Medical Marijuana: Doctors Need To Provide Higher Level of Care, Says Report

Doctors in Oregon prescribing medical marijuana for their patients need to make sure to fully evaluate them, provide actual treatment and develop a follow-up plan. That's according to a new report from the Oregon Health Authority.

The report also states that doctors should provide documentation in the patient's medical record.

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The report, which was submitted earlier this month to the state legislature, is called Clinical Guidelines Work Group: Guidelines for Attending Physicians When Recommending the Medical Use of Marijuana.

It details recommendations to physicians on appropriate care of a patient diagnosed with one or more debilitating conditions for which the physician is recommending the medical use of marijuana.

Those conditions include cancer; glaucoma; a degenerative or pervasive neurological condition; positive HIV or AIDS status; or a side effect related to treating these conditions. Also qualifying are a medical condition or treatment for a condition that produces cachexia; severe pain; severe nausea; seizures; persistent muscle spasms; or post-traumatic stress disorder.

"What this report is saying is that patients for whom medical use of marijuana is recommended deserve the same minimum level of care as those prescribed any medication to treat a debilitating condition," the manager of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program at the OHA Public Health Division, Andre Ourso, said in a release.

You can read the whole report here.

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