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The medical marijuana scene in Missouri feels very much like the recreational market in other states. It seems to ignore the average patient who is curious about natural relief from chronic pain, anxiety, and a long list of other qualifying conditions.
People who have no experience, those who experimented years ago but have been out of the loop, and patients with a low tolerance may feel too intimidated to dive into cannabis head first—as it seems that one must do in order to get natural relief in the Show-Me state.
At Missouri Marijuana Card, we are thrilled that you have the opportunity to take control of your own treatment plan through legal, medicinal cannabis; and we think that education is the key to feeling confident with your choices about plant medicine.
Our customer support staff is here six days a week to answer your questions when you call us at (877) 303-3117, and our compassionate doctors offer unlimited follow-up appointments to ensure the best care for the time that you have a valid card through us.
Whether you call yourself a lightweight, or you simply have little to no experience with cannabis, this post is for you. We are going to help you understand the process of getting started with medical marijuana, and we’ll give you some pointers for getting natural relief without feeling knocked out.
Medical Marijuana is Legal to Purchase, Possess, Use, and Even Grow in Missouri
Let’s get this part out of the way first: When you have a qualifying condition in Missouri (of which there are many), then you can get a recommendation from a marijuana doctor and start making purchases at any dispensary in the state. You can also apply for a home cultivation ID and grow your own marijuana plants if you want to put your green thumb to the test.
And even though people are still uncomfortable talking about it, most of the country thinks that cannabis should be legalized in some way. Popular public opinion no longer supports the stigma that many of us still associate with marijuana, and education is the key to understanding.
It’s Easy to Qualify for Medical Marijuana in Missouri
Qualifying for medical marijuana is easy in Missouri! Marijuana is becoming recognized as a legitimate medicine for a wide array of conditions, because it works with the endocannabinoid system—a network of receptors that affect almost every other system in the body.
Missouri has a couple dozen conditions on its list of conditions commonly treated with medical marijuana, and doctors are also able to recommend cannabis for any other condition they think would benefit from this form of therapy.
If you are unsure if you might qualify, give us a call at (877) 303-3117, and we can help you figure out if it would be beneficial for you to have an appointment with one of our doctors.
Missouri Dispensaries Offer a Wide Variety of Products
News about the Missouri market has been dominated by stories of political challenges, and of dispensaries and producers struggling to open. Add this to major advertising restrictions, and it may be hard to know what you can get and where you can get it.
Dispensaries started 2021 off with an admittedly paltry selection of cannabis products, with the one or two vape pen strains that came out in March selling out faster than they could be stocked.
However, now that producers are finally getting into full swing, new cannabis products are becoming available all the time! You can now find a wide selection of flower for vaping and smoking, vape cartridges, edibles, beverages, and concentrates like shatter and crumble at just about every dispensary in the state.
Unfortunately, tinctures and topicals—popular among patients who are mostly looking for the medicinal effects without the buzz—are still difficult to find. But we are going to help you work with what’s currently available until more gentle products hit the shelves.
Start Low, Go Slow
Knowing which products work for you and how much to take can require a bit of experimentation. While we think that this is part of the fun, we don’t want to see you give up on cannabis to treat your condition because of a bad experience.
We tell everyone who is new to cannabis (or has taken a long hiatus from it) to start low and go slow. We want you to start feeling better as quickly as possible, but it generally takes a bit of time to understand how your body will respond to your new treatment.
Try One New Cannabis Product at a Time
Everyone who has been using medical marijuana for a while has their own routine, and their own combination of products that they like to use. We encourage you to try every product on Missouri shelves and your own DIY cannabis products as well if you want. But, we suggest trying them one at a time so you know which products have specific effects.
When you start using a new cannabis product, we suggest waiting a month before adding anything else to be completely sure of the results. However, we understand that you may be too excited to wait once you start feeling the benefits of natural treatments. Give it at least a week or two to ensure you are comfortable with how your product makes you feel, before adding another product into the mix.
Start With the Lowest Dose Possible, Increase Dosing Gradually
Smoking or Vaping
Vaping or smoking cannabis will produce the fastest results out of any of the product formats available in Missouri. They generally start taking effect within five to ten minutes, which makes them easier to gauge and control. They also start to wear off within one to three hours, which makes it much easier to plan your day if you are going to use enough to get impaired.
You can find flower with a lower concentration of THC in Missouri dispensaries, but low THC vape cartridges are another story. You’ll have to be very careful if you decide to start by using a vape pen or cartridge, because the standard concentration for those is around 70% or more.
Lower THC Marijuana Flower in Missouri Dispensaries
Pineapple Upside Down Wedding Cake from Sinse (12.55% THC)
24k Gold from Flora Farms (16.57% THC)
Flora3 from Flora Farms (15.1%)
Tang Pie from Flora Farms (13.61%)
How to Get Started With Flower and Vapes
Take one or two puffs (for vapes, start with one puff), then and wait for at least ten minutes before taking any more. Keep going until you’ve hit your sweet spot, make note of how much it took to get you there, and try starting off just a little bit less than the total amount you needed next time (starting off with less will account for the extended amount of time you took to get there the first time, and it will protect you from becoming uncomfortably buzzed the second time around).
Edibles
Edibles are a favorite among people who use medical marijuana for pain, because they are discreet, their effects are felt more in the body than with inhalation, and they can last for up to 8 hours.
If you are getting started with edibles, get the lowest dose you can find, then consider taking half or even a fourth. Edibles are notorious for being difficult to master because they take up to two hours to start taking effect. However, understanding how they work can help you get the most out of this longer-lasting form of consumption.
Great Gummies for Beginners at Missouri Dispensaries
Zoet High CBD Gummies - 5mg THC and 25mg CBD each piece
Robhots 10:1 Gummies - 10mg THC and 100mg CBD each piece
Honeybee Mango Chile Gummies - 5mg THC each piece
How to Get Started With Edibles
The effects of edibles can sneak up on you, so we suggest trying them for the first time on a day when you have nothing else to do. Make sure you eat something light, and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Start with either half of a gummy that has 5mg of THC, or a fourth of a gummy with 10mg of THC, so you don’t accidentally overdo it on the first try. Either way, you are getting about 2.5mg of THC on your first dose.
Wait for two hours before taking more. If you feel like 2.5mg wasn’t enough, then take another 2.5mg of THC.
Take note of how you feel after each dose, but don’t take more than two doses in a given day.
If you end up feeling like you took too much, don’t panic. Know that the effects will subside within a couple of hours. Eat something, drink some water, and watch something good on TV.
Try taking just the first small dose next time if two small doses was too much. If you were comfortable with what you took, then repeat the dosing schedule for at least two weeks, and ideally one month.
Once you’re comfortable with the effects, you can work your way into taking a larger dose at once instead of breaking it into two. Pick another day when you don’t have much to do and take either a full 5mg THC gummy or half a 10mg THC gummy.
Repeat the process until you’ve found your sweet spot!
Sublingual Tinctures
With sublingual tinctures, you have a couple of different options for dosing. You can either take them sublingually, or you can add them to food and beverages or swallow them like an edible. If you take a tincture sublingually, then it will take effect within 20 to 60 minutes. If you take it like an edible, it will work like an edible and take up to two hours to kick in.
Taking a tincture like an edible means that you can follow the guidelines for getting started with an edible. Simply replace “gummy” with “dropperful.” If you’re going to take it sublingually, then you can still follow the guidelines for edibles. Just cut your wait time between the first dose and the second dose down to one hour instead of two.
Great Tinctures for Beginners at Missouri Dispensaries
Amend 1:10 Tincture - 3.33mg THC, 30.33mg CBD per dropperful
Amend 1:1 Tincture - 3.33mg THC, 3.33mg CBD per dropperful
Give Us a Call if You Still Have Questions!
At Missouri Marijuana Card, our goal is to help you get all the information you need in order to make the best choices for your health. If you are still feeling hesitant to try medical marijuana for your symptoms, give our dedicated patient support team a call at (877) 303-3117.
We can help you understand the available products and how to use them, and we offer unlimited follow-up appointments for the entire time your card is valid with us if you use our physician referral service.
What are you waiting for? Make an appointment today, to start getting the relief you deserve!
Doctors Who Care. Relief You Can Trust.
At Missouri Marijuana Card, our mission is helping everyone achieve wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana. Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce stigma for our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
Call us at (877) 303-3117, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
Check out Missouri Marijuana Card’s Blog to keep up to date on the latest medical marijuana news, tips, and information. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to join the medical marijuana conversation in Missouri.
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