Why You Should Hold On To That Medical Marijuana Card

As of right now, there are over 30 states in the United States that have legalized the medical use of marijuana through a process of applying for and obtaining a medical marijuana card. While there is a lot of discrepancy from state to state on what types of conditions qualify for using medical marijuana, it is nice that more and more people are able to turn to cannabis as a treatment option for their chronic diseases or pain.

Some people who are lucky enough to live in a state that has legalized medical marijuana will know how great it is to be able to take advantage of these programs. However, it is widely known that the process for obtaining and renewing a medical marijuana card is extremely strenuous and full of bureaucracy.

To get your own medical card, you have to jump through hoops and meet with doctors and fill out forms, and it can be a really stressful time for people who are already dealing with a lot physically and mentally. Not only that, but you have to meet with your doctor or primary care physician everytime that you want to renew your medical marijuana card, and this can get old really quickly.

Some states are getting to the point where they are legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes, meaning that anyone over the age of 21 can legally buy and use marijuana within the state's guidelines. So what does that mean for people who have previously been relying on their medical marijuana card to get cannabis? Should they just throw the card out the window? Well, there actually may be some good reasons for you to hang on to your medical marijuana card, even after recreational cannabis has been legalized in your state.

One important aspect of the medical marijuana industry is that medical dispensaries are considered an essential service. This means that in the face of some unforeseen that shuts down a lot of businesses and services, essentially businesses like medical dispensaries will remain open. However, cannabis dispensaries that are not licensed to distribute medical marijuana are not considered essential. This means that if we ever have to shut down again, you will have a tough time finding a place to buy cannabis if everything is shut down.

Keeping your medical marijuana card ensures that you can always turn to the medical dispensaries to get your monthly allotment of cannabis. If you do not have your medical card but are in great need of marijauna, you may be out of luck. If you rely on cannabis to help with chronic pain and other health conditions, it may be important for you to have that assurance of a medical dispensary at all times. 

Another reason for why you should hang on to your medical marijuana card comes in the form of taxes. There are now 14 states that have legalized recreational cannabis, which is the legalization of adults over the age of 21 to use and buy marijuana. However, numerous government programs have been put into place to collect tax revenue from the marijuana industry.

However, some states do not have a tax put on medical marijuana if recreational marijuana is also legal. Instead, the tax money from the recreational cannabis industry is also paying for the medical marijuana industry. This means that you can potentially pay a lot less in taxes (or nothing at all) when buying medical marijuana from a medical dispensary instead of from a  recreational one. This could potentially save you a lot of money in the long run, so I highly recommend hanging onto that medical marijuana card!

The Seniors Guide to Cannabis - What You Need to Know

As the medical marijuana market continues to grow for people struggling with chronic disease and other conditions, more and more senior citizens are starting to use medical cannabis as an alternative treatment option. In fact, a good portion of the medical marijuana buyers are people over the age of 65.

In our old age, often we run into problems just getting through the day and doing simple tasks in our day to day lives. Part of this can be attributed to diseases, chronic pain, and other health conditions that can impair the movement and function of our bodies. In other cases, our bodies simply don’t work as well as they used to and consequently need a little bit of extra care when it comes to medical treatment. That is why many senior citizens living with various conditions are starting to come around to the idea of medical cannabis.

However, most older people have either never smoked marijuana before or used it very sparingly in their early days. This is because there was much more of a stigma around marijuana decades ago - and not to mention, cannabis was completely illegal for the majority of older people’s lives. Consequently, lots of senior citizens in the United States do not know much about cannabis, medical programs revolving around marijuana, and how to actually consume the plant. So I wanted to come on here and write this article specifically for people over the age of 65.

If that is you, then I suggest that you can keep reading. We are now in a new era of America, one that does not put people behind bars for smoking medical marijuana with a card. Many older citizens are discovering that cannabis can be a really effective treatment option for dealing with inflammation, pain, and other health conditions. So what do you need to know about smoking cannabis?

Well first, you need to talk to your primary care physician or doctor to get started. Cannabis, like any other drug, needs to be carefully supervised and approved by your doctor before you can start using it. Sometimes there are health conditions or medications that can cause complications for people who are also regularly using cannabis. When you make an appointment with your doctor, they will be able to determine if cannabis is a right fit for you and can be used as a treatment option.

Of course, they will go through your past and current medical history and conditions, and make sure that you do not have any cardiovascular or respiratory conditions that may be a concern later down the road. Once your doctor has determined that you are able to apply for a medical marijuana card, they will write you a referral for your medical marijauna card health evaluation. If you have a qualifying condition, it should be no problem being accepted into your state’s cannabis program.

It is important to note, however, that each state has a different list of conditions that “qualify” for the use of medical marijuana. While some states are very liberal in the amount of conditions that they will accept, other states are extremely stringent on what they consider to be a qualifying condition. Texas, for example, only allows patients with life ending health conditions or completely debilitating disease to be accepted into the medical marijuana program.

Medical marijuana is really effective for patients who have been trying other pain medications that are simply not doing the trick. Sometimes other pain medications, like opioids, can have some brutal side effects. Medical cannabis is a great alternative for people who have been maxed out on their dosage of pain medications and cannot safely raise their dose anymore.