About five years into the Utah Medical Cannabis program, we’re no strangers to the cannabis card pop-up clinic. “$50 Med Cards, Today Only!” “Get Your Med Card for $25!” “Walk-In Med Cards for Just $75!” They’re everywhere. QMPs stuffed into back rooms at smoke shops and dispensaries, patients lined up waiting for their chance to share their health story, only to have to share it with zero privacy to a provider who is just trying to get you out the door and on to the next card. Don’t get us wrong, the low price is incredibly enticing. But like they say, you get what you pay for. And with such a mature program, why are we still doing things like it’s the wild, wild west? Get-Legal-Quick Events are delegitimizing cannabis as a medicine, plain and simple. Can you imagine any other medicine prescribed to you in such a way? Or any other doctors visit with such a disregard for patient privacy? What’s more, when your card expires, good luck finding that provider again. Just like any other medical treatment, Medical Cannabis care requires continuity, education, and care for best results.
Let’s start from the very beginning. You see an ad online or hear about a pop-up clinic from a friend, sign up for an appointment, and arrive, only to see a line out the door to the local dispensary. You’re in the right place, but maybe they’re just behind. You settle in next to another patient and ask how long they’ve been waiting. “Over an hour and according to the front desk, I’m not even next.” Yikes. After a loooooong while, they call your name. You’re guided back to a corner of a small, crowded room blocked off by curtains to meet your QMP. They seem distracted, but you’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s probably been a busy day. After three minutes and a handful of questions, you’re being rushed out to the lobby of the dispensary again and told you’re legal. You’re then immediately met with someone who tells you that you get a huge discount at the dispensary if you buy today.
If dispensary involvement in these events makes them feel icky to you, you’re not alone. They’re the ones hosting the event, scheduling appointments, and most importantly, they’re the ones walking you to the check-out counter at the end of your visit with promises of fleeting discounts and deals you must act now on. It has to make a cannabis patient wonder: am I a patient looking for relief or am I a dollar sign and a purchase? All that aside, in Utah anyway, QMPs issuing cards with space and advertising provided by the dispensaries is technically against the law. The whole thing is comparable to early drug company kickbacks that spurred the opioid crisis! (Keep an eye out for changes and clarification for this restriction later this year, as it’s a topic of some proposed bills in this year’s legislative session.)
And let’s say that you’re pretty confident in your cannabis use and willing to put up with all the chaos for a cheap card and discounted product. Who can blame you! You’re just trying to get legal. So, after a quick chat with a QMP in a back room at your local pop-up clinic, you buy yourself some flower and take it home. It’s been years since you’ve had THC in your system, but you used to use pretty regularly in college. You fire up your new dry herb vaporizer (because Utah has that no flame law, remember?) and pack in some flower. You turn the heat up all the way and after a few long, deep inhalations, the flavor is tasting a little burnt so you know you’ve vaped the whole thing. A few minutes later, you’re not feeling chill and relaxed like you had intended. Why?
A few things went wrong here. First, always use caution when using cannabis for the first time, or for the first time in forever. Start with low doses and go slow to make sure you do not take more than you need and end up feeling uncomfortable. Take small, mindful sips (no more than a few seconds), leaving space between each for a check-in with yourself to see how you are feeling. Remember, you can always take more, but you can’t take less! Finally, a UtahMarijuana.org tip: we recommend starting your dry-herb vaporizer on low for the first few hits of your session, gradually turning up the heat as you go. This helps you to unlock the full potential of your medicine, activating all the compounds and terpenes along the way. When you heat your flower to the max right away, you’re likely burning off some of the good stuff!
For many patients who received their Medical Cards at one of these pop-up clinic events, the above situation is all too common. The Medical Cannabis on the market today is quite literally not your grandma’s weed — It’s stronger, more potent, and much more complex. That’s why it’s crucial to meet with a QMP who’s not only qualified to recommend cannabis, but who’s also very well informed on the subject and takes the time answer your questions. This education is necessary for a positive outcome with plant-based treatment and rarely found at your local pop-up clinic.
Perhaps the most common problem Utah Medical Cannabis patients are facing after getting their cards at a pop-up clinic is a lack of continuity of care. Even experienced cannabis users want to check in with their providers to discuss new dosing and delivery methods as their healthcare needs change, but it’s hard to get a hold of the stranger from those 3 minutes behind the curtain. In some cases, patients can’t find the QMP that gave them their card at all. When their cards expire, patients find themselves left scrambling to get it renewed. An employee at a local cannabis clinic recounted a story to us of a patient she once helped with this scenario. The patient had paid for her card via Venmo and couldn’t find her QMP now that her card had expired. The employee ended up having to help the patient find the charge in her Venmo account and cross-reference the provider’s account handle with the state website QMP list to find the provider’s contact information. The employee mentioned that she still was not sure if that patient found her QMP or if she needed to start over completely.
This is a huge problem. Medical Cannabis is a tool we are using medicinally and needs to be treated as such: medicine. Continuity of care is crucial for long-term success with cannabis treatment, just as it is with any other treatment.
So, before you’re sucked in by the appeal of low prices, consider establishing care with an actual cannabis clinic to get your Medical Card. Chances are, the providers there are educated on cannabis medicine, have answers to all your questions, and are looking forward to helping you feel better long-term, not just right now. The providers at our affiliate clinic, KindlyMD, sure are. And while pop-up clinic events may boast “the cheapest” cards, KindlyMD is one of the only cannabis clinics to also take medical insurance and treat other conditions. You can see a KindlyMD Care Provider for the cost of a copay and have them manage your Medical Card and all other prescriptions, too. We’re your one-stop-healthcare-shop. And when you need us, you can always find us. Call us with questions or concerns or come on by any time.
