In 1987, during my freshman year at Lehigh University, our first English assignment was to write a letter to an elected official advocating for a controversial issue of our choosing. I decided to write my United States Congressman to express why I believed marijuana...
This past week, both the Florida Senate and House passed a new medical cannabis statute (SB 182: Medical Use of Marijuana). The full bill can be read here. The primary goal for this bill is to allow for flowers/buds sold by state authorized dispensaries, that patients...
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the medical conditions listed explicitly in Florida’s medical cannabis statute. It is an autoimmune disease that produces symptoms including muscle, joint, and nerve pain; fatigue; muscle spasms and twitches; bladder, bowel, and...
I have recently been delving more deeply into the cellular function of our body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). Named after the plant that led to its discovery (cannabis), the ECS is an essential physiological system for establishing and maintaining human health....
I have written medical cannabis blogs for more than a year without referencing Cheech and Chong, the stereotypical pot smokers from the late 70’s and early 80’s movies. Now that the courts have ruled it unconstitutional for the State of Florida to prohibit qualified...
by David Merger, M.D. Medical cannabis has been effectively used for pain relief for thousands of years. Today, one of the most common reasons people seek out medical cannabis is to relieve various pain syndromes. The active ingredients in medical cannabis (i.e.,...
Every week I am amazed by the remarkable improvements many of my patients have been making with the use of various medical cannabis products. I will share stories from time to time because I know many of you love hearing success stories. A couple of weeks ago I saw an...
Although 71% of Florida voters approved medical marijuana in the 2016 election, state legislators initially failed to pass regulations implementing Amendment 2. Recently in a special legislative session, the legislature overwhelmingly passed a measure that Governor...