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West Virginia Medical Marijuana Card Qualifying Conditions
Medical marijuana cards are available to West Virginians with qualifying medical conditions (and their caregivers), allowing them to buy and possess the drug from state-licensed dispensaries. Although it remains illegal at the federal level, patients with MMJ cards are allowed to use marijuana products in 37 states. The West Virginia Medical Cannabis Act was adopted in 2017.
Many serious medical conditions can be effectively treated with cannabis. With fewer side effects than many conventional interventions, medical marijuana enables patients to regain lost functioning and experience less discomfort/pain. Many people’s quality of life and general well-being are enhanced by the drug.
No disease can be completely cured by cannabis. Instead, it can lessen treatment-related side effects and/or symptoms. This article discusses typical West Virginia qualifying conditions, how cannabis can be used as a complementary treatment option, and what to do if you think cannabis could enhance your quality of life.
Cancer
Cancer treatment was one of the first applications of medical marijuana that became widely accepted. Cells are damaged by the illness and its treatments, resulting in disabling side effects that lower patients’ quality of life.
Cannabis can reduce nausea and increase appetite. Cancer patients benefit from these effects because they can help them maintain their weight and fight off additional illnesses. Additionally, marijuana is a powerful analgesic that reduces nerve pain, which frequently arises as a result of cancer treatment.
Additionally, marijuana has an uplifting effect that helps patients combat symptoms of anxiety and depression that they might experience while recovering.
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition that impairs thinking and affects motor functioning. Its traditional treatment methods have a lot of negative side effects and generally become less effective over time.
Improved hand-eye coordination, a decrease in tremors, and relief from impaired motor control have all been linked to cannabis use in various studies. Many patients claim that cannabis also has a calming effect. Additionally, medical marijuana can mitigate the symptoms of depression and insomnia, two common conditions brought on by the disease.
Crohn’s Disease
The chronic inflammatory condition called Crohn’s disease impairs digestion and results in bloating, cramping, and pain in the abdomen. During flare-ups, the disease’s symptoms can be extremely distressing.
Because marijuana has fewer side effects than narcotic drugs and opioids, it is frequently used by Crohn’s patients to manage pain. Cannabis also diminishes motion sickness and increases appetite, which is often compromised by the severity of this condition’s gastric symptoms.
Doctors hypothesize that cannabis’s anti-inflammatory properties may decrease the severity of flare-ups, but more research is required to confirm this claim.
Chronic Pain
The United States’ legalization of marijuana has been fueled in part by how well the drug relieves pain. Many patients turn to cannabis as a substitute for opioids and other painkillers, which have a high risk of dependence and negative physical side effects.
Marijuana frequently has less severe effects on cognition and focus than prescription drugs. Cannabis successfully blocks pain signals that cross the nervous system, reducing discomfort brought on by neurological conditions, severe injuries, and underlying diseases.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Many patients find that the calming properties of medical marijuana help them manage their PTSD symptoms. Due to changes in the immune system, the disorder results in a long-lasting state of hyperarousal that triggers anxiety, depression, and chronic inflammation.
Cannabis’ sedative properties can assist patients in getting a better night’s sleep, reducing their anxiety, and re-engaging with the world around them. Stress reduction may aid in reducing their inflammatory response as well. Medical marijuana is an effective substitute for the traditional antidepressant drugs currently being used to treat the condition.
Full List of West Virginia Medical Marijuana Card Qualifying Conditions
West Virginia accepts the following qualifying medical conditions:
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Cancer
- Chronic or intractable pain
- Crohn’s disease
- Damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with an objective neurological indication of Intractable spasticity
- Epilepsy and other intractable seizure disorders
- HIV/AIDS
- Huntington’s disease
- Neuropathies/neuropathic conditions
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Sickle cell anemia
- Terminal illness (as defined by a medical prognosis with a life expectancy of one year or less)
Don’t Have a Qualifying Condition on This List?
The Sanctuary can assist you if you do not meet one of the requirements listed above or if you have questions about your ability to obtain an MMJ identification card in West Virginia. A staff member can help you understand the requirements of the state’s medical cannabis program and determine whether you meet the criteria set forth by WV’s medical marijuana laws.
We can then help you get evaluated and, if necessary, recommended for an MMJ card by a compassionate West Virginia medical marijuana doctor. We can also give you advice on how to submit an application to the West Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis (which is overseen by the West Virginia Department of Health) once that licensed doctor issues you a certificate. If you are qualified, this will ensure that you become an official medical cannabis patient and get your medical marijuana ID card as soon as possible.
Your photo ID, such as a driver’s license, will be required for the application, which also involves a background check.
You can buy medical cannabis products like tinctures, dermal patches, dry leaf, topicals (like ointments and creams), gels, vaporization products, and other items containing THC and CBD from dispensaries in the state of West Virginia once you obtain a medical cannabis card and enroll in the state’s medical marijuana program.
