Arthritis is an extremely painful and difficult condition to live with.  The near constant pain and discomfort that is experienced by those who suffer from arthritis has a significant impact on quality of life. Patients often spend a great deal of time and even money looking for relief.  There are a number of remedies available, some more effective than others. There is increasing attention being given to the ways that medical marijuana can be used to reduce pain and deal with the symptoms of arthritis.  For many patients it proves to be a natural way to manage their pain that doesn’t have a lot of the side-effects of other medications, particularly opiates.  In fact, in light of the current epidemic of opioid addiction, there are many marijuana doctors who advocate for increasing the use of marijuana in different forms to treat painful and chronic conditions like arthritis. Marijuana is also considered a natural way to deal with pain that has fewer side effects than other medication. In this article we will explore what arthritis is and how it can be treated with medical marijuana.  What is Arthritis? According to the Mayo Clinic, as defined on the clinic’s website, “Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more of your joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.”  The pain associated with osteoarthritis is caused by the breakdown of the cartilage which cushions bones. How to get a medical weed in florida. The pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis is caused by the body’s immune system attacking the joints. Both types are painful and require treatment to manage pain and help patients a quality of life.  How is Arthritis Managed? There are a number of ways that the pain and discomfort associated with arthritis is treated.  Many treatment options are not medications. They include simple things like resting and getting enough sleep, heating pads, cold compresses, ice packs, exercises, tai chi, and yoga. Occupational and physical therapy can help keep joints limber and prevent stiffness.  Hydrotherapy, stretching, massage, and acupuncture can also help. Sometimes surgery helps to correct joint damage and replace cartilage that has been broken down. How to get medical marijuana in florida. A number of different drugs are prescribed for patients.  These include over-the-counter painkillers like acetaminophen, motrin, and ibuprofen, as well as opioids like OcyContin or hydrocodone. Well there are a number of marijuana treatments for arthritis, many patients find that marijuana or CBD oil is a highly effective tool for pain management. In fact, there is now a growing number of marijuana doctors who are happy to prescribe it for their patients in states where it has been legalized for medicinal use.    How Does Marijuana Treat Arthritis? To begin with, marijuana is a plant (cannabis sativa) that contains a number of different chemicals.  Many of them do affect you when smoked, ingested or applied topically to the skin. THC, or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and CBD, or cannabidiol, are probably the best known of them. Each of them helps with chronic pain but in different ways. The endocannabinoid system is basically a communication structure made up of brain cells or neurons that send chemical messages, known as neurotransmitters. THC disrupts this communication which inhibits pain receptors and it also floods the brain with dopamine. That dopamine is responsible for the “high” that is experienced by people who use marijuana. Much like other opioids, it allows pain to fade into the background of a pleasurable buzz. CBD oil, on the other hand, does not produce a “high”. Like THC, it does affect the endocannabinoid system. It can activate some of the neurotransmitters in your brain and inhibit other neurotransmitters. One example of this is anandamide, which is a compound known to be responsible or regulating pain. CBD oil increases production of anandamide and thus reduces pain. It is also thought that CBD oil calms inflammation of the brain and nervous system. This is beneficial to people who are suffering from immune-system responses such as rheumatoid arthritis. It also helps reduce pain and ease insomnia.  Is Marijuana the Right Treatment for Your Arthritis?  There are a number of methods for using marijuana as a way to treat pain associated with arthritis.  Smoking it in the form of a joint is a popular one. Today ingesting edible pot that has been baked into treats like brownies or cookies or incorporated into candy is a popular way to consume it. It can also be ingested in a capsule form or brewed in a tea. Creams, oils and tinctures that can be applied topically are also growing increasingly popular as a tool of pain management. Which method of delivery is best will vary depending on your type of arthritis, level of pain, and, of course, your own individual taste.  It is always smart to consult a marijuana doctor or other trained medical expert who understands the different strains of marijuana and how they will affect you. We will end on one note of caution. Marijuana has been widely used both recreationally and medicinally for many years but, until recently, it has been illegal and has not been widely studied by doctors and researchers.  Early studies do suggest that it can be helpful in reducing chronic pain. More scientific study is needed to ascertain the best ways to use marijuana for pain relief. Also, further research is needed in order to be ascertain how it interacts with other drugs that arthritis patients may be taking (eg. medicine for blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and other chronic conditions). Again, it is wise to consult with a marijuana doctor or other medical expert on the best way to use it for pain relief.

Introduction 

Over 70 percent of Florida voters approved medical marijuana in 2016. Florida governor, DeSantis, qualified patients should be allowed to smoke medical marijuana, thus doing away with the smoking ban.

The bill, which was co-sponsored by Republican State Sen. Jeff Brandes and Democrat Linda Stewart, allows patients over the age of 18 to have 2.5 ounces of marijuana flower every 35 days. Moreover, patients under the age of 18 can have access to smokable marijuana on condition that they have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and have a second opinion from a pediatrician.

The same bill states that patients should sign an informed consent form acknowledging the health risks of smoking marijuana.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The laws of smoking marijuana have gone through a lot of changes across the USA, including Florida. Therefore, it is wise to stay updated on the laws for smoking marijuana in Florida to be on the right side and get the most out of medical marijuana. Keep reading to discover more about the laws for smoking medical marijuana in Florida.

What does the recent law mean for medical marijuana patients? 

If you quite follow the recent happenings about the laws regarding the use of medical marijuana in Florida, then most probably you are aware that in mid-March 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis signed in the Medical Use of Marijuana with the Senate Bill 182. You’re also aware that over 70 percent of Florida voters had voted in favor of this bill being passed.

So what does this law mean for medical marijuana patients?

Patients can now purchase medical marijuana from dispensaries in Florida. The patient is required to have a prescription in order to purchase marijuana and smoke legally as required in the Senate bill 182. Florida law goes further to recognize the medical benefits of marijuana.

The law allows medical marijuana patients over the age of 18 to purchase 2.5 ounces of smoking medical marijuana at a time, and they can also possess up to 4 ounces in total.

This law looks good for the medical marijuana patients in Florida, however, you can’t just get into a dispensary and order cannabis. There are restrictions and strict guidelines about the purchase of medical marijuana as well as how it can be consumed.

Restrictions for smoking medical marijuana in Florida

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This bill that was signed into law sometime in March 2019, outlines certain restrictions to what qualifies one as a medical marijuana patient and what you should do to be prescribed medical marijuana.

To get a prescription for smoking medical marijuana, you must speak to a doctor. The doctor must be certified by the state of Florida to prescribe marijuana. The doctor for marijuana will examine as you discuss the conditions and symptoms that you’re facing. The discussion should also involve the medication n and treatments that have not successfully worked for you before deciding on whether prescribing marijuana is good for you.

Conditions that qualify someone for medical marijuana or for smoking medical marijuana include HIV/AIDs, epilepsy, cancer, PTSD, Arthritis, anxiety, ALS and glaucoma. Consulting with a certified doctor is the best way to discover the severity of your conditions and whether the current medical and treatment that you are on should be changed to medical marijuana.

There are more than 2,000 physicians that have taken the state-mandated course that qualifies them to examine patients who require a prescription for medical marijuana, and they can recommend products that might help. So, finding a certified physician is not difficult.

The doctor’s expertise and evaluation of your symptoms are vital to the decision of prescribing medical marijuana for you.

Once you receive a signed prescription, proceed to apply to the Florida Department of Health for a Florida Marijuana Card. You will be added to the Compassionate Use Registry in the state, whereby your card will come with a full prescription for 30 weeks. After 30 weeks are over you must renew the card by first consulting a doctor to sign off you on your continued use of marijuana.

The bill also outlines a restriction that applies to smoking itself. For instance, medical marijuana patients are not allowed to smoke in outdoor public places or inside workplaces. They can smoke it at home.

Additionally, patients under the age of 18 with a terminal illness may smoke medical marijuana if they receive a second opinion and recommendation from a pediatrician.

Some restrictions also apply to licensed medical marijuana companies. These Florida licensed companies are required to apply for a variance with the health department giving the details of the smokable medical marijuana they plan to offer. They must get approval for these products before offering them for sale.

Due to the legalization of smokable medical marijuana in Florida, most of the licensed companies in the state, which grow, manufacture and sell their own products, are looking forward to the addition of smokable products to the products they offer.

Another restriction on the packaging of marijuana. This packaging must be plain white so that you can know whether it is a legitimate, medical-issued marijuana product.

There are other restrictions regarding how much medical marijuana patients can possess. Basically, they should possess 4 ounces at a time. The dispensary or physician can order up to six supplies of marijuana per certification. After these six, you will have to get certified again. Each order is designed to be 35 days, where every 35-day order is limited to 2.5 ounces of smokable medical marijuana.

While more than 70 percent of Florida voters voted in favor of this bill being passed, state agencies and lawmakers have been very slow in implementing the rules to allow the industry to grow. The health department, in particular, has been under heavy criticism over long wait times for issuing medical I.D, which is a requirement for patients to access medical marijuana products.

Where can I purchase medical marijuana for smoking in Florida?

In Florida, you can buy medical marijuana from the licensed dispensaries which are closely monitored and regulated. The dispensary where you purchase your product must be approved by the state, and they are around 100 spread across Florida.

You don’t want to buy from dispensaries or from other sources that haven’t been approved by the state. If you do, you risk being cited by the police, something you don’t want to happen to you. Your prescription is only for use in the dispensaries.

Marijuana is sold in a variety of different forms, from THC oils to patches and other forms to allow you to ingest the marijuana in a way that suits you. Smoking was just recently approved as a method of ingesting marijuana.

The Medical Marijuana Use Registry Update

Sometime in June 2019, the Medical Marijuana Use Registry was updated to allow smoking as a method to administer marijuana. Smoking is not considered as a way to administer medical marijuana.

Patients under the age of 18 years cannot get certified to take marijuana for medical reasons in a wide range of cases. However, if a patient has a terminal illness and has sought a second opinion and recommendation from a Florida certified pediatrician, the patient can be certified for a medical marijuana card.

One important thing you need to know is that the right to smoke medical marijuana is not automatic. You can only be certified to smoke if you have tried other methods of administration and the prescribing physician has established, in writing, that the benefits of smoking outweigh the risk. However, patients with terminal illnesses are exempt from this requirement.

Conclusion 

The medical marijuana program has developed slowly in Florida because it didn’t allow medical marijuana for smoking. This made a lot of people look for cannabis on the black market, even though they are true medical patients.

With the new laws for smoking medical marijuana in Florida, this program will grow, given that true medical marijuana patients will be certified to take the smokable product. Marijuana should only certify medical marijuana for smoking to patients who have tried other routes of administration and the smoking benefits outweigh the risk. People under the age of 18 years should not be certified for medical marijuana for smoking unless they have a terminal condition and have received a second opinion and recommendation from a pediatrician. Also, smoking cannot be done in public. The best way to go about securing your medical marijuana card and required marijuana doctor certification is to contact FloridasMedicalMarijuana.com.

Did you know that around 350 million people worldwide have arthritis? You have read it right! Arthritis comes in all shapes and forms and affects nearly equal to people of all ages. Undoubtedly, there are various therapies and medications which can help to relieve pain. But for the past couple of years, Medical Marijuana is being highlighted as an effective treatment for treating arthritis. However, the scientific literature on medical cannabis is still very limited, and a lot of research is needed. But nowadays, the usage of medical marijuana to treat chronic pain is at the rage. Various studies have suggested that cannabis is one of the most effective treatments for chronic pain in several forms. 

Today in this article, we will discuss medical marijuana and arthritis and what marijuana doctor says about the usage. 

What Do Study Say?

According to a study, 57% of arthritis patients have tried medical marijuana or CBD for medical reasons, and the good news is more than 90% say it helped us! According to another study, it has been concluded that cannabinoid is the best option when it comes to treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, it’s very crucial to target the right receptors in the right place.

Medical Marijuana Doctors Recommend It But Not For All

Arthritis could vary chronic pain condition, based on the intensity of a condition. Various evidence medical marijuana could help alleviate the symptoms associated with various forms of arthritis. 

• Cannabis as a Pain Reliever

Certainly, cannabis works as a pain reliever. Cannabis does so in various ways, like medications to help calm and relax. Both CBD and THC are known to have anti-inflammatory properties. This makes cannabis similar to NSAID in some ways. 

• Cannabis Could Help You Get Moving

Arthritis patients need to keep moving. Stiffness in joints could make things worse. That’s why it’s necessary to keep moving. Although it seems complicated, medical marijuana can help make this possible. It will help to feel energetic and focused. Medical marijuana works to reduce inflammation and help alleviate pain. 

• Strain Choice Matters

There is a connection between arthritis and marijuana. It has the potential to help those people living with this chronic condition by managing pain. But it is important to know not all strain of medical marijuana is right for managing chronic pain. It’s always better to talk to your marijuana doctor to ensure you are using the right strain. A marijuana doctor will analyse your case and recommend you based on the type of arthritis. 

Is Medical Marijuana Right for You?

Various evidence is present to back the claim that medical marijuana is beneficial for managing chronic pain, but it’s not the right treatment for every patient. 

Most patients can experience side effects, while many others not. According to various researches, a lot of people with arthritis have achieved better results when it comes to pain management.

So it’s always better to talk to your marijuana doctor for arthritis treatment. Do let us know what you think of it! All Natural MD.