These days, it’s more a matter of how much pain you feel than if you’ll feel pain. Your chronic pain seems to only get worse and never better, and it’s having a major impact on your quality of life, often preventing you from engaging in activities you enjoy and bringing down your mood.
The chronic pain issue in the United States is a big one — and it’s getting bigger all the time thanks to an aging population. Most recently, reports found that nearly one-quarter of adults in the US report chronic pain and 8.5% report high impact pain that interferes with daily life.
At No Mercy Sports Medicine in Miami, Florida, Dr. Moisés Irizarry-Román and our team provide medical cannabis evaluations, which can allow you to add an effective weapon to your pain management arsenal if you qualify.
Here’s a look at how medical marijuana works and the road to getting approved for its use in Florida.
Let’s first look at why medical marijuana was approved in Florida, especially as it relates to chronic pain.
The benefits of using cannabis to combat pain include:
Another benefit of the medical marijuana in Florida is that it isn’t heavy on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is what fuels the high associated with the drug. Instead, medical marijuana contains just 0.8% THC, which is enough to address pain but not enough to alter your consciousness.
Florida has cleared the use of medical marijuana for a number of different conditions that can involve pain, including:
The state also allows for conditions not included on this list by stating, “Medical conditions of the same kind or class as or comparable to the others listed.” In other words, just because your painful condition isn’t on the list, it doesn’t mean you’ll be denied access to medical marijuana.
The first step is to make an appointment at No Mercy Sports Medicine. Dr. Irizarry-Román is certified to perform medical cannabis evaluations, and these need to be done during an in-person visit.
During this visit, he discusses your medical history and the level of pain you’re dealing with to determine whether medical marijuana is right for you. If it is, he submits the application to the Office of Medical Marijuana Use Registry for approval.
While this first evaluation needs to be done in person, Florida now allows follow-up visits via telehealth.
To get the ball rolling on your application for medical marijuana, please contact No Mercy Sports Medicine by calling 305-614-6757. You can also send a message online to request a medical cannabis evaluation.
