You’ve probably heard that to get medical cannabis in Colombia, you require a prescription from a medical cannabis doctor. But who exactly are medical cannabis doctors and what do these specialists really do? Keep reading to find out all there is to know.
Who is a Medical Cannabis Doctor?
A medical cannabis doctor is a doctor who specializes in the use of cannabis and cannabis-based products to treat or manage medical conditions. These are medical practitioners who have received a license from the government to provide medical treatment using cannabis. They specialize in evaluating a patient’s medical condition, determining whether or not medical marijuana would be beneficial for their treatment, and recommending what marijuana products would be ideal.
Are Medical Cannabis Doctors Legal?
Many people who live in Colombia or are planning on visiting for a while ask “Is weed legal in Colombia?“. Yes, it is for medical patients and generally decriminalized for small possessions.
What Do Medical Cannabis Doctors Do?
Medical cannabis doctors do more than just provide medical cannabis prescriptions for individuals considering medical marijuana treatment. These medical practitioners do everything from patient evaluation to recommending cannabis treatment, recommending the perfect cannabis product for the specific medical condition, and prescribing a dose. Their job involves assessing your medical history, symptoms, and overall health condition to determine whether or not cannabis would be beneficial or detrimental to your health.
Roles of Medical Cannabis Doctors
A medical cannabis doctor would typically play the following roles in your medical cannabis journey.
- Patient Evaluation
Before a cannabis doctor can recommend cannabis treatment for you, they must first review your medical history to find whether or not medical cannabis would be appropriate for your medical condition or if you have medical issues that may complicate the use of cannabis.
- Cannabis Treatment Recommendation
Once your cannabis doctor is confident that medical cannabis may be an effective treatment for your symptoms, and that you do not have health conditions that may be worsened by the use of cannabis, they recommend you for cannabis treatment. In some countries—Colombia for example—a prescription or satisfaction may be required for patients to make use of medical cannabis. Your cannabis doctor would be responsible for providing you with the necessary paperwork here.
- Prescribe Products and Dose
Your cannabis doctor doesn’t just provide a permit for purchasing cannabis products, they also prescribe the specific cannabis products and an ideal dose for combatting your specific medical condition. These prescriptions aren’t necessarily strict prescriptions in the medical sense, since cannabis isn’t formally considered a valid medical prescription yet in many parts of the world. However, these physicians use their knowledge of medicine to prescribe licensed medical cannabis products that have been proven to fix or manage your specific medical condition.
- Follow Up
The job of your cannabis doctor doesn’t end with prescribing your dosage; they monitor your progress and make adjustments to your treatment as needed.
Who Needs a Medical Cannabis Doctor?
Medical cannabis doctors are basically open to the general public, but not everyone needs medical cannabis treatment. However, you may be one of the people who need a medical cannabis doctor if you meet the following conditions:
- You experience chronic pain
- You are epileptic
- You have multiple sclerosis
- You struggle with PTSD
- You struggle with anxiety or depression
- You have cancer-related symptoms
- You have any of the other conditions that qualify for medical cannabis treatment (depending on your local laws)
It is important to note that medical cannabis is an alternative treatment option and not the go-to. Typically, each of the conditions mentioned above has more traditional methods of treatment that do NOT include the consumption of cannabis or cannabis-based products. However, if traditional methods of treatment fail to alleviate your symptoms, seeing a medical cannabis doctor might just be the next best thing.
Need a medical cannabis doctor in Colombia to recommend medical cannabis products and provide you with a prescription? Our in-house medical cannabis expert is always available to help.