Over the last several years, fake or uncaring marijuana doctors have been popping up throughout the country.
Unfortunately, This can make finding a legitimate doctor and receiving treatment difficult. Luckily, there are ways to avoid being scammed or mistreated by fraudulent providers.
Let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents
Look For Options
When trying to find a legit medical marijuana doctor, the first thing you must do is discover which options are available to you.
You can find doctors by searching online, asking friends and family, or asking your primary caregiver for suggestions or a referral.
Search Online
There are a few ways that you can search online for doctors. The first way would be going to google maps, typing in marijuana doctors, and obtaining a list. Searching in maps will give you many options but often leaves out less prominent or known doctor’s offices that may be just as good or better.
For a full list of options, you can check out doctor search engine websites that have most or all providers in your area on file. Using these search functions is usually as simple as typing in your zip code.
Ask Your Friends and Family
If you have friends or family that are previous or current marijuana patients, you should consider asking them about their experiences with providers.
When talking to your friends, some questions to ask are:
- Do you like your doctor?
- What do you like about them?
- What do you not like about them?
- Do you have suggestions of who to avoid?
Remember to write down the comments and suggestions made so you can review them later on.
Talk to Your Doctor
A great way to find a marijuana doctor is by asking your primary caregiver for suggestions or referrals.
Some states require a referral to see a marijuana doctor. Therefore, asking your primary for advice might be a necessary starting point.
Your current provider should have a good idea of what type of care would work best for you. So, your doctor’s referral may be the most reliable.
Look at Reviews
The next step in finding a good marijuana doctor is taking the list of doctors you compiled and narrowing your decision down by looking at reviews.
When looking at reviews, you will want to take note of the following:
- Overall star rating.
- Negative comments.
- Positive comments.
- The number of reviews.
Generally, you can tell if reviews are fake if there seems to be a pattern of the same phrases being used, multiple 5-star reviews were placed within a few days, or many comments were made with poor grammar.
Look into The Doctor’s History
If a doctor is legitimate, it should be fairly easy to find information on their background and history.
You can find these details on the Federation of State Medical Boards website by using the DocInfo.org search function.
While on the website, you will want to look for board certifications, education history, active licenses, and any malpractice or disciplinary actions against them.
If everything checks out for each doctor you research, you may struggle to narrow your options. In this case, it may be helpful to select a doctor that participates in research studies.
Having a doctor involved in studies is great because it shows that they are actively trying to learn more about your conditions and the way marijuana affects them.
To find out if a doctor is participating in research, google the doctor’s name with the phrase “publication” or “research”.
Conclusion
Medical marijuana patient numbers are rapidly increasing as states follow suit with legalization.
Unfortunately, as with every popular product and service, fakes, scammers, and careless people are beginning to show their faces to profit from the medical marijuana hype.
With so many illegitimate providers and websites out there, finding a good doctor can be quite difficult.
However, there are some ways to ensure that your doctor is legit and that your personal information and health are safe.
During your search for a medical marijuana doctor, talk to your friends and family and search online to compile a list of all applicable providers.
Next, look at the reviews left by current or previous patients and pay attention to negative, positive, and possibly fake feedback.
Lastly, look into each doctor’s history, certifications, credentials, and possible actions against them.
