On November 08, 2016, residents in the State of Florida will vote as to whether or not to legalize medical marijuana use, for patients diagnosed with a debilitating condition who have received a recommendation/certification from a qualified marijuana doctor. In preparation for the positive passing of Ballot Initiative 2, licensed physicians in the MarijuanaDoctors.com network have already begun seeing patients so as to establish the necessary bonafide doctor-patient relationship that will allow a patient early entry in the state’s inevitable medical marijuana program.

 

MarijuanaDoctors.com (MD) has already helped more than 250,000 patients connect with medical marijuana doctors in legal states across the United States, and is excited at the prospect of seeing patient access expand to the State of Florida. In anticipation of the state’s imminent medical marijuana program, 29 medical practices have already signed up to join the network of Florida marijuana doctors, some of which are presently qualifying patients for the state’s Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014 — a bill allowing patients with qualifying conditions to use low-THC “CBD” cannabis oil.

 

The site serves as an all-inclusive medical marijuana tool giving physicians the ability to streamline their business, establish a digital footprint online, and optimize for the relevant search terms associated with this type of alternative medicine and compassionate care. Furthermore, physicians have the tools to create state-specific recommendations; provide telemedicine services online; automate verification services; screen patients to ensure they have the appropriate medical records showing the diagnosis of the ailment under which they are applying; and most importantly safe-guard the physician from medically steering patients after certification.

 

MD currently has a wait list of 3,667 patients who are signed up to be notified, as soon as the state’s program is legally in effect and physicians are ready to begin evaluating patients, for the Florida Medical Marijuana Program. Of these patients 56 percent are male, and 82 percent have health insurance. Additionally, 34.14 percent have chronic pain, 20.17 percent are suffering from PTSD, 14.88 percent are battling cancer, and the remaining percent consists of patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, skeletal muscular spasticity, severe pain, and epilepsy.

 

“With multiple practices and doctors already listed throughout Florida in Orlando, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Palm Beach Gardens, Pensacola, and Tampa — before the state has even officially gone legal — it seems highly probable that the Florida medical marijuana marketplace will be the next biggest medical cannabis market in the country,” said MD’s CEO, Jason Draizin.

 

Like many of the states throughout the United States, Florida is currently waging a drug war on the heroin and opioid epidemic that is plaguing the state, as an overwhelming number of people increasingly die from overdose/addiction each year. Statistical data reports that doctors in Florida prescribe ten times more oxycodone painkillers, than every other state in the U.S. combined.

 

However, according to a recent report published in the Health Affairs journal, there has been a significant drop in the use of prescription drugs for which cannabis could serve as an effective alternative medicine, in states where medical marijuana has been legalized.

 

“It is the hope of Florida, that the legalization of medical marijuana will be the catalyst to end this epidemic,” said Draizin.

 

According to the study, the most significant decline was in the number of prescription painkillers. Researchers found that in states where medical marijuana is legal, doctors prescribed on average 1,826 fewer doses of painkillers per year. The study authors looked at the data of all prescriptions filled by Medicare Part D enrollees between 2010-2013, and found that in states where medical marijuana was legalized, there was a drop in the number of prescriptions for antidepressant drugs, anxiety medications, anti-nausea medication, seizure medications, and sleeping pills.

 

“If the opioid outbreak has taught us anything, it is that careful regulations, stringent oversight, and ongoing evaluations, are absolutely essential in establishing an environment that protects the public’s health and wellbeing,” states Draizin. “Medical marijuana should be no different. And with the introduction of the ‘Symptom Tracker’, physicians are in a position to now monitor their patients progress on a daily basis.”

 

MD has addressed the concerns and liabilities of its marijuana physicians, by developing technology that allows doctors to track their patient’s symptoms in real-time. The Symptom Tracker records data about the symptoms afflicting the patient at the documented time, and sends reporting of the week’s data to the patient’s physician which is then stored alongside the patient’s medical records, and prepped for the doctor’s EMR. If, for any reason, a cannabis physician feels that a patient is not responding positively to this alternative therapy, physicians now have the ability to schedule the patient for an immediate consultation, directly from the dashboard of their patient management tools.

 

In addition to capturing data that will provide physicians with greater insights on how to further improve their patient’s overall condition — while simultaneously allowing patients to track their personal progress — the overall data sourced will be used to conduct a nationwide cannabis peer review study.

 

Patients nationwide are invited to participate in a crowd-sourced cannabis peer review study, in order to help document the data that will prove marijuana is medicine.

 

Debuting in the October 2016 Symptom Tracker Monthly Newsletter, the study’s findings will be published in MD’s free newsletter each month, to allow readers to follow the study’s progress and stay abreast of unfolding developments.

 

“The BETA launch of the tracker, has already produced results in the categories of chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, anxiety disorders, and sleep apnea. The initial findings will debut in our October company newsletter, while we continue to look for partnerships to publish the data,” reports the CEO of MD.

 

The data is graphically represented and categorized by age, gender, consumption methods, state demographics, and the other medications being used to offset the side effects of the patient’s ailments. In addition to tracking the medicine of marijuana, the data will also help to determine which strains of cannabis are most effective at treating which specific ailments, conditions, and symptoms.

 

“MD is personally responsible for creating a significant portion of the medical marijuana marketplace, particularly in east coast states such as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Illinois, where medical marijuana laws are more stringent and medically restrictive. If Florida passes medical marijuana like it is expected to, MD will again strive to connect as many qualified medical marijuana patients, with licensed and certified cannabis doctors who can provide the compassionate care they require,” said the company CEO, Jason Draizin.

 

The MD “Symptom Tracker” is an open source platform that hopes to further the understanding between physicians, patients and their associated medical ailments. For ease and convenience the tracker can be easily accessed via the company’s mobile app, mobile site and online website, as well.

 

To participate in MD’s nationwide crowd-sourced cannabis peer review study, simply register/login at www.MarijuanaDoctors.com on a smartphone, tablet or computer — or download the MD mobile app to manage your medical marijuana needs mobily — the invitation is open to any person using marijuana to therapeutically treat a medical ailment/condition/symptom. The more patients track their symptoms, the more information the study will be able to attain. Join now, and be a part of the data that will prove marijuana is medicine.