5 Tips for Passing Your Medical Marijuana Evaluation

MMJ_-_Medical_Marijuana_Evaluation-min

    Thanks to the recent legislative efforts across the USA, it is now legal to get medical Marijuana in thirty-three different states, as well as Washington DC and Guam. This means it is easier than ever to go about treating yourself with medical marijuana, no matter your condition.

    However, to first be able to get medical marijuana, you need a medical marijuana card. To get one of those, you need to be approved by your doctor as needing a medical marijuana card.

    Depending on where you live, you might have a surprising amount of difficulty in trying to get your doctor to approve you, as there are still many physicians across the country that continue to doubt the usefulness of medical marijuana.

    To best ensure you pass your medical marijuana evaluation, here are 5 important tips to make sure you get through it with flying colors.

    Tip #1: Know Exactly Why You Are Getting Medical Marijuana

    Despite the association of medical marijuana with getting free, easy to obtain cannabis for recreational purposes, you need to remember that you are getting medical marijuana for medicinal purposes.

    This means that you need to know precisely why you are in your doctor’s office and what condition you are hoping to treat.

    It is no good going into your evaluation and expecting the doctor to know everything and have all the answers; you need to be educated and informed about exactly why you are trying to get a medical marijuana card.

    This means you need to spend a good amount of time researching all the reasons that medical marijuana could help you, as well as understanding the inherent science behind it. Many doctors will be testing you during your evaluation to ensure you are actually going to be using your medical marijuana for useful purposes.

    If you are concerned that your condition isn’t severe enough to deserve medical marijuana, yet still want it anyway, it is important not to under-stress your condition. As humans, we have a natural tendency to try and not overstate our problems, perhaps out of a desire to demonstrate humility or to somehow not appear too much of a bother to those around us.

    If you act like this during your medical marijuana evaluation, your doctor is going to think that you aren’t serious enough to get a medical marijuana card; in some states, the requirements to get it is quite high and can sometimes require you to demonstrate an absolute need of medical marijuana.

    Know exactly why you want medical marijuana and tell your physician that you need it; don’t make excuses, don’t try and make it seem not as bad as it is, even if it is embarrassing.

    However, it is also important to remember not to be too rude.

    Tip #2: Be Persistent, Yet Polite

    The important thing to remember when you are in the middle of your medical marijuana evaluation is that you are speaking to a medical professional. Even if your doctor is being ignorant or intolerant about the benefits of marijuana, it doesn’t mean that you need to be rude to him.

    In fact, if you walk into your medical marijuana evaluation and begin shouting or berating your doctor, you are just as likely to fail your evaluation based on your doctor’s spite alone. Think of it like attending a court hearing – even if you don’t like to think about it, you are being judged by your physician to determine whether or not you are deserving of a medical Marijuana card, so don’t go into your evaluation acting casual or flippant.

    Remain courteous, respectful and, above all, persistent. If your doctor has concerns about marijuana use, then simply and calmly explain why you believe it would be best for you to have a medical marijuana card. This is made even more comfortable if you have prepared all the important documents.

    Tip #3: Ensure You Have Important Documents, As Well As Support Evidence

    This is something that many people neglect, but it is incredibly important to go into your medical marijuana evaluation with your evidence at the ready.

    This can sometimes be tricky for some people to figure out what they are supposed to bring with them, but it is actually incredibly simple. If you have an obviously overt condition that expresses physical symptoms, try and schedule your medical marijuana evaluation to coincide with a flare-up; for example, if you suffer from eczema, make sure that it is visible during your appointment.

    This ensures that the doctor both believes your condition and can also see verifiable proof of its severity.

    You should also print off any and all information or medical records that you have about your condition. Although your doctor will easily be able to access these himself, it is important that you have them on hand as well, so as to demonstrate your seriousness about your condition.

    Finally, it can also be a good idea to bring with you some actual scientific evidence of the usefulness of marijuana to treat your condition. Despite the general scientific consensus that medical marijuana has a number of useful therapeutic applications, there are still many doctors that remain sceptical about marijuana as a medicine.

    By being prepared with studies that show without a doubt that your condition could be improved by using medical marijuana, you not only demonstrate the scientific basis of your argument, but you further demonstrate how serious you are about getting medical marijuana.

    It is incredibly important that your doctor understands you are serious about your condition and your desire to treat it, so by providing all the necessary documents, plus some additional proof, you make it a lot easier for your doctor to see your side and agree with you.

    This is also improved by remembering the reason why you are getting it in the first place.

    Tip #4: Don’t Even Think About Talking About Recreational Use

    One of the main things that physicians are looking for in a medical marijuana evaluation is whether or not you are trying to abuse the system so as to obtain recreational marijuana.

    Except in those cases wherein the medical marijuana being sought after is particularly high in CBD rather than THC, the vast majority of medical marijuana can also be used for recreational purposes as well.

    However, just because medical marijuana can make you feel good both physically and mentally doesn’t mean it can’t also help your condition.

    What if your condition is mental? What if the reason you are trying to get medical marijuana is to help treat anxiety, depression or any number of different mental disorders? The mood improvement of marijuana might be the very thing that acts as a medicinal treatment.

    You need to think of the recreational benefits of marijuana as being a side effect; an incredibly pleasant side effect, yes, but an unintended, possibly even undesired side effect as well.

    If you start mentioning how you are going to use medical marijuana to “feel good” or to make life easier for you, especially with regard to everyday life stresses, then you are only going to put your doctor on the offensive. They are going to assume you are just out to score easy recreational marijuana, rather than being someone that could genuinely benefit from utilizing medical marijuana.

    Keep your facts straight and only mention your intended medical uses. Say absolutely nothing about your intended recreational purposes; otherwise, you can expect your medical marijuana evaluation to be quickly failed without reason.

    Tip #5: Know When It is a Lost Cause

    You can be totally, completely prepared; you can have all your documents in order, know precisely what to say and have every possible conversation route planned out and ready. Unfortunately, despite all your prior preparation, you can still fail your medical marijuana evaluation.

    Though it is possible you have made some fundamental mistake, it is equally likely that you have just been failed because your physician doesn’t believe in the usefulness of marijuana and isn’t prepared to offer it to anyone.

    It can be incredibly disappointing to be let down by your physician like this, especially when you yourself haven’t done anything wrong.

    One of the ways you can avoid this is by getting a feel for your clinic beforehand. If you are going to your regular GP, you need to try and float the idea of medical marijuana before you even bring up the idea of applying for medical marijuana. Try and gauge whether or not your GP is cannabis friendly, especially with regard to recommending it for their patients.

    If you are trying to get an appointment at a new clinic, see if you can book a free, informal discussion before your official appointment. Many GP’s will offer a preliminary appointment before any kind of evaluation, just to inquire about your desires regarding medical marijuana. Use this time to figure out how you are likely to do in your evaluation.

    If it is looking like they are going to fail you regardless, find a different physician entirely, if you can.

    If you have no way of knowing what the evaluation is going to be like before you go in, yet still fail regardless, understand that this kind of thing happens.

    There is nothing stopping you getting a second opinion from a different doctor and simply making another appointment somewhere else.

    Trying to argue with your physician when they have already made up their mind is a lost cause. Simply smile, thank them for their time and say goodbye.

    Then immediately go and book an appointment somewhere else.

    Final Thoughts on Passing Your Medical Marijuana Evaluation

    The idea of passing a medical marijuana evaluation can feel incredibly daunting for some people, especially those already suffering from anxiety or excess stress.

    The important thing to remember is that your evaluation can only go one of two ways; either they approve you, and you get your medical marijuana, or they fail you, in which case you can simply go to another doctor and try again.

    If you are really struggling with finding a cannabis-friendly physician in your area, try and speak to your local medical marijuana dispensary. They will probably know the best, most sympathetic and compassionate doctors to speak to so as to ensure you pass your medical marijuana evaluation with flying colors.

    Remember, it is your health, so you are the one in control – keep trying until you get your very own medical marijuana card.

    Start the MMJ Card Process
    By clicking "Get your Card", you agree to our terms and privacy policy
    Start the MMJ Card Process