Medical marijuana laws and regulations vary by state. Although recreational weed has been legalized in many states, it’s still worth getting your medical card for several reasons.
There are several advantages of obtaining a medical marijuana card, including tax perks and more precise dosing. In addition, a medical marijuana card may protect you from employment discrimination and can protect your privacy.
Legality
Having a medical marijuana card provides you with legal cover. It can prevent you from being charged with a crime if you are stopped while carrying recreational cannabis.
It also allows you to avoid paying high taxes on recreational marijuana. Additionally, it gives you access to premium products that are only available to medical patients. The process varies by state, but most allow you to register online and keep your doctor’s approval in an account so that it’s easy to renew your medical card when needed.
Safety
In states where medical marijuana is legal, getting a card provides legal protection. This means that if you’re caught with cannabis, you won’t face any legal penalties.
Each state has different conditions that qualify patients for medical marijuana. Some examples include chronic pain, migraine headaches, and period pain (dysmenorrhea).
Additionally, if you have a medical marijuana card in Maryland, you can save money on taxes. Recreational marijuana is subject to a 13 percent tax, while medical marijuana only has a 7 percent tax.
Relieves Pain
Many scientific studies, including randomized controlled trials, have shown that marijuana is an effective pain reliever. It is significantly more effective than opioids and drugs often prescribed to relieve chronic pain, such as benzodiazepines and NSAIDs.
Cannabis reduces pain by influencing several neurotransmitters in the brain’s pain processing system. It also helps by relieving inflammation and reducing muscle spasms. In addition, it is far less addictive than many prescription medications. This has made it essential to treat patients with many debilitating conditions.
Relaxes Muscles
Marijuana is an excellent muscle relaxant. Many patients suffering from back pain use it to treat their symptoms. Other conventional treatments include pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, often with unwanted side effects.
Studies have shown that the two significant cannabinoids in marijuana, THC and CBD, offer muscle-relaxing benefits. These compounds can be found in various cannabis products, including tinctures and oils, which can be used as topical creams. They can also be consumed or smoked. These products are an excellent alternative to prescription muscle relaxants that can be addictive and dangerous for long-term use.
Reduces Stress
Cannabis helps reduce stress by limiting the chemicals that create and move along a brain path that handles anxiety. This pathway contains 2-AG, which works with marijuana to limit stress and anxiety.
Medical marijuana provides a non-addictive way to relieve stress and anxiety and alleviate many associated symptoms, including insomnia, headaches, high heart rates, etc. Some patients have even replaced prescription anti-anxiety medications with cannabis. This saves on drug costs and avoids unwanted side effects.
Improves Sleep
Cannabis has been found to improve sleep in people with insomnia, which is one of the most common conditions for which patients seek medical marijuana. Light cannabis usage can reduce sleep onset latency and lengthen deep sleep (or slow-wave) sleep. Moreover, ingesting cannabis with higher levels of THC reduces REM sleep, which is beneficial for people with PTSD who often suffer from nightmares.
Medicinal cannabis can also replace other medications used to treat insomnia and sleep disorders, such as hypnotics, benzodiazepines, and H1-antagonists, which often cause undesirable side effects.
Reduces Anxiety
Although THC gets a bad rap for intoxication, studies show that CBD, found in cannabis, is a natural anxiety reliever. The best cannabis to treat anxiety is a 1:1 THC: CBD strain or tincture.
Existing pharmaceutical medications for anxiety conditions have many side effects. A medical marijuana card enables patients to use an alternative with less risk.
Additionally, medical marijuana has been shown to reduce nausea and weight loss associated with cancer, chemotherapy, and AIDS. It also lowers eye pressure, a condition known as glaucoma.
Reduces Insomnia
Cannabis helps people with insomnia sleep better, though long-term use can be harmful. This is because it affects brain gray matter and interferes with REM sleep, which helps you dream and process emotions.
THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid in marijuana, has sedative effects that induce sleep. CBD also reduces insomnia by promoting calmness. You can take cannabis as a sleep aid by smoking it in a joint, using a vaporizer, or taking THC and CBD oil. Sleeping well should be a part of your overall health plan, so don’t rely on marijuana for a permanent solution to insomnia.
Reduces Pain
Many patients with medical marijuana cards report reduced pain symptoms, particularly from chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. In addition, patients often reduce or eliminate their use of opioids and other medications that have unpleasant side effects.
Those seeking medical cannabis cards should begin by finding a licensed doctor to evaluate their eligibility for a card. Several options provide telehealth appointments, making the evaluation process quick and convenient. A medical marijuana card can save costs through reduced taxes and dispensary incentives.
Increases Energy
While marijuana has been portrayed in popular culture as lazy, low-energy slackers, cannabis helps increase energy. This is due to its ability to stimulate the appetite and alleviate nausea.
Medical marijuana is also more carefully regulated than recreational, which ensures it’s as clean and pathogen-free as possible.
Lastly, medical cardholders save money on their cannabis purchases. Recreational customers pay a stiff excise and state sales tax that medical consumers avoid.
