How to Find the Best Medical Marijuana Doctors

April 15th, 2009

Medical marijuana has been through a long road of controversy, and the field and study still have a long way to go. Currently about a fourth of US states allow patients to take medical marijuana legally for various medical conditions. The scientific evidence keeps piling up in favor of medicinal cannabis, and many patients are seeing vast improvement in their symptoms with this treatment.

Studies have shown that medical marijuana can aid in reducing symptoms of terminal illnesses such as AIDS and cancer, by helping pain and nausea from treatment and also increasing appetite. Some doctors and researchers also believe that cannabidol can help anxiety, glaucoma, depression, arthritis, convulsion and inflammation. Each new study that comes out finds new possible ways medicinal cannabis can help those who need it.

If you would like to be evaluated by a doctor to see if medical marijuana would help you, ask your current doctor for an evaluation. If you have a condition where this medicine has been used as a treatment, your doctor may give you a recommendation to try medical cannabis.

In the states that have laws deeming this practice legal, there may also be medical marijuana doctors who have a specialty in seeing patients interested in obtaining treatment. Many argue that these doctors are the best ones to go to, if this treatment is what you seek. When researching doctors, look for those that are medical cannabis specialists—though before you go see one, you should already have a diagnosis and medical records from your regular doctor.

To find the best medical marijuana doctor in your area, look to a trusted source for recommendations. The WeedMaps.com website has a list of trustworthy cannabis doctors in California. The Marijuana Medicine Evaluation Center also has a list of doctors at their seven Southern California locations.

If you do not have a Marijuana Medicine Evaluation Center clinic in your area, specialty wellness clinics may also have medical cannabis specialists at their offices. Look for the words holistic, wellness, or natural care in the office name. These types of clinics often participate in non-traditional treatments for their patients and may be able to help you with a consultation.

The patient card is becoming the favored form of identification for medical marijuana patients, as it is much smaller and easier to carry around than the recommendation letter. This more discreet form of ID can be shown at medicinal clinics to obtain medicine and has all the information necessary on it, including your photo and an expiration date.

To obtain a patient card from somewhere other than a clinic, you can go through the state. You will need to fill out an application in most cases and pay a fee check with your local county office to see what kind of identification is needed to fill out the application and obtain the medical marijuana card. Usually you will want to contact the local Public Health office in your county.

As more scientific studies keep being published, we will most likely see more and more doctors recommending the use of medical cannabis to reduce symptoms of many painful diseases. The controversy of medical marijuana as a treatment will decrease with time, as it often does with new treatments.

Using the internet to find a medical marijuana doctor is still the most common way. Directory listings may not give much information, but seeing which doctors trusted cannabis foundations like the Marijuana Medicine Evaluation Center recommend can narrow the list down. Call to make your consultation appointment, and you can be on your way to receiving treatment.

Please let us know your thoughts on having a specialist medical marijuana doctor, treat your medical conditions.