As of this week, on Thursday, May 28, physicians in West Virginia will be able to register with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources so that they can prescribe medical cannabis to hopeful, future patients in the state.
According to CBS Fox 59, physicians will be able to submit requests through the Bureau of Public Health’s Office of Medical Cannabis, the organization who will be handling all things when it comes to legal, medical cannabis in West Virginia.
“The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health, Office of Medical Cannabis is committed to a goal of less than two years for patients with a qualifying medical condition being able to procure quality-tested medical cannabis in West Virginia,” the official application website explains regarding the process.
As well as applying, interested physicians must take a four-hour education course online at medcanwv.org.
Steady Progress In West Virginia
As of now, the application period will remain open, as there is no limit as to how many interested physicians can apply to prescribe cannabis.
“Physician registration and training are essential steps to make medical cannabis available to West Virginians with serious medical conditions,” said Jason Frame, Director of the Office of Medical Cannabis. “The Office of Medical Cannabis continues to work during the COVID-19 pandemic with the goal of providing eligible state residents with the ability to procure quality-tested medical cannabis as soon as possible. We have been able to maintain previously established timelines by utilizing alternative work platforms in keeping with the Governor’s social distancing directive.”
For those looking to get prescribed medical cannabis, physician registration is a big step forward, and patients are now one step closer to accessing the medicine they need. However, the process is far from complete. It will still be a while before product is readily available and people are hitting the dispensary to get relief like in many medical states. Still, the combination of this step forward and decriminalization plans are looking positive for the state.
As some states have agreed to legalize marijuana, both for medicinal and recreational use, more and more people are turning to cannabis in hopes of managing severe illnesses and anxiety. Fortunately, the scientific community has recently started examining the effect of cannabis on anxiety and to some severe diseases, and the verdict is that short-term benefits do exist.