How I Went Legal (and you can too)

To be…or not to be…legal?

Going legal...for me the choice was a no brainer. Mostly because my personality just requires that I do things the “right way”. It’s not always as simple an answer for everyone though. That’s why I’m writing this. To let you see from my perspective how the legal system works ‘at the moment’ so you can make your own choice.

I happened to stumble upon the founder of Marihuana For Trauma in my store. So that’s who I went with to go legal. It is possible to go through the process without them. 

I found it to be a great experience. Everyone I spoke with was friendly and helpful. The most awkward part was talking to anyone about smoking joints already, illegally, without using code words or speaking in hushed tones. They understood because they had all encountered the same jarring experience. 

After stammering through my questions I was given a lot of comforting answers. I came away knowing that I was exactly the right kind of person to get legal access to Cannabis. I walked out of there 20 minutes later with a file folder full of paperwork to fill out, a two item list of things to get, and the knowledge that once the process was started it would only be a matter of about three weeks before I could have my first order placed. Wow!

So here’s how it works with MFT.

First, don’t be scared off by the Veterans Helping Veterans, like I nearly was. As a civilian MFT will work with anyone just as readily as they do with Vets, First Responders and Serving Military. If you need Medical Marijuana they will help you because they all have first hand experience with how well it works. Now, the huge benefit with going through MFT, is they are not in the business of handing out licences. They are to busy building a family and a support structure for their patients. Don’t miss this. No other organization is doing it this way, and others will most likely charge you a fee (you have to weigh out whether that's a good deal for you or not). This is what sets them apart and ahead of any others trying to copy them. 

Step One:

You need a prescription for Medical Marijuana from a Doctor. This can be your personal Family Physician, or a Specialist (Orthopedic Dr. or Psychiatrist etc). Any Doctor is legally allowed to prescribe Medical Marijuana in Canada, but not all are comfortable with it. 

What if you don’t have a Doctor (an unfortunate reality in Canada) or your Doctor will not write you a prescription? Then you will need a referral to one of the doctors that is willing to Prescribe. You can find out who is available in your area by checking this website.  (Because MFT has a presence in multiple cities and provinces you can also call your local MFT office and ask for the name of the local doctor working with them). This referral to a prescribing doctor can come from any doctor, specialist or chiropractor. I was advised that at the moment (Feb 2016) there may be a $200 fee for this doctor appointment. Check with your local MFT before you ditch the idea because of the cost. I was also quoted the $200 fee a year ago, but in the end I didn’t need to pay it. The industry is changing daily, so todays news could be old news. Contact your local MFT to get the most up to date info. 

I found a great bit of info worth adding from Whistler Medical Marijuana Corp's (WMMC) website, which applies if you are approaching your current doctor.

"When approaching your Health Care Practitioner about the use of cannabis, it is worth remembering that Canadian Physicians practice evidence based medicine. This means they may be interested in seeing studies and learn more about how medical cannabis can be used to treat your specific condition before completing your prescription, particularly if they are new to prescribing cannabis to their patients. They may also wish to know how much cannabis to prescribe. On average we see a daily allowance of between 1-5 grams per day. Some of the things that your Doctor may want to know are how you plan to use cannabis, how much you wish to use, and what type will be most beneficial to you. Take the time to research these areas before your appointment."

The paperwork I had to fill out included:

1. Permission to Share Information between doctor, MFT and the dispensary 

2. Patient Information Sheet for the doctor  

3. Application for the Cannabis Dispensary (MedReleaf) 

4. Application/Patient info for MFT. 

20 pages in all.

Step Two:

You will need to provide the prescribing doctor with medical documentation of a formal diagnosis, and a list of prescribed medications.

For me, my MRI results showing Osteoarthritis in both knees was all I needed. My list of medications was easily obtained from my pharmacy, as I have used the same them for the last 9 years. They had records that I was previously on anti-depressants. For me, the ease of finding this information was important because I did not have a family physician when I went for my MMJ licence. If you have a diagnosis already of chronic pain, PTSD, Arthritis, glaucoma, Crohn's, or other chronic condition you will need proof of diagnosis to take with you. Medical documents can be gotten from hospital records, or current or (sometimes) old doctors or specialists. There is a fee for photocopying your records. According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons the fee is limited to $0.25 per page and no more. Don't get over charged! (Found under Access to Records, last paragraph).  

Step Three:

Meeting your prescribing doctor. This person is automatically (my assumption) going to be less judgemental towards you for seeking marijuana as your medicine. So although seeing a doctor can cause anxiety for some this will probably be the most refreshing doctors appointment you will ever have. I’m sure most of the people these doctors see have used cannabis “recreationally” for years. Though not necessarily, I hadn't. It has become my belief that pretty much all people who gravitate to regular use of weed are actually medicating, whether they realize it or not. The Doctor I saw seemed to hold the same opinion.

Step Four:

Right! Paperwork done!

Doctor seen and prescription written!

You’re officially legal! 

But there’s more…

The Dr. office sends in your prescription along with your application to a Licenced Provider. This is the company (or companies) you can make your marijuana purchases from. You should schedule a meeting with one of MFT’s Cannabis Coaches. They can help you navigate some of the newer information you will suddenly become aware of. Like the differences in THC percentages and why you should be also looking for CBD %. How to purchase, what to purchase, and what method of intake will work best for your health issues. Edibles? Oils? Flower?Topicals? Vape? What is a Vape!?

Once the Licenced Provider processes your application and prescription you will receive an email informing you to log onto their website and place your first order. Your licence card will arrive with your first purchase. Legally you will now be required to carry that licence with you at all times. I’ve never been asked for it, yet…but just wait! One day there will be dispensaries in more than just Vancouver and Toronto!

One More Thing:

Some Providers are having a hard time keeping enough stock for their growing number of patients.Therefore some are accepting new patients and others are not. As you seek out your Licenced Provider options keep in mind your favourite choice might not be available to you. Also, stock changes, of course, because of growth times and such that goes along with growing and harvesting a plant. So you may find a favourite strain unavailable when you are ready to order again, but it will most likely be back. You’ll be like a kid in a candy store when you first get a look at these website! 

That said, there are many Licenced Providers (LP's) in Canada and you are free to choose which one you want to deal with. There is a list of Licenced Providers here at The Jane Exchange. Check them out ahead of time if you want. You can bring in application form from their website and ask the doctor to have your licence through another provider if you chose. Be mindful, you should do this on your first visit. It’s not really possible to change part way through the year. You will have to wait until its time to renew.

Peer Support meetings happen regularly for members.
They also have a Vape Lounge you can use with membership.

I found MFT to be a good resource and I'm glad I went with them. Knowing what I do, over a year later I'd still choose to go through them instead of going it alone. That's because of the extra perk MFT provides. The family atmosphere and non-judgmental acceptance within a larger group. That's hard to come by frankly, so there's no way I'm taking it for granted! If you choose to go through the process with MFT you will not regret it. 

 Regardless of how you go legal, doing so is worth it just to lose the fear and over the shoulder checking.

Was this helpful?

Did I miss anything? 

Do you have any questions that I can answer? Feel free to comment below. 

I can also be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NewbieOnTheHerb/

And on Massroots as NewbieOnTheHerb

A Retrospective: Not So Newbie Anymore

I have a confession to make. I'm a medical cannabis user.

Being a medical cannabis user is entirely different from being a recreational user, or an occasional user.

Using marijuana medically takes a whole new level of commitment. And not just from you, but also from the ones you live with and the medical professionals who support you. Strangely enough it takes a community of support for a person to be a medical marijuana patient, so I realize I'm contradicting myself when I say that. I have complained before that being a MMJ patient is a lonely place to be because I have had chosen to learn so much alone.

Hubby "hot boxed" the Barn!

I focused on the 'doing things alone' and so sought out others who also smoke marijuana. Whether it was recreational or medical use wasn't an issue for me. I wanted to experience the culture of puff, puff, pass. And I totally have! But I eventually came to the realization that I was sorely lacking in one side of my support system. I had no one else around me who was a medical user and I was starting to feel that lack.



It took nearly a year of reading, discussion and documentary watching to come to the terrifying decision to try Cannabis in the first place. It has been nearly a year of using it now, but somewhere along the way I stopped reading, talking and learning. The reason was because I knew more than everyone else in my  immediate circle about cannabis. I'm no scholar! I know I really know very little on such a vast yet vastly under scientifically studied subject! But any time I tried to have conversations with someone about the science, or the effects, or even the politics of marijuana usually left me exhausted from talking so much. I'd have to back tract all the time, needing to first explaining three other articles I read that somehow related to the topic that was on my mind at the time. Eventually I just stopped learning all together since I didn't have anyone to converse with about the things I was learning.

THAT was lonely! So I ignored that part of my life and just eventually got off track.

Then I meet a real newbie, and that changed everything!

meme and picture are my originals

A friend introduced me to someone who has been a secret pot smoker most of her 45+ years. Nice lady. Some stuff started to dawn on me as we smoked. Like when she was surprised to hear that it is impossible to die from an overdose of pot. I wondered why, if you actually thought something could kill you, why would you ever smoke it?!! But then again I'm not much of a risk taker in life; proven by a full year of learning before asking the one person I knew for a try.

It was my second encounter with her that really woke me up to where I had allowed myself to slip to. Pure coincidence that she was part of it actually. A common friend invited us out to a bar to see a great local band one evening. Not having those invitations often I jumped at the offer and said yes. "Oh, could you do us a favour and roll us a joint, we'll pay your way in and your drinks". I almost hesitated. But when we sit around a table we all pitch in so I didn't really worry about it. It wasn't until we arrived and the ladies had to find a hidden corner to light their newly acquired joint before they went in, that I realized my blunder.

They had to hide. I did not.
I had with me my vape, and my licence from my mmj provider. As long as I followed the laws regarding smoking I was fully allowed to stand outside the bar and use my vape, or smoke a joint if I choose, no fear. Then it dawned on me that I had given them that weed, and by mere association in that situation I could be in trouble legally. It was THAT moment I realized I needed to smarten up, and pay more attention. I recognized I needed to include more people in my life who were likeminded and pursuing a similar life path. I needed a medical marijuana community and I needed to get over my fear of doing that.

So here I am. Not so much of a Newbie as I once was, and again actively learning. I wouldn't give up
my Barn buddies for the world! They have been a big and wonderful part of my life over the last year!  To round out my support system I have now been to two meetings at my local MFT and met some wonderful military and non-military women who are also new medical marijuana users. That's a total of four things I have in common with them right there! It took a lot to get into that first meeting. Lots of will power over the fear that was trying to escalate to terror. But I did it, and I am SO very glad I dared to be brave.

Its been a very unexpected and wonderfully stretching first year. Here's looking at a second year of building new friendships, deepening my understanding of how best to medicate for me as well as understanding the issues and the science behind Cannabis as a whole in general. I don't want to be a simple follower, or user. I want what I do to matter.  But I will just have to see where year two takes me.
I know one thing for sure! I intend to be more pursuant regarding life and less reactive.

Bring on Year TWO!

Success!

 Well, I had the MOST surreal day yesterday! I had my doctor appointment yesterday with the man who would determine if I was a good risk to prescribe Medical Marijuana to. I was super nervous! Had trouble sleeping for the first time in three months since I started taking Cannabis regularly. I felt like I was going to be quizzed about why I wanted to make this jump. In my mind it’s not a huge leap, it’s a sensible one. But in society it is a big deal. Not everyone, in fact most would not understand this decision at all! But I’ve done my homework. I know the risks and benefits. 

I was so nervous I arrived a half hour early…if you know me, I’m always late. I don’t do early. Ever.  I was confused because the office I was going to was in a home with very little signage to tell me what to do….this was rubbing all over my anxiety about being in new places. I was greeted by a friendly familiar face and sat in a comfy sun lit living room. The other patient waiting looked more nervous then I felt, so I started to chat with him. Again, not a normal response for me. I’m usually WAY more shy than to just start talking to a stranger in a strange place.  Surprisingly, they offered a free allergy test…..I refused. In part because nothing is ever free, and second, I had an allergy test several years ago and knew I had allergies, which I take Reactin for daily, amoung other meds. I finally gave in when I found out allergies can come and go within as little as three months. 

My arm is now a mess. But, I had the BEST conversation with the young man

who did the allergy test for me. In fact the conversation was SO unlike the normal boring everyday conversations I have with most people that I realized my world is completely different from the way it was three months ago! Upside down, completely! I also realized I need more people in my life who think like he does. I’m craving relationship with deep and conscientious thinkers. I’m ready to change the world and be part of a new move that brings that about in some way. 

The result. I’m still highly allergic to everything I was seven years ago when I had my first test. The bad news is I’ve been buying, and taking medicine for SEVEN YEARS that is ineffective! I was not told my the initial doctor that the medication he was prescribing me would only be effective for me for about three or four months. I’ve been faithful purchasing a Big Pharm drug for SEVEN years longer than it was effective. A HUGH waste of money! It makes me SO mad!! So we talked about what would be effective, and how to reduce my allergies without meds. I have been empowered with knowledge. 

I finally got to meet the doctor at this point. He was a kind looking gentleman in his early 50’s I’d say. He looked Fatherly. We talked. I told him why I was interested in Cannabis for pain management. Given my diagnosis of torn cartilage and Osteoarthritis the prognosis is surgery in say 20 years to replace my knees. Twenty years is a very long time to subject your liver to high doses of multiple pain killers. In fact the pain killers could do damage to my kidneys or liver. I’ve already been on high doses of both Tylenol and Aleve for about four years now. The Doctor told me things like how over time my need for medical marijuana should decrease instead of increase due to the healing nature of the Herb. It stimulates cell regeneration and it decreases inflammation. Those two things alone will over time actually make my knees better instead of worse. Imagine!!! A medicine that actually helps to heal you rather than add new issues to deal with! 

The doctor tried to tell me further about how some strains are good for day, and others better for night. HAHA! The look on his face when I said, “Right, Indica and Sativa”. He was impressed I have educated myself. This is not something I’m just wanting to use to get high with. I really do want the medicinal benefits! I have done a lot of reading over the last three months. I even told him how surprised I was to hear that one of the Cannabidiol's found in Weed has been discovered to increase bone density. That is important info that may one day help my family with the Brittle Bone disorder they carry genetically. 

We talked about insurance! Whether or not either of our insurance companies cover this prescription he told me how to effectively push them to do so. I admitted I was willing to be a poster child, or an advocate for medical marijuana because of how much it has changed my life already. I even got a little teary eyed as I talked about how the negative talk that was my constant companion just left after trying weed three months ago. I can hardly remember what it was like anymore to always have that there. Such a big change in my life, it still causes me to well up when I even think about it. 

So, I’m approved. I will hear from the marijuana provider in a week or two with my Card number. Then I can order my product online from the supplier. I will  receive my legal document to possess with my first order. In the mean time, I’m heading out now to take a Cannabutter cooking class offered free at the MFTGroup, and I’ve got some learning to do about what Vapes are best. Because as the Doctor explained I will be dosing myself with a SINGLE puff every hour during the day, including at work and a personal hand held vape will be convent and leaves no smell behind for anyone to realize what I am consuming. Also perfect for home! 

Wow! Such a weird, and yet VERY wonderful day I had. 

My Visit to MFT

I wish I was Legal. I've heard it a few times now. So listen up, and I'll tell you.

I have the honour of knowing many people now who use marijuana as their medicine, legally or not. Whether they realized when they started that it would bring benefit into their lives or not, it eventually because medicinal for them. 
But this is Canada, so medical marijuana use is legal, if you can figure out how to go legal! That's the trick. I had no idea, but I knew that MFT would be a good place to start. It was Sensei’s confession of a desire to know the process too that really got me over my nerves and out the door. I always find it easier to do things for others instead of myself. So, whatever works…

It was a great experience! I found the staff very friendly and helpful when I showed up without an appointment. The most awkward part was talking to someone about smoking joints already, illegally, without using code words or speaking in hushed tones. They understood, they have all had to go through that same jarring experience. From illegal to legal changes your whole world.

After stammering through my questions about how can MFT help me I got a lot of good answers and came away knowing that I am exactly the right kind of person to get legal access to Cannabis. I walked out of there 20 minutes later with a file folder full of paperwork to fill out, a two item list of things to get, and the knowledge that once the process is started it will be only a matter of 3 weeks before I could have my first order in. Wow!

So here’s the low down. Marihuana For Trauma is Veterans helping Veterans. 
As a civilian MFT will work with us just as readily as they do for Vets, First Responders and serving military. 

A Skype date with the Doctor is set up about a week after all my paperwork is handed in. The paperwork includes permission to share information between doctor, MFT and the dispensary. A Patient Information sheet for the doctor, and an Application for the Cannabis Dispensary (MedReleaf), and an Application/Patient info for MFT. About 20 pages in all to fill out. Also, I must hunt down my medical records and provide the previous diagnosis of Depression and Osteoarthritis. I know I can do that. I have MRI proof of the OA, and I was once on anti-depressants for about two years. So that should also be in my medical records. I just have to call up the doctor I FIRED and pay them to give me my medical records. Oh! A list from the pharmacist should also be included. Do-able since I already have that somewhere in my tax papers from a couple years ago. Just time consuming, anxiety inducing phone calls and foot work. But in general, no big deal.

After the 45 minute Doctor Skype appointment at the MFT office it takes about another week to get the MMPR card. Upon receiving that I would go in and they will help me make my first purchase online from MedReleaf. The Cannabis Counsellors help you not only make your purchase but also help instruct you in usage. For me that will be great! I still do not yet have a good tolerance of the drug in my system so the suggestion was I might need to use every 4 hours at first to build that tolerance quickly. I’m not ashamed to say every 4 hours sounds a little scary to me…But if it must be done, I will do it…I am a determined woman! 

One of the last things I was told was if the cost of the appointment is prohibitive MFT is in the business of helping, not hindering our access to Medical Marihuana. They can work with me and put a payment plan in place if it’s needed. Secondly, the Medreleaf also can help with cost of purchasing the medical Cannabis. Nothing’s free of course, but knowing that the cost of the medical grade stuff doesn't have to be a prohibitive factor to accessing medicine reduces the stress of having to pay everything out of pocket.

The only thing I want to find out now is about taxes. Out of pocket medical expenses can be claimed on your yearly taxes. If I kept all the recipes from the purchase of Tylenol and Aleve I could claim those as well as the prescriptions I get from the pharmacy, after insurance pays. So would the cost of the doctors appointment and the purchase of medical grade marihuana be included in that tax break? Insurance doesn't cover any of it….I’m sure the Cannabis Counsellors can help answer that question for me when I get around to making my first purchase. So more on that later. 

If you are looking to go legal and have access to the good quality marihuana as well as various strains check out MFTgroup.ca. online or visit them in person. You will not regret it!