Have you considered medical marijuana for anxiety in Maryland or Delaware, but you are not sure how it may help you? Well you aren’t alone. There are many patients considering medical marijuana for anxiety but just aren’t sure how to go about the process in Maryland and Delaware or if it is right for them.
We at Green Relief Health are one of Maryland and Delaware’s leading medical marijuana card doctors. We see patients regularly who are experiencing many symptoms including severe anxiety. If you are unsure about the Maryland or Delaware medical cannabis process, we are here to help. Let us look first at what anxiety is so we can better understand how medical marijuana may help.
What’s The Difference Between Anxiety and Depression?
Anxiety affects 40 million adults in the United States, or around 18.1% of the population. In fact, anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health issue in our country. It has been associated with several other conditions including depression, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, PTSD, insomnia, generalized and/or social anxiety disorder, phobias, eating disorders, and several types of headaches.
It is not hard to see why so many people in Maryland or Delaware may be looking for medical marijuana for anxiety, but what are the symptoms of anxiety?
Symptoms of Anxiety
- Excessive worrying
- Restlessness
- Easily fatigued
- Irritability
- Muscle tension
- Sleep disturbances
Ok so we have an idea of what anxiety is, but what is depression? Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you act, and how you think. The disorder comes with a heavy sadness and a lack of interest in doing activities you once enjoyed. Other symptoms may include a sense of feeling hopelessness, lack of energy, or feeling weighed down. This can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home.
So, in general the symptoms of depression are the following.
Symptoms of Depression
- Sad mood
- Lack of interest in enjoyable activities
- Increase or decrease in appetite
- Lack of energy
- Feeling guilty
- Trouble concentrating
It is easy to see how the two of these conditions can appear similar, but they are not the same thing. However, you can see how medical cannabis could help with both.
How Does Medical Marijuana For Anxiety Work?
One of the most common ways to treat anxiety in patients is to manage the levels of a neurotransmitter in your brain called GABA. These levels are typically managed through a class of medications called benzodiazepines. Here is the problem, though, with this approach. You can build a tolerance to benzodiazepines, which means we often find patients taking more and more of them. The medications cause thousands of overdose deaths each year.
Preliminary research about medical marijuana and anxiety shows cannabis has similar effects to medications like benzodiazepines. The good news is, though, that medical marijuana for anxiety has those similar effects without the risk of overdose.
Medical marijuana also appears to lower levels of cortisol in your body. Cortisol is the hormone that is often associated with how much stress you are feeling. If you have lowered cortisol levels you have a less severe reaction to stress, which can reduce anxiety.
What Form Of Medical Cannabis Works Best?
Maryland and Delaware medical cannabis comes in several different forms, but the two most common types are flower or concentrates.
Smoking marijuana is probably the most common and popular way to use medical cannabis. This method releases the THC and other cannabinoids in the plant like CBD into your lungs by heating it up. It is a quick and effective way to deliver nearly immediate results from medical cannabis. Of course, the drawbacks to smoking anything are that you are smoking. This could have its own health side effects and some patients just do not enjoy the act of smoking.
Another way to consume medical cannabis is through concentrates. Concentrates is a broad term that describes many different types of medical cannabis, but they include things such as oils, vape products, and more. While each clearly has differences in the way you consume them, how they look, or taste the basic idea behind each is the same. They all are products derived from medical marijuana and that offer more cannabinoids per unit compared to the plant in its natural state.
The benefits to concentrates are that they do not require you to smoke cannabis, which some patients cannot for a variety of reasons. In addition, they are a more concentrated form of THC, which means they can potentially deliver stronger results.
How Do You Get Medical Marijuana For Anxiety?
The process to access medical marijuana for anxiety in Maryland and Delaware is simple. The first part of the process in Maryland is applying with the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission online. The application will make you answer basic questions like your address, telephone number, and email address. In addition to get a Maryland medical card you must establish your residency in Maryland by submitting an ID or some other forms of identification to prove where you live. Finally, you will need to upload a passport photo. We have seen many applications get denied because this photo was not done right so be sure to either read the guidelines closely or have a center help you through this part of the application.
Once you have submitted this application to apply for your medical card you will need to find a medical marijuana doctor. The MMJ doctor’s office will need two things from you to get you certified to access medical marijuana for anxiety. The first is some medical records documenting your qualifying medical condition. There are several things that can show this but often medical records such as a doctor’s note or prescription can demonstrate your qualifying condition. In addition to your records, the medical cannabis doctor will also need the medical ID number that you receive back from the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission to complete your certification. Once you have these things your doctor will be able to certify you in a quick process that will allow you to immediately access a Maryland medical marijuana dispensary.
In Delaware, once your provider at Green Relief Health has filled out the Provider Certification form on your behalf you must complete the rest of the application packet. It contains two pages of demographic/employment information and a Medical Release Form that you must sign and initial. It is important to note that you MUST apply within 90 days of the provider’s signature.
You can find the official state application (including all three forms – the Provider Certification Form, the Patient Application, and the Medical Release Form) here. Once you complete the application packet, submit it (along with the $50 application fee) to:
Delaware Division of Public Health
Medical Marijuana Program
ATTN: MMP, Suite 140
417 Federal Street
Dover, DE 19901
You can fill out the application and apply online. However, the Division does not accept faxed and electronic submissions of applications. Also, under certain circumstances, the Division may waive the application fee. You can check whether you qualify for a fee waiver by accessing this form.
The Delaware Health and Social Services department will either approve or deny your application within 45 calendar days. If anything is missing or incomplete, the department will return the form to you with instructions for resubmission. If it rejects your request, you must wait a minimum of six months before you can reapply.
The bottom line is that if you are interested in getting medical marijuana for anxiety in Maryland or Delaware you should consult a good medical cannabis provider. They will help walk you through the process to ensure that you are able to access medical cannabis as quickly and as easily as possible.
