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How familiar are you with the state’s medical marijuana laws, really? Most patients are very confused about Florida’s MMJ laws. Part of this is due to the fact that they have changed more than once since medical cannabis was approved in 2016. Only recently have patients been able to purchase flower for smoking marijuana.

Unfortunately, finding the information you really need can be extremely difficult. We try to make the process simple. Here is what you should expect with your telemedicine appointment.

Providing information about your medical condition

If you have a medical condition that should qualify you for an MMJ card, you should have provided that information when you made your appointment. You must have a previously diagnosed condition that you have been under treatment with a doctor. If you are just getting a diagnosis, or if you are seeking diagnosis to get an MMJ card, you will not be able to do so.

There is no cure for MS, but that doesn’t mean you should be miserable. There are a lot of pharmaceuticals that can be used to treat the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, but these can have harmful side effects and may not work for everyone. Luckily, Florida offers another all-natural treatment that could reduce the occurence or annoyance of symptoms.

Bladder control issues

The most embarrassing symptom of MS is the inability to control the bladder. Patients may have frequent urination or urge, difficulty holding the bladder when needed, or leaking urine when coughing or sneezing. These are all indicators of different types of bladder control problems, but all of them are shown to improve with cannabis use.

We get calls, emails, and visits from patients every day asking how to get certified, if they can get certified, and how they can buy their products once they are in the database. Here are the things you need to know before starting this process.

Getting Your Medical Cannabis Certification in Florida

You can’t get your MMJ certification from just any doctor. There are doctors specifically signed up for the state registry who are allowed to perform examinations and review medical records to determine if a patient qualifies for a medical card. Getting your recommendation is pretty easy to do once you find a participating doctor.

Unfortunately, cannabis still has a bad rap with a lot of the medical community. To make matters worse, it is still federally illegal, and only allowed in limited medical use here in Florida. All of this contributes to patients having trouble finding a doctor that is okay with their medical marijuana use. 

So how do you find a doctor that doesn’t care about cannabis? Here are some key tips.

Your doctor might not be certified to approve your medical marijuana application, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need to know about your cannabis use. Coming to us for your evaluation and cannabis certification is great, but you still need to be honest with your primary healthcare provider. 

Why is it important to talk to your doctor about cannabis?

Cannabis is very safe, and by itself hasn’t been shown to have health defects for healthy individuals. But that doesn’t mean it is safe for everyone. There are three areas in which cannabis use can be problematic.

Since Florida voted to allow medical marijuana in 2016, many scams have surfaced as unscrupulous characters have tried to take advantage of unknowledgeable patients. Unfortunately, the rules and requirements for getting a medical marijuana card in Florida is such a complex, confusing, arbitrary process that many people have difficulty getting certification, even if they qualify.

This creates a breeding ground for scammers who take advantage of the frustration of patients by promising faster certification and immediate mmj cards. Unfortunately, the requirements are very strict, and only certain doctors can issue medical marijuana certifications. And only one Florida entity is permitted to actually process applications and issue identification cards.

Hepatitis A is one of the lesser known hepatitis viruses, but it is actually quite common. Often, patients with Hepatitis A are completely unaware that they have been infected. Symptoms may be mild and may show up slowly over time. Some patients experience no real symptoms at all until there are complications from the disease.

And, really, that’s where the danger of Hepatitis A lies. In some cases, Hepatitis A can cause complications that can be life threatening or fatal. These complications often seem to come out of the blue because the symptoms are flu-like and the patient likely doesn’t know they are infected with the virus. Those complications without knowledge is what makes the virus so dangerous.

In order to get a medical marijuana card in Florida, you must have a qualifying medical condition, but the benefits of medical cannabis go far beyond just its positive effects on your health condition. Here are some of the other benefits you will enjoy from medical cannabis.

Improve Sleep Hygiene

How often you sleep, how long you sleep, and how deeply you sleep can all be improved with regular use of medical cannabis. A good sativa strain will help you relax at bedtime, so you can go to sleep quickly and stay that way. A high-energy Indica strain will keep you alert and active during the day so that you aren’t tempted to nap. If you struggle with insomnia, you’ll find some relief with medical cannabis.

Marijuana users have been widely persecuted in this country, particularly since the 60s and 70s. Even though it is now legal for medical use in most states, many people still look down on those that use marijuana. This stigma against cannabis users tends to make some people shy about talking to their doctor about this amazing plant.

You shouldn’t let your fear of what your doctor will think of you prevent you from talking to them about a medicine you want to try. If you saw a commercial for a medication you thought might help you, you would think nothing of going to your doctor and discussing it with them. So, too, you should be unashamed of talking to your doctor about medical cannabis. Here are some tips to help you with the conversation.