Ever since the sunshine state voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2016, ads for the doctors have been popping up all over Florida. As it turns out, it’s not as easy as you might think to get a prescription from a marijuana doctor in Florida.

If it’s something you’re considering applying for to ease chronic pain, not only do you need to know about the process, but you should also be thinking about what strain and delivery method to use. You will also be surprised how other strains of marijuana the work very well for other conditions.

Marijuana Doctors in Florida: How Easy is it to Get Medical Marijuana?

The short answer is, not easy at all, and not cheap either. You must go to a state-certified marijuana doctor for an in person examination. It’s a requirement to show that you have a chronic condition, and that you’ve tried other treatments to no avail. Marijuana is still considered a scheduled 1 drug under federal law. However in Florida, you are able to use medical marijuana by going through the process of securing your medical card online with the state.

After that, you’ll be sending an application and a $75 check to the Florida Department of Health, who should take a couple of weeks to send you your marijuana card which you can take to one of the 200 or so approved dispensaries in the state. By the way, that prescription lasts for thirty weeks, and after that you’ll have to start the process again, incurring the same costs. Medical marijuana is an all natural alternative to poison pills. Contact All Natural MD to get started on medical marijuana today.

 

What Strain Should I Buy When at the Dispensary?

At the dispensaries you can find extracts and oils, tinctures, vapes, and even leaf marijuana that you can smoke. There is a limit to how much smokable marijuana you can buy: 2.5 ounces every 35 days, and it is not commonly available at most dispensaries. Keep in mind that your insurance is not going to pay for this. The same goes for Medicare and Medicaid.

You can buy equipment at the dispensaries too: like pipes for smoking it, so you really need to consider what strain you’re buying, and what delivery method. Each dispensary differs too, so be sure to ask if they have the strain and delivery method you want before traveling.

Strains Currently Available at Dispensaries in Florida

There are dozens of strains to choose from. Among the capsules are strains like Haze Berry, Hawaiian, and First 48. There are oils and creams, such as Hash Berry, and Blue Dream. There is the option of vaping or orally spraying some strains, such as Sour Diesel, Girl Scout Cookies (GSC), and Orange Blossom.

It’s important to check which strains are available at your nearest dispensary, then ask for the relevant information on potency, and if they have user reviews available. Most of the vapes, tinctures and sprays have flavors, as is evident in their names, so perhaps the most relevant question is which delivery method helps with chronic pain the fastest, or has the longest-lasting effects.

 

Capsules, Oils, Creams, Vapes, or Smoking?

Both vaping and smoking medical marijuana can rapidly make a difference and reduce chronic pain, but these delivery methods do not have long-lasting effects when compared to others. In popular culture, marijuana is most commonly associated with smoking, but direct inhalation and passing of the cannabinoids to the bloodstream through the lungs actually results in the shortest-lasting effect of all the delivery methods.

The effects of vaping may also be comparatively short, but at least vaping has been shown to have fewer damaging effects on the lungs than smoking.

In terms of the capsules, people who consume cannabis orally report that the effects begin around half an hour later, peaking at an hour and lasting for as many as six. In terms of long-lasting relief for chronic pain, it would seem that capsules are the best idea.

Topical or transdermal creams or oils are often the fastest-acting of the delivery methods. Pain in joints or in muscles can be alleviated in minutes, and the effects can last for a few hours.

Sprays and tinctures are typically applied sublingually, into the blood-vessel rich area beneath the tongue. This means the cannabinoids get into the bloodstream quickly, and very few are wasted. It’s also perhaps a more socially acceptable delivery method than some of the others. Sublingual application of tinctures is the way most terminal cancer patients ingest cannabinoids to help ease their pain.

So, in the end the strain you choose is a matter of personal preference in terms of flavor and potency. It would seem that the more important decision is in your choice of delivery method in order to effectively ease your chronic pain. All Natural MD.