Sunday, August 28, 2011

Are Medical Cannabis Card Patients Faking?

By David Lawrence, MD


Before marijuana was subjected to its 1937 prohibition, it played a significant role in the US pharmaceutical market. It was routinely prescribed in the early to mid 1900's, because during that time period it was not under controlled substance regulation or prohibition.

Once the Marijuana Tax Act was passed in 1937, cannabis became heavily taxed but not truly illegal. Within 4 years, the American pharmaceutical market grew tired of these hefty taxes, and cannabis was taken off the market. Once the 1970's rolled around, marijuana became a Schedule 1 narcotic and officially illegal to prescribe.

Medicinal marijuana is now legal in 16 states for various qualifying conditions. California maintains the most lax rules for the conditions medical marijuana may be recommended and ID cards received. With regards to outright legalization, 46% of CA voters actually said yes. Medicinal marijuana has actually been legal in CA since 1996.

A survey of 2000 people at numerous CA marijuana evaluation centers showed there was a variety of treating conditions. For instance, 16% had a sleeping disorder, and 31% had chronic pain in the back, neck, or spine. Anxiety and depression accumulated to 13%. With all patients combined, 80% reported using traditional medications, (usually opioids) prior to marijuana.

The simple fact they were taking traditional prescription narcotics before could argue against a patient faking, but even those folks may manipulate the system to receive narcotics. The people were then asked if they had smoked cannabis recreationally before getting a patient ID card, and forty percent said yes. Interestingly, research has shown that about 30% of opioid patients divert their prescriptions (trading/selling), with those numbers spanning every economic class.

Most legal states require a medical record review along with an in person physical exam prior to approving a card. If for example a patient has Crohn's disease in a state that has legal medical marijuana for it, then some medical records should exist for it. If there are none, a workup should start to make sure the disease is present prior to medicinal marijuana approval.

So it is not clear exactly how many medical cannabis patients are faking. Based on the California numbers, it is fairly unclear. Considering the significant numbers of Americans who shop around for doctors for narcotics and become illegitimate patients, it it's an equivalent number it's around twenty percent. This is considerable speculation.

One thing, however, is certain. Despite the illegitimate individuals receiving medical marijuana cards, it is also evident that medicinal marijuana represents a valid treatment compared to some of the traditional treatments that exist for several conditions. Less side effects exist and often an ability to reduce the more harsh side effects of conventional medications by dropping dosage.




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