The history of medical marijuana

“Marijuana has been a medicine for 5,000 years,” says Donald I. Abrams, MD. “That’s a lot longer than it hasn’t been a medicine.” Abrams, who is an oncologist and director of clinical research programs at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the UCSF School of Medicine in San Francisco, is one of a handful of top-flight doctors in the country researching medical marijuana. “The war on drugs is really a war on patients,” he says.

Chronic Pain is a complex pain disorder that causes widespread musculoskeletal pain, sleep problems, and emotional and mental distress. According to the National Chronic Pain Association, the condition affects of the world’s population. Various treatment options exist; however, there is currently no known cure. According to a 2017 nationally representative survey, American adults take an average of four prescription drugs a day. (A 2016 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that participants had taken over five prescription drugs in the past 30 days.) While the U.S. population has only increased 20% over the last two decades says some Marijuana Doctors in Sarasota, the total number of prescriptions filled by adults and children has skyrocketed.

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease)
• Anxiety
• Anorexia
• Arthritis
• Back Pain
• Cachexia
• Cancer
• Chronic Pain/Severe Pain
• Crohn’s disease
• Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome
• Diabetes
• Epilepsy
• glaucoma
• Hepatitis C
• HIV/AIDS
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Lyme Disease
• Migraines
• Multiple sclerosis
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Muscle Spasms/Chronic Muscle Spasms
• Parkinson’s disease
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Seizures
• Severe Nausea
• Sickle Cell Anemia
• Spasticity
• or any other ailment/condition of the same severity/symptoms, when determined by a physician’s opinion that the medical use of marijuana would surpass any potential health risks
• a terminal condition/terminal illness

Who can legally use medical marijuana in Florida?

Medical marijuana is a treatment option for Florida residents who have documented cases of Parkinson’s disease, PTSD, Crohn’s disease, glaucoma, AIDS/HIV, ALS, cancer, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic pain, seizure disorders, muscle spasms or any similar debilitating condition. It is also available to people suffering from any condition determined to be terminal by two physicians.

How do patients get a medical marijuana card?

People 18 or older must visit one of the more than 1800 doctors who are permitted by the Florida Department of Health to recommend medical marijuana. Those under 18 are required to see two doctors. If a physician agrees that the use of medical marijuana has more benefits than risks, the patient is entered into the registry and can apply for an Office of Medical Marijuana Use ID card.  Once the initial certification is issued, patients must be reevaluated by their physician once every 30 weeks in order to be able to have their certification renewed.

Where is medical marijuana sold?

Registered patients in Fort Lauderdale Marijuana Doctors or anywhere else in Florida can take their doctor’s recommendation on one of the 29 licensed medical marijuana retail dispensaries to make purchases once approved by Fort Lauderdale Marijuana Doctors. Patients are allowed to purchase up to a 70-day supply at one time.  Although federal law doesn’t allow marijuana to be sent through the mail, for patients who don’t live near a dispensary or can’t travel to one, most MMTCs deliver statewide.

How much does it cost?

An initial visit to a doctor to become certified generally costs around $300 with follow-up visits running at about $200. State ID cards from the Office of Medical Marijuana Use cost $75.

What forms of medical marijuana are available?

Patient’s can buy marijuana & many other areas in what’s commonly known as “flower” form. Also, medical marijuana is delivered through vaporizers, pills, creams, transdermal patches, suppositories, oral drops, edibles or nasal sprays. It’s illegal to smoke any form of marijuana—whether medical or recreational—in Florida.

Can people grow marijuana themselves?

With the exception of the state’s licensed MMTCs, growing marijuana is illegal in Florida. Even a registered medical marijuana patient will be charged with a felony and could serve jail time for possession of a cannabis plant.

Is marijuana a legitimate medicine?

Because the Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of marijuana for any medical condition—landing it in the Schedule 1 category along with heroin and LSD—it is tightly controlled, and studies on its efficacy are limited.

Current science supports the use of marijuana and many other states as a painkiller, anti-emetic, neuroprotectant and appetite stimulant. Ongoing research includes studies focused on pinpointing how it may affect certain body systems and disorders.

How does medical marijuana work in the human body?

The human body’s endocannabinoid system naturally makes marijuana-like chemicals that bind to receptors embedded in cell membranes in the liver, brain, lungs, kidneys, nervous system and immune system. When a patient uses medical marijuana, the chemicals in the drug are delivered to the blood through the lungs (when inhaled), the digestive system (when consumed), or the skin (when applied topically). When those chemicals interact with key endocannabinoid receptors, they can suppress signals such as pain, nausea and depression, while boosting signals of appetite and euphoria.

Is marijuana still illegal at the federal level? 

Yes. However, the federal government hasn’t pursued criminal charges against people who sell or use medical marijuana within state registries. Because of the disconnect between federal and state laws, health insurance companies can’t cover medical marijuana, and doctors can’t prescribe it—they can only recommend it. Additionally, banks can’t accept deposits from MMTCs, so patients must pay cash when they make purchases at dispensaries. Employers are allowed to fire workers who test positive for marijuana, even if they consume the drug as a part of the state’s registry.

To Learn More:

Contact Us – Get Started On Your Marijuana Card Today.

The National Academies’ report looked at data from 1999 on, reviewing more than 10,000 scientific studies, of which only seven were directly related to pain relief. One of the seven looked at data from 28 studies. Abrams says the evidence on marijuana and pain is strongest for helping nerve pain (neuropathy) and cancer-related pain. The committee also concluded that certain oral cannabinoids improved muscle spasms in patients with multiple sclerosis.  Cannabinoids are one of more than 60 chemicals in the cannabis plant. Abrams says it makes sense that marijuana may help relieve pain because the body has cannabinoid receptors, or places where the chemical attaches to cells.  According to Harvard Health, the most common use for medical marijuana in the United States is pain management. With an increasing numaber of studies to back up subjective patient claims – the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently conceded: “There is conclusive or substantial evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids are effective for the treatment of chronic pain in adults” – more and more people are starting to ask: How does medical marijuana work? Marijuana as medicine dates back to 2900 B.C., with the Shennong Ben Cao Jing (an ancient Chinese text) recording prescribed uses for rheumatic pain, malaria, and other common ailments. Archaeological and historical accounts also suggest cannabis was used, in combination with wine, to anesthetize patients during surgery. While Western medicine didn’t pick up on the treatment until the early 19th century, researchers were quick to hop on board; by the end of the century, there were over 100 publications on medical cannabis in Europe and the United States. The United States Controlled Substances Act classified cannabis as a Schedule I drug, abruptly halting most marijuana research and making access to critical resources for future studies difficult to achieve. Surprisingly, a significant number of cannabis and pain management reports have still been published. In 2015, the Journal of the American Medical Association reviewed over 25 of those studies, concluding: There are three primary types of pain: nociceptive, neuropathic, and central. Nociceptive pain, caused by body tissue damage, is the only type of pain with a reliable system for alerting the brain to specific tissue problems. In response to injury, immune cells secrete a number of neurotransmitters and other signalers which are then carried by nerves up to the brain. The patient then begins to feel sharp, aching, or throbbing pain in the affected area. Neuropathic pain, caused by nerve damage, sends inaccurate pain messages. For instance, in diabetic neuropathy, the origin of pain is actually in the peripheral nerves, not the foot. Likewise, centralized pain (like fibromyalgia) tells the brain pain is occurring all over; however, this sensation is actually the result of an amplification of peripheral signals due to central nervous system dysfunction. (Note: Peripheral nerves are the links between your brain and spinal cord and the rest of your body.) When body tissue is damaged, your cells produce endocannabinoids – a very unique type of neurotransmitter – that regulate inflammation and pain sensation through interaction with cannabinoid receptors. These receptors are the same receptors targeted by cannabinoids, or chemical compounds, in marijuana. Cannabinoid receptors are extremely important. Receptor CB1 helps control neurotransmitter release in the brain and spinal cord; both CB1 and CB2 are widely expressed on skin nerve fibers and mast cells (cells that play a major role in allergies and inflammation). Your body produces two types of endocannabinoids in response to tissue damage:  anandamide and 2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol (2-AG). When you experience inflammation and nerve injury, anandamide springs into action and helps regulate nociceptive pain signals by activating CB1 receptors. Its partner, 2-AG, plays a big role in decreasing pain during acute stress. Since cannabinoid receptors are present across the central nervous system and in pain circuits from peripheral sensory nerve endings all the way up to the brain, endocannabinoids are able to play a moderating role in all three types of pain. (New research is particularly focused on the anti-inflammatory benefits of CB1 and CB2 in mast cells.) As a recent Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research review explains: In other words? If naturally produced cannabinoids can help decrease pain, introducing external cannabinoids (found in marijuana) should only make things better! Approximately 25.3 million American adults suffer from chronic pain. The Journal of Pain reports that over 126 million adults experienced some degree of pain in the previous three months. If you’re currently struggling with chronic pain, All Natural Medical Solutions can help! Find out for free if you qualify for medical marijuana treatment.