As medical marijuana becomes more popular and more widely recommended, it is important to note that in the State of Ohio, there are only two approved psychiatric conditions for which medical marijuana should be recommended - PTSD and Tourette’s Disorder.  All other approved conditions in Ohio are related to pain or are neurological conditions.

1. If you are a patient who is using medical marijuana for a "non-approved" psychiatric reason (other than PTSD or Tourette's Disorder), we recommend that you don’t continue with the medical marijuana treatment because marijuana is addictive and is known to worsen depression, can cause mania and psychosis, can cause long term memory problems, can cause long term health problems, and can increase the frequency and severity of anxiety/panic attacks.  If you want to continue medical marijuana treatment for these "non-approved" psychiatric reasons, we recommend you seek psychiatric treatment elsewhere.  The American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, American Society of Addiction Medicine, and American Academy of Neurology all oppose or do not support medical marijuana use. 
2. If you are a patient who is receiving medical marijuana and you do have a verifiable diagnosis of PTSD or Tourette’s Disorder, we will also verify that you have tried and failed traditional treatments (medications and therapy).  This is the law in the State of Ohio.  This caveat is in place so that everyone doesn’t “rush” to receive medical marijuana in lieu of traditional therapies.  If you have a verifiable diagnosis, have tried and failed traditional treatments, and medical marijuana seems appropriate for you (there is no history of mania or psychosis or addiction), then we will need to monitor your usage over time and will need a release of information on file to send your records to your medical marijuana provider to keep them updated about your clinical condition.  If we discover a pattern of increasing use, diversion, or misuse, or if your clinical condition is worsening in some way, we must notify your medical marijuana provider immediately.
3. If you are a patient who is receiving medical marijuana for a "medical" reason (non-psychiatric), then we will need to monitor your usage over time and will need a release of information on file to send your records to your medical marijuana provider to keep them updated about your clinical condition.  If we discover a pattern of increasing use, diversion, or misuse, or if your clinical condition is worsening in some way that we feel is related to your medical marijuana use, we must notify your medical marijuana provider immediately.
   
4. If you are receiving a controlled substance from us while also receiving medical marijuana for any reason, we must be extra cautious.  Medical marijuana is a controlled substance, but there are no dosage guidelines or use guidelines available for it.  It is our job to monitor this and discuss any concerning use with you and to notify your medical marijuana provider immediately.