Do you need insurane to get MM?

I live in Chicago so it's never been relevant, but I'm moving somewhere with medical.

My bf really needs it for his bipolar and arthritis (he's a miserable mess without it) but we don't subscribe to health insurance.

Is it going to be a problem or a huge expense to see a doctor?

How do I find the right doctor?

 

There is no 'right' doctor, just a doctor that sees your valid point of view. I'd say its no problem, most insurance dose NOT cover MMJ. If I recall, its $100 a year for a medicinal card, and the price of the medicinal buds varies by strand. Normally I'd give you a average price, but the strands vary so much that I can't say for sure. I'm very doubtful that you can get MMJ for bipolar, but I know several people who have it for arthritis. The laws for MMJ vastly vary from state to state, try googling the MMJ laws of the state your moving to.

Hope that helps a little!

 

depends where you're going.

 

You should be able to find a clinic that will refer you for a fee. For me it was $60 for the doctor, then you pay the fee to the state, and you are set. The doctor will now what you are looking for. When I went I was told it was better if I didn't elaborate on my answers. It was a assembly line, I had my blood pressure taken, and was asked why I wanted MMJ, it was easy.

You should be given one for arthritis, some states do not recognize mental issues such as Bipolar, but they all recognize chronic pain.

 

will they do it for anxiety?

 

Unfortunately anxiety is not considered one of the qualifying conditions for MM. At this time no mental illness is. Which is unfortunate because it can help people suffering from depression, anxiety, PTSD, and many other mental disorders.

~~~

As for how to apply: Each state is different. Since mj is not recognized by the FDA to treat any medical condition it is not covered by insurance. (The closest exception to that is marinol, which is synthetic thc and used in cancer patients for nausea from chemotherapy). The easiest way to find out what you need to do to get MM is google the state you are moving to.

 

I just got my mm "card" (actually, a sheet of paper, documenting the fact that I am under a doctor's care for mm usage, with his license number, DEA number, etc. The "card" was another 25 dollars, so I passed. I just have to have this paper with me whenever I transport or have it on my person.).

The attendant asked me, "What is your 'condition'. I said "restless leg syndrome". (I do have this, otherwise known as "akathisia" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akathisia . It comes on usually at night, when I'm tired and want to go to sleep. I can't just sit or lie still. It's like I'm compelled to move, because if I remain motionless, the desire to move, or wiggle my legs is irresistible.). He then asks me to grade the effectiveness of mj on my condition, on a scale of 1 to 10, and I thought a minute, and told him it was an "8".

After I waited a while, the attendant in the front room says "Okay, the doctor will speak with you now.", and he leads me into another room, with just a table and a chair. The table has a celphone on it, and he hands it to me and leaves the room. I talk with the doctor over the phone for a short period of time, describing my condition, and he asks how effective mm is for this condition. I tell him that at times it's the only thing I can do to get some relief, in order to get some sleep. He listens, then says "Okay, you can go back out and tell my assistant that I approved the recommendation."

I go back out to the 1st room, and the attendant hands me the paper, with the seal of California on it, the doctor's license number, the DEA license number, and some amount of information, and a telephone number to call if I have any questions. The document is good for one year.

The only other person in the "office" was a second patient, who, upon arriving, was asked the same questions I had been asked. He told the attendant that his condition was "anxiety", and said that on a scale of 1 to 10 the effectiveness was a "10".

The feeling of the whole process was kind of shady. The "office" had no name on the door, only a number, and the furnishings were sparse, as if they planned to be out of there on a moment's notice. Very minimal.

The paper recommendation cost 34 dollars. If I wanted a copy, it was 10 dollars more. If I waited, and wanted a copy later, it was 15. If I wanted a card, it was another 25.

The whole thing about "convincing" the doctor that the "medicine" worked on my condition felt funny, but what the heck. Now my wife isn't nagging me that the police might bust in at any moment and break down my bedroom door. She's very paranoid.

 

Actually, when I went in to get my referral, the guy that came in after me got a referral ("card") for anxiety. I live in California, Orange County to be specific. It does seem that anxiety is a "condition" (they ask you to specify your "condition" when you apply) that is recognized here in California.

However,,it seems that the Feds are moving, to close down the dispensaries here in Cali. I heard that they've been doing sweeps, firstly starting down South in San Diego, and just recently, they closed down the two dispensaries I'd been getting my medication from in Costa Mesa, a suburb of Orange County. One of the dispensaries simply moved further north, to Garden Grove, just a short distance, and the other one merely began dispensing by delivery only. I'm not sure what's going to happen next. It seems too difficult and manpower intensive for them to close down everything. The genie is out of the bottle, you might say. :daisy:

 

You are correct arthur, California has the "other conditions that may be helped" option, so anxiety could fall under that as a qualifying condition. Unfortunately medical mj is still illegal at the federal level, and they have been cracking down for months in CA, OR, and MT....and it's only going to get worse.

 

Would any of you know if insomnia is a qualification?
I really have problems sleeping, I go most days up and awake for 20 hours, and if I have work off, about 30-35 hours + I even lye in bed for hours on end trying to fall asleep.. No luck. Pot puts me out

I live in CO if it matters

 

Lotus,
Isomnia does not qualify. But I was able to get one for "chronic pain" from sports injuries.

I was able to go to one of those places that advertise medical referrals, and without medical records got one.

I just said I had pain, but having medical records does not hurt. They will tell you that paying for the doctor appointment does not guarantee a medical referral, but that is just a legal thing. There is a real good chance you'll get a card.

here is a list of what does qualify
http://coloradomedicalmarijuana.com/qualifying-conditions.htm

 

I have RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome), and got a referral based on it, even though the main reason for using MMJ is an inability to relax, resulting in a lack of sleep, BASED ON the RLS. The doctor who gave me the recommendation told me that Federal guidelines do not warrant using MMJ for insomnia. He then recommended MMJ based on the RLS.

On the list from the above post ^, I would guess that RLS is covered under the category of "Muscle Spasms".

I live in CA