It is a pretty safe bet that you’re familiar with Medical Cannabis delivery methods, such as vaping, using tinctures, and ingesting gummies, tablets, etc. But have you ever considered transdermal patches? Transdermal preparations are among the approved products in Utah. They are also a different way to use Medical Cannabis that don’t get a lot of attention.
Transdermal preparations would fall under the topical category. As topicals, you apply them to the skin. The idea is that the medication travels through the skin on the way to the bloodstream. By contrast, vaping delivers medicine to the bloodstream through the lungs while tinctures deliver it through the skin underneath the tongue.
A good way to think of a transdermal Medical Cannabis product is to compare it to a nicotine patch for smoking cessation. Perhaps you know someone who has used nicotine patches. Maybe you have used them yourself. You stick the nicotine patch to your skin (usually on an arm) and then mostly forget about it. It slowly releases nicotine into your skin and on to the bloodstream.
The beauty of the nicotine patch is that it delivers a continuous stream of nicotine at a very slow rate. Its effects are consistent and more easily controlled. By applying the same concept to Medical Cannabis, manufacturers of transdermal products give patients another option for slow, steady cannabinoid delivery.
By now you are probably wondering what types of patients would use transdermal patches. There is no particular group per se, but transdermal products are ideal for people who need all-day relief from their symptoms. They can just apply the patch early in the day and not have to worry about it any further.
Transdermal products are also good choice for people who don’t want to vape or dry heat raw plant material. The same goes for folks who aren’t all that plussed by tinctures. Again, the number one benefit of the transdermal product is that it consistently delivers medication throughout the day.
Like we say all the time, transdermal patches may or may not work for you. Results vary among patients. For starters, your particular qualifying medical condition might be best treated with another form of Medical Cannabis. That’s for you, your medical provider, and your pharmacist to determine.
There is also the reality that patients respond differently. A friend of yours might consider transdermal patches the greatest thing since sliced bread. You might decide that tinctures still work best for you. The only way to know for sure is to try.
If you would like to give transdermal patches a try, ask about them on your next visit to the Medical Cannabis pharmacy. You can always buy one and see how it goes. We would recommend tracking your usage so as to give your Pharmacy Medical Provider (PMP) the data they need to advise you.
Come to think of it, we think it’s a good idea to track all your Medical Cannabis consumption. Regardless of your preferred delivery method and strains, tracking is a fantastic way to help both you and your PMP better understand how Medical Cannabis is working for you.
As for the transdermal patch, it is one of many options we have available in Utah. Go ahead and research the transdermal principle and see what you think. Then talk it over with your medical provider. A transdermal patch could turn out to be the best product for you. And if not, you still have other choices.
Obtaining or renewing a Medical Cannabis Card in Utah requires some sort of visit or consultation with a Qualified Medical Provider (QMP) or Limited Medical Provider (LMP). Though not all QMPs and LMPs are doctors, let us assume they are for the purposes of this post. What do you do if your doctor doesn’t offer cannabis dosage guidance during your consultation?
This is not an unusual scenario, especially when patients consult with LMPs. An LMP is any physician, advanced practice nurse, or orthopedist with prescribing authority in the state of Utah. LMPs do not undergo any additional training and they are limited to 15 Medical Cannabis recommendations at any one time.
It’s not unusual for LMPs to not be as familiar with Medical Cannabis as their QMP counterparts. All that aside, Utah regulations don’t require either type of provider to offer dosage and delivery guidance. The law says they “may” offer it, or they can choose to leave the guidance to a Pharmacy Medical Provider (PMP).
There could be any number of reasons a doctor would not want to offer dosage and delivery guidance. For many, it is the perception that they lack the proper qualifications. Truth be told, doctors do not spend a lot of time learning about the endocannabinoid system or Medical Cannabis in medical school. The same goes with most medications. Doctors don’t study medications nearly as much as pharmacists do.
A PMP in the state of Utah is a trained and licensed pharmacist who has undergone additional training for Medical Cannabis. The PMP’s education in pharmacology gives them the extended knowledge doctors lack. PMPs are more than qualified to offer dosage and delivery guidance. They are familiar with the endocannabinoid system; they understand how Medical Cannabis interacts with that system.
Medical Cannabis users should understand that dosage and delivery guidelines are just that: guidelines. Despite state lawmakers’ efforts to treat Medical Cannabis just like any other prescription drug, federal law still prevents doctors from writing literal prescriptions. Therefore, any guidance offered by a QMP, LMP, or PMP constitutes advice – albeit good advice – rather than ironclad instructions.
Ultimately, each patient decides for themself how to best use Medical Cannabis. Still, consulting with a medical professional is the standard recommendation. We agree wholeheartedly with it. Regularly consulting with a QMP or PMP is the best way to ensure that a patient makes the most of Medical Cannabis therapies.
If you find yourself in a position of having no dosage or delivery guidance from your doctor, please consult with your PMP whenever you go to the Medical Cannabis pharmacy to purchase medications. In between visits, keep track of your cannabis use. Write down every instance of cannabis consumption. Make a point to record:
Taking information with you to the pharmacy means equipping your PMP with the information they need to give you sound guidance. During your consultations, be sure to ask any and all questions you have. Your PMP doesn’t know what you’re thinking. They rely on your questions to figure out what is going on with you.
It is actually not uncommon for doctors to be reluctant to offer Medical Cannabis dosage and delivery guidance. They generally don’t know as much about cannabis as pharmacists, by design. In the absence of extensive knowledge, many doctors just feel it’s more appropriate to leave guidance to the PMP. So, if that has been your experience, be aware that it’s a perfectly normal one.
Utah residents scored a major victory when Proposition 2 was passed back in 2019. Since then, state lawmakers have worked hard to develop a good Medical Cannabis program that works for everyone. Keeping things from getting out of hand has meant implementing certain rules. For instance, there are limits on how much Medical Cannabis a patient can purchase and possess at a time in Utah.
The rules make it clear that a Medical Cannabis Card is not a license to do anything you want. Patients with valid cards must buy their medicines from a licensed pharmacy. They aren’t allowed to give their medications to others. If they arrange for home delivery, they must be present to accept the package when it arrives.
As for purchase and possession limits, they are put in place for a reason. We outline the rules below. If you are a new patient, do yourself a favor and familiarize yourself with them.
The language in Utah’s Medical Cannabis law stipulates that patients can possess enough Medical Cannabis to cover 30 days of treatment. In essence, you can possess a one-month supply at any given time. But there are conditions:
The exact same restrictions apply to purchases. This creates a sticky situation for patients in that they need to be careful about scheduling Medical Cannabis purchases in order to limit overlap.
Scheduling can be challenging, for sure. You could still experience overlap even after your best attempts to avoid it.
State law is also pretty specific in terms of acceptable delivery methods. The most important thing to note is that Medical Cannabis patients in the Beehive State are not allowed to smoke cannabis. It can be dry heated in a specialized vaping device. And of course, there are liquid vapes.
In addition, patients can get their medicine in the form of:
All unprocessed cannabis flower must be sold in opaque tamper-resistant packaging that includes a printed expiration date. The amount of plant material in each package must not exceed legal weight limits by more than 10% at the time of packaging.
If all of this seems confusing to you, no worries. Licensed pharmacies know the drill. They know what they can and cannot sell. They also know how much they are allowed to sell to patients during any given visit. You can always ask pharmacy staff if you have questions.
If you are a new Medical Cannabis patient, we encourage you to spend some time talking with your Pharmacy Medical Provider (PMP) to learn more about dosage and delivery. Your PMP is a wealth of information that is hard to find anywhere else.
Also bear in mind that Medical Cannabis pharmacies are required to keep meticulous records of every purchase. So even if you lose track and forget how much you bought and when, your local pharmacy will have those records. Together, you can make sure that everything you do is on the up and up.
Finally, a word about visitors to the state: they can apply for temporary Medical Cannabis cards prior to their visits. Purchase and possession limits still apply, and they aren’t allowed to bring cannabis with them into the state. All Medical Cannabis consumed in Utah must be bought here.
The proliferation of Recreational and Medical Cannabis across the country has given birth to an entirely new industry involving growers, processors, retailers, and testers. Unfortunately, it has also created new avenues for black market operators to push competing products – products like trap gummies.
Trap gummies are the latest attempt by some manufacturers to get around THC limits through creatively manufactured gummies. In essence, a trap gummy is any cannabis edible manufactured in a way that does not comply with established regulations. The products are often designed to mimic regulated products with the goal of preying on unsuspecting consumers who are not paying attention.
There are number of common-sense reasons to avoid trap gummies. First of all, you don’t know what you’re getting. Makers of these non-regulated products do not have them tested. Only they know what is actually in them. Contrast that to what you find at a Medical Cannabis Pharmacy in Utah.
Every aspect of the Medical Cannabis business is regulated in the Beehive State. When you buy a THC gummy product at a licensed pharmacy, you can rest assured that it meets minimum state standards, at the very least. It may even exceed some of the standards.
As an added bonus, everyone in the supply chain knows those from whom they got their product. If anything goes wrong, the product can be traced back to its source. That is a no-go with trap gummies. Consumers have no idea from where they actually came.
Without verifiable tests and accurate labels, there’s no way to know how much THC you’re getting in a trap gummy. For all anyone knows, the hottest product on the black market could have no THC at all. It could also have three or four times the amount a user is expecting.
Not being aware of how much THC you are ingesting is never good. But it is especially bad for someone who uses Medical Cannabis. Why? Because it’s difficult enough to find the perfect balance of dosage, frequency, and delivery method. If you don’t know what you’re actually using, coming up with the best possible treatment plan is nearly impossible.
You have probably figured out by now that there aren’t a lot of positive things that we can say about trap gummies. But humor us as we throw one more thing at you: other cannabinoids. These other cannabinoids can be problematic if you assume you’re buying a CBD product that may not be as advertised.
We’re guessing you’ve heard about the Delta-8 controversy by now. Delta-8 THC is an isomer of Delta-9, the very cannabinoid that’s currently illegal under federal law. It turns out that Delta-8 can also make you high, though it is a different kind of high.
All of this is to say that you could buy a trap gummy marketed as a legal CBD product that still contains a type of THC that makes you feel intoxicated. You would be left scratching your head and wondering what happened.
Unfortunately, there is still another trick black market operators rely on. They take a product that would normally be classified as THC and simply boost CBD volume until the THC falls below the 0.3% threshold. There’s still more THC in it than you bargained for.
Cannabis consumption in Utah is limited to medical purposes only. To that end, we have a strict system that ensures patient safety and product purity. We recommend you stay away from products not sold in licensed pharmacies. That includes trap gummies.
During your time as a Medical Cannabis patient, you may have noticed that your medicine gradually loses its effectiveness. As a result, your Pharmacy Medical Provider (PMP) has suggested that you take brief and regular breaks. You do and discover that things go back to normal. Your medicine starts working again. Do you understand why this is?
Those of us in the Medical Cannabis field recommend that patients take regular breaks. The breaks are sometimes referred to as tolerance breaks – or T-breaks if you prefer. The reason for our recommendation is found in the name itself: tolerance.
Tolerance is a physical reaction to a drug, a reaction that occurs when a person’s body gets used to that drug. Tolerance can be experienced with any kind of drug whatsoever; it is not limited to Medical Cannabis. But in the cannabis realm, tolerance is the result of how cannabinoid receptors in the brain interact with the drug.
A good way to illustrate tolerance is to discuss THC. As you know, THC is the cannabinoid that produces the high feeling in cannabis users. That feeling is the result of how THC interacts with CB1 receptors in the brain. If you only used Medical Cannabis once every few weeks, it is likely that the CB1 receptors would continue functioning normally. If you used every day though, it would be a different matter.
Cannabinoid receptors can gradually get used to the amount of THC they are exposed to. When that happens, you have the condition known as tolerance. Your brain gets used to a certain amount of THC in your system and adapts accordingly. Now, you do not experience the same effects from the same dosage. You need to increase your dosage to achieve the effects that you are looking for.
At this point, it must be made clear that tolerance is not dependence. Tolerance is simply a physical reaction to using Medical Cannabis – or any other drug, for that matter. This is not to say that marijuana dependence is impossible. It’s not. But the likelihood of it being a problem for Medical Canada’s patients under the supervision of a Qualified Medical Provider (QMP) are pretty low.
The reason for taking breaks is not to prevent dependence. Rather, it is to allow the cannabinoid receptors to reset themselves. The interesting thing is that there is no black-and-white formula we can apply to every Medical Cannabis patient.
A long-term patient using mostly Type I (THC dominant) products on a daily basis may need a break of several weeks if they have gone 10-12 months without a break. Such a long break might be too difficult for some patients, especially those who rely on Medical Cannabis to treat chronic pain. Perhaps a better plan would be to set aside three days per month as break days. The days need to be consecutive if they are at be of any value.
The bottom line is that Medical Cannabis patients should consider taking regular breaks so that tolerance doesn’t become an issue. Otherwise, obtaining medicines can get awfully expensive. Managing tolerance makes it possible to consistently use the least amount of medicine to feel better.
If you are a Medical Cannabis patient and have any questions about tolerance or taking breaks, consult with your medical provider. That could be your QMP, LMP, or PMP. Regardless, your medical provider should be able to explain tolerance to you and recommend an adequate schedule for taking breaks. Please heed their advice. It is offered for your benefit.
Cannabis plants contain more than a hundred cannabinoids along with a handful of terpenes. Among the cannabinoids are the well-known THC and CBD. That much you probably knew already. But what about CBG? Have you heard anything about it? And if so, what have you heard?
Interest in CBG is quickly growing. Researchers trying to understand how phyto-cannabinoids (plant-based cannabinoids) come to be, have discovered some interesting things about CBG. We still don’t know a lot about its potential medical benefits, but researchers are looking into that too.
CBG has been referred to as the ‘mother of all cannabinoids’ due to its relationship with the other cannabinoids in a cannabis plant. To understand this, we need to go back and first discuss the difference between cannabinoids and cannabinoid acids.
Cannabinoids do not actually occur naturally in plants. Plants give us cannabinoid acids. Before you can have THC, you need to have THCA. Likewise, you start with CBDA to produce CBD. How do you get from cannabinoid acid to active cannabinoid? Through decarboxylation.
Decarboxylation is the process of separating the carboxyl group from a cannabinoid acid. The easiest way to do that is to apply heat. That’s why burning cannabis plant material produces THC. Heat from the combustion process decarboxylates the plant’s cannabinoid acids in real time.
That brings us back to CBG. It also doesn’t occur naturally in cannabis plants. Rather, plants produce CBGA. That’s good to know. But it still doesn’t explain why CBGA is the mother of all cannabinoids.
Now we get to the fun part. Cannabis plants normally produce tons of CBGA in their trichomes. It turns out that CBGA is the precursor to all other cannabinoid acids. In other words, a cannabis plant naturally produces CBGA. When enzymes are applied to that CBGA, it is transformed into other cannabinoid acids.
That means some of a plant’s CBGA gets converted into CBDA. Some of it could get transformed into THCA as well. All the cannabinoid acids you can extract from plant material were derived from CBGA.
Growing interest in the medical potential of CBG is causing quite a stir in the Medical Cannabis community. Here is the most important thing you need to know right now: the science is incomplete. In fact, you could say it is virtually nonexistent. It wasn’t until recently that we understood CBGA as the mother of all cannabinoid acids. No significant research has been done on the substance to date.
There have been a few small-scale studies conducted to try to understand a bit more about CBGA. For example, researchers in Oregon took a look at this substance and its potential ability to either block COVID infection or reduce the symptoms of the disease. The results were promising, but only mildly so.
The researchers did not conduct their study using either human or animal patients. Rather, they simply treated human cells with CBG in petri dishes. It was a tightly controlled study in a tightly controlled environment. While CBG did not show the ability to deal with coronavirus in that experiment, the data offers little more than a reason to conduct future studies. Results achieved with cells and a petri dish do not constitute scientifically valid data that can be used to draw conclusions.
At any rate, we now know that CBGA is the precursor for all other cannabinoid acids. That is exciting stuff. Now researchers are starting to look into whether CBGA or CBG has any medical benefits. We are betting they will discover something.
Years of experience in the Medical Cannabis arena have taught us that it is easy to chase THC levels in the pursuit of pain relief. It’s easy to believe that more is better. In reality, a patient’s choice of strain for pain treatment could have more influence on pain relief than the actual volume of THC consumed.
It is generally accepted among Medical Cannabis professionals that Type I and Type II are the best strains for pain relief. In addition, some patients seem to do better with certain terpene profiles. Linalool, pinene, beta-caryophyllene, limonene, and myrcene immediately come to mind.
What does this mean for medical marijuana pain patients in Utah? It means that treating with Medical Cannabis should involve ongoing consultations with a Pharmacy Medical Provider (PMP) for the purposes of determining the best strain and dosage. It doesn’t hurt to understand the differences between Type I and Type II strains either.
Type I cannabis is easily the most popular type among Medical Cannabis users. A Type I strain is purposely bred to ensure that THC is the dominant cannabinoid. Type I plants generally have a THC level of 0.3% or more and a CBD volume of 0.5% or less.
How high can THC levels go in a Type I plant? That is a good question. We have heard of plants with THC content as high as 30%. However, such potent plants are the exception to the rule.
A Type II strain is bred by the grower to contain balanced amounts of both THC and CBD. If both levels are above 0.3%, you have a Medical Cannabis plant. If both are below that threshold, you are looking at industrial hemp. Either way, the point is that the two cannabinoids are balanced. One does not dominate to an extreme degree.
Though Type III cannabis is rarely recommended for pain relief, it is worth discussing briefly. As you might have figured out by now, a Type III plant is CBD dominant. In nearly every case, it is going to be classified as industrial hemp with a THC volume of less than 0.3%.
What you have read thus far constitutes generally accepted guidelines within the Medical Cannabis community. But don’t forget that you are a unique individual. How you respond to any given strain will largely determine what products offer you maximum pain relief. Maintain an open mind. Be willing to try different strains, delivery methods, and dosages in your search for the best treatment.
Also keep an open mind about microdosing. We know of at least one study that suggests microdosing could be a viable pain relief strategy for patients dealing with chronic neuropathic pain. The microdosing mindset calls for starting out with smaller doses to see how they work. You ideally want to use the smallest dose possible to achieve the desired effect.
As you work with your PMP to figure out strain for pain treatment and dosage, tracking your results will help considerably. Write things down. Create a paper journal or write a digital note on your phone. The point is to track every time you use Medical Cannabis, how you consume it, and how it makes you feel. Such information is invaluable to your PMP.
Remember, chasing THC volume is not necessarily the best way to treat pain with Medical Cannabis. It is more important to find a strain that works for you. You are most likely going to want a Type I or Type II strain with a particular terpene profile. Your PMP can probably make a few recommendations.
Have you ever noticed that every visit with your doctor comes with a question about other medications you might currently be taking? There is a reason for that. Doctors always need to be concerned about drug interaction. In some cases, drug interaction can dilute or enhance the effects of a particular medication. Moreover, some drugs just shouldn’t be mixed for safety reasons.
Does all of this apply to Medical Cannabis? Yes. If your primary care physician is not also your Qualified Medical Provider or Limited Medical Provider, they need to know that you use Medical Cannabis. Likewise, it is a good idea to inform your Pharmacy Medical Provider of any other medications you are currently using.
A big concern people seem to have is that Medical Cannabis could interfere with prescription antibiotics. Some people are concerned that mixing the two is not safe. Let us nix the safety issue right from the get-go. To our knowledge, there have been no reports of dangerous drug interactions between cannabis and antibiotics. No worries there.
Still, there are legitimate concerns the cannabis might dilute the effects of certain antibiotics. This is entirely possible; we just don’t know at this point. Some of the antibiotics that raise concern are clindamycin, erythromycin, and clarithromycin. Penicillin and amoxicillin both appear to be unaffected by cannabis.
Antibiotics are largely benign in terms of their side effects. That is not the case with other drugs. Your doctor might prescribe a medication with a known side effect of making you drowsy. In such a case, using Medical Cannabis along with that other medication could enhance that particular side effect. Remember that THC has a sedating effect in most people.
You should also be careful about using Medical Cannabis alongside prescription opioids. We personally know of people who used cannabis to get themselves off opioids, and that’s good. But doing something like that is always best when there is medical supervision involved. You can get yourself into real trouble by consuming too much cannabis while also taking prescription opioids.
All of this boils down to the realization that it’s entirely possible for cannabis to interact with other medications. We do not have any hard science on the topic because Medical Cannabis is still so new. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we have never heard widespread reports of extremely negative drug interactions.
As a patient, be prepared to have frank discussions with your Qualified Medical Provider and Pharmacy Medical Provider. Both need to know about all the medications you use. This includes over-the-counter drugs. They need to know for the simple fact that drug interactions do occur.
As of now, there do not seem to be any particular safety issues related to using Medical Cannabis alongside other prescriptions. But don’t just assume. Talk things over with your medical providers and give them the opportunity to offer their recommendations.
In closing, do not hesitate to report any potential interaction issues to your medical provider. For instance, you may suspect that your Medical Cannabis enhanced the sedating effects of another medication. Your doctor needs to know this. They may decide that it is best to write you a new prescription for a different drug.
Drug interaction is always a concern when doctors write prescriptions. Thankfully, Medical Cannabis doesn’t appear to cause any major interaction issues with the most commonly utilized prescription drugs. If anything on this front changes, we will be sure to let our readers know.
Pay a visit to your Utah Medical Cannabis Pharmacy and you will find strain and product names like Bubba Kush, Fatso, and Purple Afghan Kush. Whatever you do, don’t choose a Medical Cannabis product based solely on its name. Do not get drawn into names to the extent that you believe they tell you something about the effectiveness of the product. They don’t.
Both product and strain names are largely meaningless from a medical standpoint. They mean everything from a marketing perspective, and that’s exactly the point. Manufacturers choose names that will get consumers’ attention. So do growers and processors. They want memorable names that will stick out in the marketplace. But that is as far as they go.
If it helps, think of naming as branding. Imagine you are a Medical Cannabis cultivator here in Utah. You have gone to great lengths to produce a strain completely unlike anything else other cultivators are producing. You want that strain to stand out. So what do you do? You give it a name that people will remember – maybe Mind-Blowing Bonanza of Love.
People would definitely remember that name. But from a medical standpoint, the name tells you very little about what the product can actually do for people. None of this is bad, by the way. Growers and processors need to make money. They need to adopt a business-first mindset if they hope to keep their operations viable. And part of that is branding.
The number one reason for being ambivalent about strain and product names is this: what is inside the package is more important than the name written on the package. As a Medical Cannabis user, your main concern should be cannabinoid and terpene profiles. It is the cannabinoids and terpenes that provide the relief you are seeking. Product or strain name doesn’t matter much here.
With that in mind, it is very helpful to learn the differences between the three different types of cannabis strains. Type I is THC dominant; Type II is balanced between THC and CBD; Type III is CBD dominant. Each type has its appropriate applications for medical treatment.
Next up, do not forget the terpenes. Terpenes are those volatile compounds that give plants and trees their unique odors. Though the science isn’t quite settled on the mechanisms involved, it does seem that certain terpene profiles can be more effective at treating certain conditions.
If we can say one good thing about strain and product names, it is that they help patients remember their favorites. That’s a good thing. If you find a product that works for you, and it has a memorable name, you aren’t likely to forget it. You will be able to walk right up to the Medical Cannabis Pharmacy, tell them what you want, and walk away with your medicine. Easy peasy.
Understand that this is exactly what growers and manufacturers want. That’s why they and their marketing teams pick such interesting names. They want customers to be able to easily remember their favorite products; it is no different than any other industry. Names mean things because they stick in our brains.
Speaking of brains, just use yours in your search for the optimal Medical Cannabis treatment. Do not let yourself be drawn to a particular product because it has a name that appeals to you. The name probably means nothing from a medical standpoint; it is only there for branding purposes. Your concern is strain type, dominant cannabinoid, and terpene profile. Get that right and it won’t matter what a product’s name is.
