Just as pot growers need to keep up with the best strains to maintain an edge in the market, doctors must also stay abreast of developments in using medical marijuana for treatment or pain management. As more states legalize the use of medical marijuana, Minnesota and New York, most recently, doctors have participated in continuing education to ensure that they are abreast of the most recent developments in law and medicine. According to a WBUR report, seminars, conferences and other less formal training sessions are helping doctors, and other medical professionals, state up-to-date on medicinal marijuana prescription and use.
In addition to knowing the benefits of cannabis treatments, doctors are also using the sessions to brush up on liability in the changing landscape of medical marijuana law. Our Orange County medical marijuana attorneys are dedicated to providing informed and strategic support to marijuana advocates, growers, dispensaries, and users throughout California. In addition to staying abreast of legal developments, we are also committed to raising awareness to ensure and improve patient access to medical marijuana.
To ensure that marijuana is being effectively and properly prescribed, doctors must look at evidence of efficacy. According to reports, the federal government controls the studies of medical marijuana, but largely focuses on the risks rather than the benefits. Unfortunately, there is significant anecdotal evidence that medicinal marijuana can work for patients, but there is little scientific proof, at least terms of federal government or FDA data. Currently, there are two drugs based on marijuana compounds that are approved by the FDA to treat chemotherapy related nausea and vomiting.
Every state is developing its own guidelines to how doctor’s should approach prescriptions for marijuana. Doctors must also know what action to take when a patient asks for a medical marijuana certificate. While each state has its own guidelines and recommendations. Most professionals agree that medical marijuana should not be the first line of treatment for any medical condition. Some conditions are widely accepted to be effectively treated with medicinal marijuana, including epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, Chrohns disease, multiple sclerosis, Hepititis C, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, and epilepsy.
Doctors must also weigh the risks and benefits of a certificate. For doctors, it is not as simple was whether a patient qualifies, courses also provide insight into the potential side effects of medicinal marijuana, including vomiting, psychosis, or dizziness. Some doctors have also been concerned about the possibility of addiction or the lowering of a patient’s IQ. In some cases, patients have suffered withdrawal symptoms after they stop taking medicinal marijuana. According to medical experts in the field, patients should seek strains of marijuana with balanced amounts of THC.
The continuing legal education courses in California and nationwide are helping doctors better understand the benefits and risks of medicinal marijuana use, as well as the legal implications of giving a patient a certification or card. Many physicians have turned to advocacy groups and other experts to help them better understand the benefits and to help sort through the evidence of treatment and potential side effects. Despite the potential benefits of continuing legal education on medical marijuana use, advocates have voiced concern that some seminar “hosts” are bias against medical marijuana.
The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.
More Blog Entries:
Cannabiz May Finally Be Able to Use the U.S. Banking System, February 13, 2014, Los Angeles Marijuana Lawyer Blog
Colorado Lawmakers Pass Banking Registration, May 17, 2014, Los Angeles Marijuana Lawyer Blog