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10-06-2008, 07:35 PM #8Junior Member
getting MM for mental illness
I'd really suggest that you consider getting your recommendation from a psychiatrist who does MMJ recommendations and not just a regular M.D. who would be wading into territory that they're not trained, experienced, or licensed to work in.
Here's some information from WebMD on Which Healthcare Providers Treat Mental Illness?
Healthcare providers in many different environments and specialties are trained to identify the presence of a mental disorder, including:
- Physician: Doctors are primarily skilled in medical healthcare but do have some training in treating mental or psychiatric problems. Physicians will recommend specialized care for patients with more than mild symptoms of a mental illness.
- Physician Assistant: These medical healthcare givers are trained to identify symptoms of mental illness in patients and have some training in treating mental or psychiatric disorders under the supervision of a physician.
- Nurse Practitioner: These healthcare givers are registered nurses (RNs) with added nursing training and some training in treating mental or psychiatric problems.
- Psychiatrist: These are medical doctors who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of mental or psychiatric illnesses. Psychiatrists are licensed to prescribe drugs as part of their treatment regimen and are also trained in psychotherapy, a form of "talking" therapy.
- Psychologist: These are doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD) experts in psychology and are trained in counseling, psychotherapy, and psychological testing. Psychologists are not licensed to prescribe medicines to treat mental illnesses.
Note that a psychiatrist is the only medical professional licensed to prescribe drugs as part of a treatment regimen. Now granted, a Medical Marijuana recommendation is not a prescription, but it basically functions as such.
Please check out the CA Medical Board's Guidelines for Medical Marijuana Doctors... especially the points highlighted below:
Welcome to the Medical Board of California - Medical Marijuana
These accepted standards are the same as any reasonable and prudent physician would follow when recommending or approving any other medication, and include the following:
- History and good faith examination of the patient.
- Development of a treatment plan with objectives.
- Provision of informed consent including discussion of side effects.
- Periodic review of the treatment's efficacy.
- Consultation, as necessary.
- Proper record keeping that supports the decision to recommend the use of medical marijuana.
Here are some important points to consider when recommending medical marijuana:
- The physician should determine that medical marijuana use is not masking an acute or treatable progressive condition, or that such use will lead to a worsening of the patient's condition.
- The Act names certain medical conditions for which medical marijuana may be useful, although physicians are not limited in their recommendations to those specific conditions. In all cases, the physician should base his/her determination on the results of clinical trials, if available, medical literature and reports, or on experience of that physician or other physicians, or on credible patient reports. In all cases, the physician must determine that the risk/benefit ratio of medical marijuana is as good, or better, than other medications that could be used for that individual patient.
- A physician who is not the primary treating physician may still recommend medical marijuana for a patient's symptoms. However, it is incumbent upon that physician to consult with the patient's primary treating physician or obtain the appropriate patient records to confirm the patient's underlying diagnosis and prior treatment history.
- The initial examination for the condition for which medical marijuana is being recommended must be in-person.
- Recommendations should be limited to the time necessary to appropriately monitor the patient. Periodic reviews should occur and be documented at least annually or more frequently as warranted.
Given that it's medical marijuana, and not a prescription for Wellbutrin or Prozac, wouldn't it make sense to do this properly so you minimize any risk of getting caught with a worthless recommendation (with little or no medical documentation, a doc not qualified to even write it, let alone back it up in court, etc.)? Medical Marijuana recommendations are only as good as the documentation (patient record/file) and the doctor to back them up!
And as far as cost... what does 1 hour of shitty legal service cost? 2 hours? how much do you want to spend to try to save your ass when the cop sees your Medicann rec, rolls his eyes, and now you've got to defend yourself against criminal charges. Even if dismissed, it's your life, your time, your money that's taken away as you work your way through the process. Spending $150-200 (as a new patient) to do this right WILL pay off in the long run; this $100/$95/$80/$60/(how low will they go?) isn't worth the paper it's printed on... and what happens when one of these low-ball docs shuts down (due to violating CA Med Board guidelines, some sort of relationship with dispensaries, etc) or just disappears? Where will your attorney request your medical record from? Will your doctor even be a licensed doctor (lots of Medicann docs have lost their licenses over their shady practices) when they're subpoenaed to testify in your defense? Buyer bewareâ??you'll always get what you pay for.
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