My next step was to get with the program.
If you decide that medical cannabis may be something you would like to try, your next step should be to research your options where you live.
Whether you are a seasoned marijuana user or a newbie, this step in your journey will be to get as much information as you can about marijuana laws in your state, or province. This is true if marijuana has been legalized for medicinal use or not, because even if it has been decriminalized where you live, there are still things like legal limits, transporting, cultivation, and driving under the influence that need to be investigated and understood before you take another step.
You can find this information on the internet. A simple online search for “marijuana laws in (your state)” should get you there pretty quick since all this info is public and is required to be provided by your state government. In my case I really found it to be boring reading, but it wasn’t too full of legalese to understand. Being an over researcher, I read every bit of law regarding medical cannabis in New Mexico from A to Z. I know it sounds like over kill, but I wanted first hand information in order to make an informed decision. I even scoured the law regarding the producers, growers and dispensaries. I know, overkill again, but that’s what I do. You don’t have to get as extensive as I did, but you should feel comfortable with your understanding. If your state makes this information hard to find you may want to search for medical marijuana or medical cannabis associations in your area, where someone else has done all the research for you and people like you, and present it in forums for the general public. There are many national organizations with local chapters all over the US.
NORML – National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
AMMA – American Medical Marijuana Association
ASA – Americans for Safe Access
MPP – Marijuana Policy Project
The NORML website has an extensive list of the Medical Associations worldwide that support Medical Marijuana, and I’m sure you will be surprised at the names of that list, but that’s for another discussion.
You may also find consultants in your area to help answer questions you will most certainly have. Most states that have legal medical cannabis use have a list of “qualifying conditions” and you must fit into that category in order to become a legal user. California makes it fairly easy to obtain medical cannabis products, but that’s not the norm elsewhere. In most other states you will be required to register with some state government entity that oversees the program, but to do this you must first have
- medical proof of your ailments and doctors written diagnosis and verification
- forms and application completed and checked over twice
- copies in triplicate of anything you need to turn in
- the birth certificate of your first born child and title to your car or home,
- yada, yada, yada
Of course I’m kidding about some of this, but it seems they will always seem to ask for more than you have ready to go, so check and check again. And then, the next step for most people is finding a medical cannabis doctor willing, ready and knowledgeable to help you on your journey.