Skip to content

COVID-19 and medical cannabis patients: What you need to know

March 27, 2020 / Arfinn Med MD /

COVID-19 and medical cannabis patients: What you need to know

In the midst of the COVID-19 maelstrom, the recent shuttering of nonessential stores has created concern around access to cannabis, particularly for medicinal cannabis consumers. Those who depend on cannabis for therapeutic purposes will be relieved to learn that across the US, medical cannabis dispensaries have been deemed essential services, comparable to pharmacies.

As of March 26, 2020, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) reported that they were not aware of any jurisdictions where medical cannabis dispensaries have been ordered to close temporarily. In counties such as Denver, care has been taken to specify that while recreational dispensaries will close, medical dispensaries will remain exempt. Most state government agencies seem to be acutely aware of medicinal patients’ needs.

But even with the reassurance of ongoing access to medical dispensaries, a host of other questions have arisen: How can immuno-compromised patients safely access cannabis supplies without endangering their health? Is hoarding or stockpiling supplies prudent in light of soaring cannabis sales across the US?

Read Full Article Here

Stories you may be interested in

You Can Get A Master’s In Medical Cannabis In Maryland

Summer Kriegshauser is one of 150 students in the inaugural class of the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s Master of Science in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics, the first graduate program of its type in the country. This will be Kriegshauser’s second master’s degree and she hopes it will offer her a chance to change careers. “I…
Read More →

States with medical marijuana laws saw 20 percent drop in some opioid prescriptions

States with active medical marijuana laws saw certain opioid prescription rates drop nearly 20 percent compared to states without medical marijuana programs, according to a first-of-its-kind study out of Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center. Authors said the findings underscore the importance of providing patients with pain management alternatives, such as cannabis, in efforts to reduce…
Read More →

Texas House Bill 3703: What You Need to Know

The state of Texas has been in the news in recent months as the legislature review House Bill 3703. This bill relates to “the prescription of low-THC cannabis for medical use by certain qualified physicians to patients with [specific] qualifying conditions”. Originally filed in March of 2019, this bill made its way through the house…
Read More →

Older adults and medical marijuana: Reduced stigma and increased use

As a primary care doctor who has incorporated medical cannabis into his practice, it is notable how many silver-haired patients are coming in to discuss the pros and cons of a trial of medical cannabis. These patients range from people in their 60s with kidney failure who can no longer take certain pain medications but…
Read More →

After marijuana edibles helped dying Holocaust survivor battle Alzheimer’s, his family’s foundation pushes for more research

A Massachusetts family’s experience giving marijuana edibles to their dying patriarch is set to kick off a desperately needed investigation into how cannabis might treat some of the more troubling symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that affects 5.7 million Americans. Read the full story here.
Read More →

Medical marijuana helped elderly with chronic pain and reduced their use of opioids, study found

Your grandparents’ chronic aches and pains might best be eased with a little weed, a new study suggests. Not only did folks over 75 who took medical marijuana report less pain, their use of pot-based capsules, tinctures and e-cigarettes allowed a third of these patients to reduce their use of opioid painkillers, researchers found. “Medical marijuana, in…
Read More →

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.