Medical Marijuana Agent Training Course

Objectives

• By the end of this course the agent should be familiar with: -The risks, benefits and side effects of medical marijuana -Recognising the signs and symptoms of substance abuse -What support can be provided to clientele for self assessment of symptoms -Other options for clients who do not like using medical marijuana.

• The course has four parts: There is a short quiz for each part.

• The whole course should be about four hours. It is intended to be informative and entertaining. So, let's get started!

Part One: Marijuana Overview

• Start with the following video Medical Cannabis and its Impact on Health, full documentary. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNnXOtms13Q

• After you have seen the video, please take the quiz. This quiz can be found at http://makeaquiz.net/j7xdJz

Part Two: Risks, side effects and benefits

• A: Effect of Marijuana on Thought and Memory/marijuana ( howcast original) video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPNTGPb2Mxg

• B: Physical Effects /marijuana ( howcast original) video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsQdDoYhw34

• C: Other effects according to the American Cancer Society are slow reaction time, lower blood pressure, fast heart rate, dizziness, heart palpitations and tremor. Serious heart problems are rare.

• D: Marijuana is an herb. It should be considered in that manner. In doing so we can find that herbs in general have many different positive effects on the body. Generally, in herbal medicine when there is an overdose, the person vomits or has diarrhea. With marijuana, the person falls asleep.

Part Two continued

• E: With edibles becoming more popular people are at greater risk of experiencing uncomfortable effects from marijuana, especially when these products look and taste so good. If someone ingests too much they may feel like they are in serious trouble! Hospitals are seeing more marijuana overdoses. Usually they are given a sedative to help them sleep it off.

I have noticed slight tremors in chronic marijuana use where the hands shake before grasping an object or upon starting to move. Why? It may be due to lack of hydration. Here in the desert it is always a challenge to stay hydrated. Marijuana has a drying effect on the body. We need more information on this.

On the subject of paranoia as a side effect of marijuana; I heard Willie Nelson say something to the effect that we weren't paranoid. Marijuana was illegal. They really had people after us! We weren't supposed to be smoking/eating pot! Maybe that contributed to the paranoia.

Part Two continued

• F: Helping the client assess their symptoms The state of Arizona requires that dispensary agents have a way for clientele to assess their pain. This helps them in many ways:

o they can get a better idea of triggers for pain o they can tell what helps the pain o by getting a different perspective on their pain o Helping the doctor recognize pain syndromes

The following forms are available at the dispensary and can be printed and given to patients: Pain Rating Scale

Hour by hour check list (Daily Pain Diary) This quiz can be found at http://makeaquiz.net/AkTrQm

Part Three: Recognizing signs and symptoms of substance abuse

• Being a dispensary agent today is somewhat similar to being a pharmacist, since marijuana is a medicine in the State of Arizona. You have the front line to the public. The following is a guideline for making your decisions about whether or not to serve the patient. Watch for signs such as

o Glassy eyes

o Blood shot eyes

o Being tired or drowsy

o Uncoordinated gait

o Dilated pupils

o Anything out of the ordinary

Your role, among other things, is to protect both the public and the dispensary. Ultimately, you must use your own judgment. It's good to be informed.

Notify the physician when

o A patient shows signs of impairment

o There is inappropriate behavior

o There has been a report of an adverse reaction to marijuana

o There is a medical problem

o There are questions being asked you cannot answer

• A: Since many qualifying patients are very familiar with the problem of substance abuse, the next video Utterly Addicted to Oxycontin- documentary, is a must see. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEL3gAyKk_E Obviously this problem is not only in Tucson AZ!

• B: Methamphetamine is a drug of choice for many people. Faces of Meth Before and After Mug Shots video is very self explanatory and very revealing. Have you seen them around? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT9sUA82KHc

• This quiz can be found at http://makeaquiz.net/pR48Lg

Part Four: Other options for the patient if marijuana is not tolerated

• In the dispensary there is my original "old school remedy" which can stand alone or be used in conjunction with marijuana. There is also wood betony at the dispensary. Please refer to the product page of this website. http://saludtoyourhealth.wordpress.com/

• Outside of the dispensary there are many modalities to improve heath and reduce pain. To name a

few: Massage Acupuncture Meditation Nutrition Hydrotherapy Trigger point release

Please refer back to my website for more treatment options.

• Patients may also ask their physician for non opiate, topical medicines for their pain. Custom blended from a compounding pharmacy, these products are often well tolerated and very effective.

To take this quiz http://makeaquiz.net/K8udG4

The End