Medical Cannabis 

One of the most controversial psychotropic drugs on the planet, might actually be one of the safest.

I always found it so ludicrous in my life as a symptom specialist when physician colleagues would come to speak to me in a whisper to get my take on the role medical marihuana (Cannabis) could play in a patient's plan of care; like as if they were talking about something obscene. The irony is that the same physician could've easily prescribed an amount of Oxycodone for the same patient that -taken the wrong way- could be lethal. 

I will not go into depth pertaining all the factors behind why Marihuana continues to be an illegal substance in the US and why the FDA continues to schedule it on the same category as cocaine and heroin. But I am a firm believer that these reasons have not been framed in terms of actual patient safety nor true cost benefit analysis.   

​

Which conditions might benefit from medical marijuana? 

​

The following list is not comprehensive, as other conditions might benefit from Marihuana as well: 

• Chronic pain

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Insomnia

• Panic attacks

• Cancer

• HIV/AIDS

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

• Parkinson's disease

• Multiple sclerosis

• Spinal cord injury with spasticity

• Epilepsy

• Inflammatory bowel disease

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

​

Why would I need Medical Marihuana if access to recreational marijuana is so ubiquitous in New York? 
 

Four main reasons why I believe obtaining a New York State Medical Marihuana Certification might be useful in comparison to using recreational products. 
 

1) Obtaining genuine marihuana:

A significant number of so called "marihuana shops" in New York are actually not going through the stringent process of becoming a legitimate dispensary, and are taking advantage of regulatory loopholes in order to sell hemp plant (not cannabis) derivatives like CBD and delta-8 which have very limited therapeutic power. 

   

2) Price:

Taxation on legitimate Medical Marihuana products is a fraction of the taxation of -genuine- recreational products. So the price per the same amount of product should be significatively less. 

​

3) Control of dose, route of use and frequency:

Medical Marihuana products have clear information on milligrams and components, which allows us to control dosing and frequency, and taper according to positive effects and side effects with more precision. They also offer different formulation routes (oral, sublingual, inhaled, topical) which can be useful for patients with different medical conditions and tolerability. 

​

4) Introduction on vulnerable and naïve patients:

Introducing medical marihuana can be a delicate affair on patients over the age of 70, or with complex medical conditions, multiple brain medications already prescribed or just simply patients that have never taken marihuana before. In my clinical practice I often hear "doc I want to try medical marihuana, but when I used it decades ago it got me very anxious and paranoid". For these kind of circumstances is that medical prescribing would be favorable since it allows for specificity of dose, route of use (oral, sublingual, inhaled, etc.) and the way it is paired with other components of the plant. A well formulated prescription can prove useful even on patients that would have otherwise never have been able to tolerate a recreational product. 

 

What does being prescribed Medical Marihuana in New York State consist on?
 

Very simple. Once a certified provider (like me) enrolls a patient into the NYS Medical Marihuana program, you will receive a certificate. The physician can decide on the duration of the certificate, but the maximum it can last is one year. With very seldom exceptions; I certify my patients for a full year. With the certificate and your NYS ID, you can visit any Medical Marihuana Dispensary in the state and buy products. Medical Marihuana products are not covered by commercial or state insurances.