It was not until one day, when I casually asked again how to go about getting a medical marijuana card, that a longtime friend, both on Facebook and in real-time, answered specifically that the best dispensary was Harborside in Oakland and I could get a card through HelloMD. Since my friend’s husband is a retired physician, I felt that gave the answer a great deal of credibility. I checked out both resources online and, for the first time, I had a clear picture in mind of what I needed to do next.
On October 28, because we didn’t have church that day, I spent some time on the HelloMD website. I learned that they served only the states of California and New York, which are “legal” medical marijuana states. After completing a detailed questionnaire online, and paying $59, I was able to get an immediate online consultation with one of the MDs in San Francisco, Dr. Sharon Olson.
She took time to explain to me the differences between CBD and THC, between indica and sativa, and to tell me that the quickest way to relieve migraine pain was vaping. “Twenty minutes, tops,” she said, “and it will totally knock out a migraine!” She knew because she herself is a migraineur. I was impressed. She explained that vaping cannabis is nothing like vaping tobacco. She told me, “Vaporizing is more like an asthmatic inhaler than it is like smoking but I remind you to always do little puffs so you do not irritate your throat.”
She explained the various forms of medical cannabis, most commonly tablets, lozenges, tinctures, and edibles. And she cautioned, as all medical cannabis practitioners do, to “Start low and go up slowly with your dose.” She also talked about topicals—salves and balms—stating that they can relieve muscle and joint pains for 4 to 6 hours. Apart from cannabis, and I suspect based on my age, Dr. Olson suggested I should get a blood test for vitamin D. Quite unexpectedly, she said, “Consider eliminating all free glutamates from your diet since they are neurologically toxic especially to people who have migraines or anxiety issues.” Finally, like any good doctor should, she cautioned about possible side effects, what to do, and how to avoid.
Her physician’s statement read as follows: “Based on our consultation, I am recommending the use of medical marijuana.”
Within an hour after the online consultation, I had received a PDF of the official Recommendation and an image of the medical cannabis card. Five days later, I received hard copies of both in the postal mail.
