Cannabis as Medicine

Cannabis as a medicine seems quite new. With a majority of states now allowing its use, patients, many of their doctors, society at large and certainly law enforcement and government are searching for information. The information available online is vast and often confusing. Much of it is incomplete, far too detailed and technical for most people to sort through, clever marketing or just plain wrong.

Medical cannabis patients are certified by a physician as having a qualifying condition. The patient is issued a card and then, too often is left to decide for themselves as to the best treatment. It is similar to your doctor writing you a note for "blood pressure medication" and leaving you to decide which of the dozens of medications is the proper choice for you. Dispensary employees are usually the cornerstone of giving patients advice on strains and how to use cannabis. Sometimes they are very good at giving recommendations. Sometimes, not so much.

Modern medicine treats disease with the drugs that are effective for the majority of patients, forgetting that we are all very different individuals. What is a good choice for one patient may be ineffective or cause side effects in another. Although most patients see some improvement in using cannabis, getting the best result is a bit more complicated...

I have seen patients without much knowledge or direction experience lukewarm results of medical marijuana. I have also seen those so-so results turn into remarkable improvement under the knowledgeable direction of a doctor that treats the individual patient using the correct combination/forms/amount of cannabis.

It is my hope to sift through all the noise, marketing, agenda driven studies, politics and stigmas encountered when one tries to be an informed medical cannabis patient. I want you to get the best result from medical cannabis you can.

Brian Nichol, MD

Cannabis Expert