What Maine Doctors Should Know About Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana has been legal in Maine since 1999. In 2009 and 2011 laws were expanded and clarified giving Mainers the right to assign caregivers, buy medicine from dispensaries, or cultivate their own crop. Although the medical marijuana culture is changing, many Maine doctors are still fearful of the law, ignorant of the benefits, and judgmental of patients seeking a recommendation. Any physician or surgeon licensed to prescribe drugs may recommend cannabis treatment to a patient with a qualifying condition, but patients throughout the state are having a difficult time finding doctors willing to discuss medical marijuana.

• You will not risk your medical license by recommending medical marijuana to a qualified patient. Maine has strong laws to protect physicians included in the 'Rules Governing the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program'. On April 8, 2002 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the first amendment right of physicians to discuss medical marijuana with patients, as originally ruled by the ninth circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco Conant v. Walters CA: No.00-17222 D.C. No.CV-97-00139-WHA OPINION.

• Marijuana is a viable treatment option for many of your patients. The industry of medicine would not exist today if humans hadn't noticed the incredible power of plants to heal the body. Cannabis is in its infancy of modern medical research and has been proven an effect pain reliever, appetite stimulant, and anti-inflammatory. Studies have confirmed marijuana's ability to fight neurodegenerative diseases, prevent diabetic retinopathy, relieve the symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders, and reduce seizures, tics, and muscle spasms. Cannabinoids have shown potential to inhibit cancer cells, inhibit the HIV virus, and combat the resistant bacteria M.R.S.A. Anecdotal evidence suggests those with autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, and hypertension may benefit from the medical use of marijuana.

• Marijuana does have negative side-effects for some patients, just like pharmaceutical options. Adverse effects may be alleviated by changing the method of ingestion. Patients may wish to smoke, use a vaporizer or water bong, eat cannabinoid-based foods (commonly called edibles), or use a tincture. All marijuana is not alike and patients may have to experiment with various strains to find the right treatment option for their medical condition. Depending on their symptoms, patients may prefer a strain high in either THC or CBD cannabinoids. Caregivers and dispensaries can provide strain recommendations.

• You will not get a 'Doctor Feelgood' reputation by recommending cannabis to qualified patients meeting state standards. The same rules that apply to prescribing opiates in the Code of Maine Rules 'Use Of Controlled Substances In Treatment Of Pain' apply to medical marijuana recommendations. Marijuana is often a safer and more effective treatment than pharmaceuticals or surgery, but also works well alongside today's medicines to relieve unwanted side-effects.

• You may lose patients by refusing to discuss medical marijuana. Patients on MaineCare (Medicaid) are having an especially difficult time finding doctors open to the discussion. Physician offices and community healthcare centers associated with hospitals seem especially resistant to medical marijuana. One patient with Crohn's disease said his specialist "flat-out refused to talk about it" and a woman with debilitating back pain said her long-term primary physician "actually laughed in my face". Both of these patients were so offended, they immediately began searching for new doctors. Physicians should not allow personal opinion to interfere with patient care. Maine citizens have the right to expect doctors to perform their jobs without judgment, ignorance, or discrimination.

Maine doctors should read the research studies concerning the 85 discovered cannabinoids, weigh the benefits and risks, openly discuss marijuana when asked about treatment options, and then make an educated decision to recommend or not recommend marijuana based on each individual patient's needs.