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Why Is It Important to Keep a Medical Marijuana Patient Journal ?
Your personal MMJ patient journal can be customized for you . by Leah Maurer , contributing writer
Leah
Leah Maurer , a native Missourian , is now a canna-journalist and activist living in Portland , OR . She is a co-owner of
www . TheWeedBlog . com ; a top national cannabis news and information publication , where she serves as the Editorial Lead . In 2014 , Leah founded Moms for YES on Measure 91 through grassroots efforts alone , it proved pivotal in the passage of the Measure , successfully legalizing recreational / adult-use cannabis in the OR . Leah is a social justice and cannabis activist at the core and hopes to see an end to the prohibition of cannabis globally .
Not knowing how your medicine will affect you might be the most difficult part of navigating being a medical marijuana patient . Because of the federal prohibition of cannabis , only private research platforms and universities have been able to collect any data on the medicinal uses of cannabis and how differing strains and methods of delivery work . And , since our endocannabinoid systems are all slightly different , the way one strain of cannabis affects you may affect your friend entirely different . This brings us to the importance of keeping a Missouri Medical Marijuana ( MMJ ) patient journal .
Your personal MMJ patient journal can be customized for you , but it should include the same basic information as a more professional-style journal . The goal of keeping a journal is to help your use of cannabis be as medicinally effective as possible — whether you ’ re looking at conditions or symptoms for physical health , mental health , or both . The most important thing is that you keep a journal , whether it ’ s a notebook in a designated spot or a set of notes that you keep on a cellular phone , computer , or another digital device . Make it fit your lifestyle , and be diligent about using it regularly .
In your MMJ patient journal , you should keep track of the following information :
1 . |
Date and time of consumption . |
2 . |
Type of delivery method used ( smoked , |
vaped , ingested , etc .). |
3 . Name of product consumed ( brand and product type ) and / or date of harvest / batch number if you are a home grower .
4 . Type of strain if known . You can sometimes glean this information from your budtenders if it is not clearly labeled on the product , which sometimes is the case with edibles or tinctures , but flower and extracts typically tell you on their packaging . 5 . Most prevalent terpenes ( if known ). 6 . Percentage of THC and CBD ( and other cannabinoids if listed , such as THCa , CBN , or CBG etc .).
7 . Any motivations for consuming cannabis at this time and the symptoms you want to treat . Location ( what are you doing / where are you / who are you with ) and position ( sitting , standing , dancing , lying down , etc .). It is also good to note food and water intake or anything else you recently consumed ( especially caffeine or alcohol ).
8 . If you ’ re taking any supplements or medications besides cannabis .
9 . The response time / how long it took for the onset of effect .
10 . What was the effect ( sleepy , energized , anxious , happy , relaxed , etc .) and for how long ? It has been recommended to record this at four stages : A ) when you first feel relief , B ) the peak of relief , C ) when the feeling starts to taper off , D ) when it ’ s gone .
Some patients also like to include the dispensary they purchased from , pricing , and even the date of purchase so they can see how long it lasts them . Patients who primarily