Medical Marijuana Doctors Is There Abuse?

On both sides of the medical marijuana issue, there are doctors that both advocate and oppose its use. The medical marijuana doctors that uphold the legislation that allows legal use of the drug have come under scrutiny as possible abusers of the laws, giving prescriptions to people that are current abusers of the drug, enabling an ongoing drug abuse problem in our society. However, medical marijuana doctors will argue that the requirements under the law prevent such abuses, demanding records of the patients that receive prescriptions and documentation of the diagnoses that prompted the writing of them.

There are several reasons for medical marijuana doctors to provide prescriptions to patients, with documented diagnoses of such illnesses as long term kidney disease, liver disease, cancer, or a diagnosis of terminal forms of these diseases. The medical marijuana doctors must have proof of diagnoses or test the patients themselves in order to substantiate the issuance of a prescription for the drug in any form, as well as the prescribed level of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) that it contains. These records are open to authorities that monitor their activities in order to monitor for any abuse of the laws. However, this prompts patients to wonder about their confidentiality in not only their medical conditions, but also their personal information.

In providing information to monitoring authorities, some feel that medical marijuana doctors are overstepping their bounds in providing for patient confidentiality, while the doctors themselves feel it is necessary for control of the dispensing of medical marijuana. Studies and statistics do not use names or personal information, but only their diagnoses in reporting. However, names and other personal information must be on file to prove that no abuse is taking place in case an investigation is necessary. In some cases, medical marijuana doctors will insist on withholding any personal information citing doctor-patient confidentiality in order to protect the privacy of their patients.

Since prescriptions written by medical marijuana doctors also requires the patient to carry an identification card that shows their prescription is legal, authorities will, in some cases, forgo the acquisition of patient names and personal information in honor of the doctors code of ethics in protecting patients personal information. If it is shown that certain medical marijuana doctors are providing excessive prescriptions, they may be required by law to provide the personal information to prove that an abuse of the laws has not occurred.