Medical Cannabis

This "initial consultation" is created to help patients who are considering using cannabis for medical purposes. It addresses important points a physician makes during an initial medical consultation to evaluate and authorize the use of medical cannabis. An American physician is still not legally able to prescribe cannabis. Aside from marijuana, there is no other substance a physician can legally authorize and not prescribe. From the outset, patients who are authorized should know that...
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This "initial consultation" is created to help patients who are considering using cannabis for medical purposes. It addresses important points a physician makes during an initial medical consultation to evaluate and authorize the use of medical cannabis. An American physician is still not legally able to prescribe cannabis. Aside from marijuana, there is no other substance a physician can legally authorize and not prescribe. From the outset, patients who are authorized should know that they are acting on their own behalf in prescribing medical cannabis. Based on current laws you must write your own prescription. Because of the complexities of the human body, mind and spirit, you should be prepared to carefully evaluate the pros and cons of using medicinal cannabis.Historically, physicians have been considered uniquely qualified to inform patients of the indications, risks, and side effects from using any substance for medical purposes. Because of its long-standing status as an illegal drug, widespread ignorance regarding medicinal cannabis still persists within the medical profession. Synthetic dronabinol is an FDA-approved medication and it mimics one of the more potent and active substances in cannabis products. Few physicians prescribe dronabinol (Marinol), in part, because it is limited to certain wasting conditions associated with cancer and AIDS. Furthermore, it is quite expensive.The treatment of conditions that respond to cannabis often benefits from additional therapeutic components. Overlooking other therapeutic options is perhaps the greatest risk from using medicinal cannabis. This is likely the case because cannabis can be so effective in managing a broad range of symptoms. Other than examples of when patients have used too much cannabis and their behavior resulted in an accident, the most serious "side effect" Dr. Rotchford commonly encounters in patients authorized to use cannabis is related to patients not entertaining or using other forms of effective, medical care. Some of the other overlooked modalities could better improve long-term health.To avoid missing potentially essential medical care and to better assess the risks and benefits of medicinal cannabis there are distinct benefits of working with a qualified medical professional. A qualified medical professional can screen for Hepatitis C or other conditions including substance use disorders that complicate or render unsafe the use of cannabis products. Professional support may be invaluable when addressing your specific and general medical issues. This publication may also help you determine if your well-intentioned cannabis use has crossed the line into a substance use disorder (SUD). A time-tested behavioral guide to recovering from a cannabis SUD rounds out the support materials in the appendices.