, medical school programs don’t teach in-depth on the topic of medicinal weed. In fact, research has shown that 90 percent of doctors don’t know enough about marijuana to help their patients decide if it is the right treatment for them.

Final Hit: Tell Your Doctor About Smoking Weed

More work must be done to fully understand weed and its potential effects as a treatment. But don’t be afraid to open up to your doc.

Honest communication about any treatments outside of a doctor’s orders is essential to staying alive and well. Especially if you use other medications than weed.

Even something as weak as aspirin can have serious side effects if used with pot. Maybe used more than aspirin, alcohol can cause depression when enjoyed with pot.

Some anti-depressants also blend poorly with the devil’s lettuce. Combining the two can cause an abnormally fast heart rate. Interactions must be considered in order to ensure a patient’s health.

So the conclusion? What your doctor doesn’t know may very well end up hurting you. Tell your doctor about smoking weed. They can’t narc on you, no matter how many ounces you buy. But they can tell you not to smoke a spliff with Viagra.

So tell your doctor about smoking weed. A cannabis conversation might save your life.