In the medical profession, there is a word that you might not have heard about and that is ‘telemedicine.’ This is a virtual delivery that the medical professional offers by way of technology. The patient uses a consultation service online that allows them to communicate with their doctors in real time. Telemedicine is not something new. In fact, it has been around for about thirty years, but has seen noticeable advancement technologically within the last decade. As a result, it has been adopted all over the world. Telemedicine is a leading example of how doctors have used technology to manage patient care. Telemedicine has a lot of benefits and has shown its importance in the cannabis industry where it has been able to discover its application in helping medical patients connect to physicians for prescribed medical marijuana.
Medical Benefits
The marijuana plant is known for having hundreds and hundreds of cannabinoids. However, even though, there are hundreds, two of them take significance over the others and those two are CBD and THC. The human body produces their own cannabinoids in a natural way so as to attain homeostasis. When cannabis is used medically, it restores the endocannabinoid system balance; helping the body to recover its homeostasis, which is required for the best bodily functioning. Medical marijuana has proven to be quite effective in providing treatment, relief and the alleviation of various conditions such as chronic pain, severe seizures and cancer. It certainly offers a lot of medical benefits for numerous medical conditions including the fight against opioid effects.
The Prescription
In the marijuana space and the United States, there are roughly thirty three states as well as the District of Columbia that have legalized medical marijuana. Patients are still having a difficult time getting prescriptions for the medical marijuana use. There are some cases where the physical location of the licensed physician is not easily accessible to the patient. In other cases, the personal doctor of the patient might even refuse to write a prescription for medical marijuana due to a personal prejudice.
The Solution
In these instances, the solution is telemedicine by the leverage of technology, which bridges the gap between the patient and the doctor. It allows patients to get their medical marijuana prescription filled despite the physical location of the doctor. In most cases, the doctor will be willing to work with patients from various locations as long as everything is done legally.
The Medical Marijuana Card
Every patient is required to have a medical marijuana card irrespective of where they live, but especially U.S. patients that live in states where recreational marijuana is not legalized. On the other hand, the medical marijuana card is also essential if the patient only wants to get a prescription for medical cannabis. Telemedicine is able to provide this to the patient.
Special Licensing
Not every physician is legally qualified to prescribe patients with medical marijuana. The physician needs a special license or a special certificate; allowing for approved prescription in states that have allowed this. The physicians have to be listed in a registry, but right now, this number is quite low compared to the number of patients seeking their medical services. And therefore, the wait might be longer than ever.
Final Thoughts
When the patient has a medical marijuana consultation using telemedicine, it might appear as if the patient is going for a normal doctor’s visit. The difference is that everything is done online instead of in the doctor’s office. The patient can stay in their home and access the telemedicine technology online. The patient is also given the frequency, dosage and delivery system involved. If you want to know more about telemedicine consultation and medical marijuana, we invite you to visit the Cannabis Training University.
