You are armed with a medical marijuana card in a state where it is legal to sell the plant for consumption. Yet, with the number of medical marijuana dispensaries competing with the number of coffee shops, knowing which dispensary to frequent can be a challenge. Here are some selection criteria to consider when you are in the market for a medical marijuana dispensary. Health and Safety The first thing to look for when considering a dispensary is the cleanliness of the store. The dispensary should be compliant with all health and safety regulations. The store should be as clean as […]

Medical marijuana is coming on strong in the U.S. Nearly half of America has already legalized marijuana in some form. On November 8, 2016, another four states voted in favor of outright marijuana legalization: California, Nevada, Maine, and Massachusetts all voted in favor of legalized use, sale, and consumption of recreational marijuana. In California voters chose to legalize the recreational use, possession, cultivation, and sale of marijuana, with legalization limited to people over age 21. California, the world’s sixth largest economy, joins Oregon and Washington to make the entire west coast of the U.S. a haven for marijuana users. The […]

There are many active and inactive compounds (well over 100) in the cannabis plant, which hold great promise for successfully treating a plethora of medical complaints. Understanding what these compounds are can help assure their use in helping you or a loved one suffering from pain or illness. When it comes to cannabinoids, there’s one of which you may not have heard. This article will focus on that lesser known cannabinoid, Cannabigerol (CBG). Although tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are probably the most well-known cannabinoids, CBG is receiving increased national and international attention in the medical marijuana world, and for […]

The pediatric epileptic population numbers in the thousands in the U.S. and in the hundreds of thousands in the U.K. With such a large number of children affected by this debilitating condition, there is an understandably vocal – and growing – group of parents clamoring for governmental approval of affordable alternative treatment methods. As of this writing, the Drug Enforcement Agency continues to be reluctant to legalize marijuana for recreational use, therefore many parents are forced to buy cannabis from black market dealers or move their families to another state in order to obtain treatment that actually helps reduce epileptic […]

Just because a half of the states in the union allow the sale of medical marijuana to holders of an MMJ card, doesn’t make it legal. In fact, under federal law, marijuana use is still illegal. However, the administration seems to have let this oversight go pretty much untouched, and there aren’t federal agents trolling the cities looking for pot smokers to put away. Yet, when the issue of another federal law gets thrown in the mix, a legal quagmire erupts. According to the federal government, the right to own a gun and possess an MMJ card are mutually exclusive. […]

Marijuana has been around for thousands of years. Rather than dispute the pros and cons of recreational and medicinal use of marijuana, enjoy these ten strange, fun, and interesting facts about this controversial plant from Medical Alternatives Clinics. A Chinese treatise on pharmacology attributed to the Emperor Shen Nung and alleged to date from 2737 B.C. likely contains the earliest reference to cannabis and its potential as a medicine. Humulus (hops found in beer) and cannabis (marijuana) are in the same small family of flowering plants classified as Cannabaceae, making beer and pot relatives. In 1975, the Alaska Supreme Court […]

The online telehealth service, HelloMD, is specifically aimed at those who need or are curious about medical marijuana. A sort of WebMD for medical marijuana, the site has gained a strong following providing solid information and services to its members seeking guidance and direction on the medical benefits of cannabis. It also doubles as a digital doctor’s office providing MMJ recommendations and referrals. The site was launched to as an alternative to traditional medical resources that aren’t providing the information, services, and answers about medical marijuana that many want and need to know. In addition to providing access to medical […]

Though approved as a treatment option for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in seventeen states, Colorado has yet to approve medical marijuana (MMJ) for those burdened with the malady. Citing lack of scientific evidence indicating MMJ does alleviate symptoms of PTSD, the Colorado Board of Health refused to add MMJ to list of qualifying conditions under the state’s medical marijuana program. The decision was backed by a Denver district court judge in May. In late July, a Denver law firm representing MMJ for PTSD plaintiffs filed an appeal to the judge’s ruling. Despite the state push back for inclusion as a […]

It is said that the 1970 Controlled Substances Act decision which labeled marijuana as a Schedule I drug was more a response to counterculture movement than to any scientific or medical study of the drug. In fact, the Shafer Commission, an investigative body into the drug, recommended that marijuana be decriminalized and removed as a Schedule I drug. Then president Richard Nixon rejected the report by the commission, a commission appointed by Nixon himself. Almost 45 years later the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is finally considering rescheduling marijuana. The DEA is supposed to release its decision sometime this year, apparently […]

Fibromyalgia is a difficult to treat medical disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain. It is commonly accompanied with fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood problems. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies pain by affecting the way the brain processes brain signals, but the root cause of the disease is not known. Millions are affected by the illness and it impacts women greater than men. Though some find mild relief with the three FDA prescribed drugs to treat fibromyalgia, a 2014 online survey of over 1,300 fibromyalgia patients conducted by the National Pain Foundation found that marijuana rated more effective for treating the […]