The Easiest Way to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Sarasota

How people in Sarasota, Florida with chronic pain can register as a medical marijuana patient with ease.

Living in Sarasota is an ideal situation for many Floridians. It’s nightly sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico and proximity to beautiful places like Myakka River State Park mean close access to nature. Its plethora of cultural curiosities like the Ringling’s Museum of Art gives it a unique feel and splendid variety. Sarasota seems to have everything one would need.

But how do people with chronic pain manage themselves in Sarasota? What’s their best option for living their best lives?

Since Amendment 2 went into effect in November of 2016, Floridians with chronic pain have been hearing more about medical cannabis to treat it. It has them asking, ‘is medical marijuana better than my current treatment options for my chronic pain?’

Is Medical Marijuana a Better Option to Treat Chronic Pain?

When considering medical marijuana in Sarasota, it’s important to remember that the State has a list of ‘qualifying conditions.’

These conditions include:

●      Back Pain

●      Cachexia

●      Diabetes

●      Hepatitis C

●      Muscular Dystrophy

●      Irritable Bowel Syndrome

●      Lyme Disease

●      Arthritis

●      Migraines

●      Muscle Spasms

●      Other Conditions that result in traumatic stress

Included in the long list of qualifying conditions is ‘severe and chronic pain.’ That means that the State of Florida will grant someone a medical marijuana card for dealing with chronic pain. If you have any of the conditions on the full list, it’s likely a doctor will write you a recommendation for a medical marijuana card in Sarasota.

That leaves us with the original question: is medical cannabis a better treatment option for chronic pain?

For most people dealing with chronic pain, they are traditionally given opiates like morphine or Vicodin. These drugs have proven to be quite harmful, however. The President has called the rates of overdose death by opiates a ‘national emergency.’ According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly 30,000 Americans lost their lives to these types of drugs. In the same year, the Drug Enforcement Agency reported that zero deaths related to marijuana overdose had been recorded.

In terms of overall toxicity, medical cannabis is clearly safer than any opiate. However, the toxicity of medicine isn’t the only measure that counts. How well does medical cannabis treat chronic pain?

Here are a few studies and reports and what they’ve said about medical cannabis for pain:

I.              Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2017

 “Recent epidemiological studies have provided initial evidence for a possible reduction in opioid pharmacotherapy for pain as a result of the increased implementation of medical cannabis regimens.”

In other words, as people who were taking opiates began taking cannabis for their pain, they slowly moved off of their opiates altogether or used them in conjunction. Thus, the patients were mitigating the negative side effects of opioid treatment.

2. Marijuana as Medicine? The Science Behind the Controversy

“Peripheral nerves that detect pain sensations contain abundant receptors for cannabinoids, and cannabinoids appear to block peripheral nerve pain...even more encouraging, basic studies suggest that opiates and cannabinoids suppress pain through different mechanisms. If that is the case, marijuana-based medicines could perhaps be combined with opiates to boost their pain-relieving power while limiting their side effects.”

That is to say that cannabis blocks pain in a unique way, different from opiates. Which may help explain why they are viable for people who want to move off their ineffective opiates.

3. Current Pain and Headache Reports, 2018

“The results suggest medical cannabis may be as tolerable and effective as current neuropathic agents.”

This means that medical cannabis is likely just as powerful an a pain-reliever as any opiate a doctor may prescribe.

4. Current Rheumatology Reports, 2017

“We found that inhaled (smoked or vaporized) cannabis is consistently effective in reducing chronic non-cancer pain. Oral cannabinoids seem to improve some aspects of chronic pain (sleep and general quality of life), or cancer chronic pain.”

That means that inhaled cannabis is recognized as a treatment for chronic pain and improving sleep and quality of life.

While everyone reacts differently to cannabis and its variety of cultivars, there is significant evidence to suggest that medical marijuana is a better treatment option for chronic pain.

What does that mean for people who want to get medical marijuana in Sarasota?

How Do I Get a Medical Marijuana Card Online in Sarasota?

Before you can get a medical marijuana card online in Sarasota, you’ll have to have a recommendation from a qualified doctor. Luckily, there is a well-respected and knowledgeable doctor right in the city. Dr. Gerald E. Grubbs first established his own practice in 2006. Since then, he has built a reputation as a thoughtful and wise doctor.

His wisdom led him away from the Big Pharma approach to healing and towards a more natural approach. Now, he treats patients in search of plant-based medicines and helps them find relief in their life without harmful pharmaceuticals.

Before you can apply online for your medical marijuana card, set up an appointment with Dr. Grubbs office. You’ll be asked to attend an in-person consultation. There, the doctor will check our vitals, examine your medical history, and try to understand your needs. Should Dr. Grubbs concur that you have a qualifying condition, he will write you a recommendation for a medical cannabis card. He will also upload you into Florida’s Registry so you can then apply online for your medical marijuana card anywhere in Sarasota.

In order to apply online, you’ll follow a few easy steps:

1. Go to this website to find all the information you’ll need from the State of Florida.
2. Access the Registry here to start your application.
3. Use the login credentials that Dr. Grubbs will have sent to your email address upon uploading you to the Registry.
4. Complete your application and pay your $75 fee.

In total, you’ll pay the $99 to establish your care with your new doctor, $199 for the first examination, and $75 fee to the State. For $274, you can get your medical marijuana card in Sarasota.