What Conditions Qualify One for Medical Marijuana?
Medical marijuana (also called medical cannabis, medical pot, and medical weed) presents a safe, effective, and affordable alternative to many highly-addictive, ineffective, and expensive prescription medications. Cannabis is proven to have plenty of medicinal benefits, which makes it legal to use in a lot of U.S. states and worldwide. Yet, you are supposed to have certain qualifying conditions in order to be eligible for medical cannabis.
Despite being federally illegal in the U.S., cannabis has been legalized in many states for medical purposes. The patients should have a diagnosed illness included in the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana in their state to get qualified for medical weed.
A qualified person can apply for a medical cannabis card with the written recommendation issued by a local physician. Likewise, those patients can get authorized to visit their state’s dispensaries and have access to products based on medical marijuana. Keep in mind that this is only allowed in states where recreational marijuana is legalized. Also, note that some medical marijuana products available for patients aren’t accessible for adult consumers.
The qualifications slightly vary from state to state, so each state prescribes its own list of qualifying conditions for which patients can be eligible for medical weed. For instance, patients suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder can legally be healed with medical cannabis in Florida but it’s not possible in New York so far. However, some medical conditions and diseases are included in qualifying conditions for medical pot in all states. Those health issues include:
- Cancer
- AIDS
- Epilepsy
- Multiple sclerosis
- Glaucoma
Note that in some states the physicians are allowed to approve health issues and conditions that aren’t listed on a case by case basis.
Aside from above-mentioned health issues that are common to all states across the U.S., cannabis is proven to cure many other diseases as well. Thus, it can treat Alzheimer’s disease, Chronic Nausea, Arthritis, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Gastrointestinal disorders, Migraines, Anxiety,… And the list goes on.
What happens beyond U.S.? In Canada, thousands of residents are eligible to use and possess medical cannabis throughout the country. It’s not easy to get access to medical marijuana in all Canadian cities though. Despite the factmedical marijuana in Alberta (western province of Canada) is legal, it is not always easy to get access over there. Besides, many Canadians aren’t aware of the health benefits or medical cannabis.
Europe in a pretty fragile state, so it’s hard to evaluate and separate each country regarding medical marijuana. What’s more, there are different laws on marijuana for both recreational and medical use. Just to mention that Poland the latest country in the European Union that has legalized medical marijuana. The strictest marijuana laws are present in Japan, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Norway, Ukraine, and Turkey.
Unfortunately, most people don’t know whether they are eligible for medical marijuana or not. That’s why many patients do not pursue marijuana as a legal form of treatment for their health issues. But as the legal status of medical marijuana evolves worldwide, people will consider using it more and more.
Author Bio:Brad Richardson is a regular contributor to Plantsily and other cannabis-centric websites. In his spare time he works hard with local organizations within his State, to insure that Marijuana is soon legalized.
