Medical Cannabis users obtain products in a way that differs from traditional prescription drugs. For starters, it can be recommended or advised as a therapeutic treatment for a full range of conditions, but doctors don’t write out prescriptions the same way they do for something like antibiotics. This can lead to some patients self-dosing. We want you to know that self-dosing medical marijuana is not wise.
Self-dosing is the practice of determining for yourself how much Medical Marijuana to use and how often you use it. The law already requires doctors to determine dosage for everything from penicillin to opioid painkillers. There are actually good reasons for this. Those same reasons apply to Medical Marijuana. Doctors, NPs, PAs, and pharmacists are in the best position to determine dosage.
We all know that marijuana is a drug regardless of whether it’s used for medical purposes or as a recreational substance. It’s a drug that has a number of known effects on the brain. So it’s just not smart to use Medical Marijuana in a way that doesn’t take full advantage of its medical benefits. This is where dosage comes in.
You might be hoping that Medical Marijuana can help ease your chronic pain. Our doctors would want to know what’s causing your chronic pain before advising you to apply for a Utah Medical Marijuana Card. They would want to know if there are other therapies you could look at. In simple terms, QMPs look at a full range of factors that could affect how medical marijuana works for their patients.
Let’s assume that you suffer from one of the conditions under which Utah law recognizes therapeutic Medical Marijuana. You see one of our doctors prior to filling out the state application. The doctor is going to look at a number of things:
In relation to this last point, don’t ever assume dosage is the same across multiple delivery methods. If your doctor recommends a particular dosage for a capsule, don’t assume the dosage is the same with a liquid. Any decision to change delivery method should be put on hold until you can talk things over with a QMP.
Remember that self-dosing Medical Marijuana is not wise. Marijuana is a drug no different from any other. Work with your doctor to determine the right dosage. If you have further questions please reach out to us or visit one of our clinic locations. We’re always excited to help!