Medical marijuana can be a great tool for many people – it’s an effective way for many individuals to manage their medical conditions. If you’re interested in finding great Maryland marijuana doctors, there are a number of different things that you should likely think about. The good news is that once you know this information, you should be able to find a great doctor that really helps you out. Here are four important things that you should know when it comes to finding a Maryland doctor.
1. Qualifying Conditions
To receive a recommendation for medical marijuana, you need to have a qualifying condition. Qualifying conditions vary depending on the state that you’re in, as different states have made different decisions in terms of qualifying conditions. Here are the listed qualifying conditions in Maryland:
- Cachexia
- Anorexia
- Wasting syndrome
- Severe or chronic pain
- Severe nausea
- Seizures
- Severe or persistent muscle spasms
- Glaucoma
- PTSD
This list includes both diagnosed conditions, like anorexia, as well as symptoms that may be attached to other conditions, like severe nausea.
2. Qualification Left Up to Doctors
One of the unique things about Maryland’s medical marijuana laws is the fact that it also allows a doctor to recommend medical marijuana for “another chronic medical condition which is severe and for which other treatments have been ineffective.” This means that Maryland recognizes that there are a wide variety of conditions that may benefit in some way from medical marijuana. To that extent, doctors are given the ability to recommend marijuana for conditions that may not be on this list, but are very severe and have not been helped by more “conventional” treatments.
3. Doctors Must Be Certified
Not just any doctor may be able to recommend medical marijuana. A doctor needs to apply to the Provider Registry in Maryland to recommend medical marijuana for their patients, and not all doctors in Maryland are registered. However, the registration is free and any doctor with a license can apply for it, so there are more doctors available in Maryland than in some other states.
4. Telemedicine Appointments May Be Accepted
The only requirement for a recommendation from a doctor and patient is that the patient must have a bona fide provider-patient relationship with the provider. This requirement may be satisfied with a telemedicine appointment in many cases. If you’re interested in seeing a doctor over the phone or online, you may be able to do this rather than visiting a provider in person.
Conclusion
Finding a medical marijuana doctor shouldn’t be an extremely difficult process. If you’re able to know a bit more about medical marijuana and the application process in Maryland, you may be able to go through the approval process much more easily. These four things should guide you when you’re going through the medical marijuana approval process in Maryland. As long as you keep them in mind, the medical marijuana process should be much easier for you.
