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What do you think of when you hear the word “dispensary?” Chances are it brings to mind a place where a patient can go to legally obtain medical marihuana. Even a quick internet search for “medical marihuana” will give you multiple results for “dispensaries” including news articles for local facilities to purchase medical marihuana. However, Michigan’s department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) has made it clear that you can’t call them a “dispensary”.
Isn’t a “dispensary” the definition of a place to buy medical marihuana?
No, not really. The word “dispensary” is a colloquialism; although it’s a popular and widely accepted term for many people, it’s not the actual definition of the word. According to to the Michigan Public Health Code section 333.17711, words such as “dispensary”, “pharmacy”, “apothecary”, “drugstore”, and even “medicine store” are restricted words that can only be used in accordance with the Public Health Code Part 177. Even though it may not seem like most people would associate the term “dispensary” with other types of non-marihuana medicine, it’s an exclusive term that cannot be used in reference to a medical marihuana facility in Michigan.
So what do we call a place to legally obtain medical marihuana?
A provisioning center. According to the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act a “provisioning center [is] to mean a licensee that is a commercial entity that purchases marihuana from a grower or processor and sells, supplies, or provides marihuana to registered qualifying patients or registered primary caregivers.” So don’t call it a “dispensary”, call it a provisioning center: a place to legally get your medical marihuana.
Interested in learning more about using cannabis treatments to aid your mental health? Schedule a consultation with an expert. If you’re in the Ann Arbor area, contact the team at Arbors Wellness for a free consultation.
Throughout human history and across the globe, people have and continue to use cannabis to reach a heightened spiritual state. From South Asia to the West Indies, cannabis has been used all over the world in sacred ceremonies, rituals, magic and medicine. This likely is a result of the plant’s incredible ability to alter a person’s consciousness. Meditation can be used to create a similar altered state, and the use of cannabis during meditation can have expanding results.
Meditation can help center the mind, release tension throughout the body, and refocus energy in a positive direction. Many people find their meditation enhanced with the addition of smoked, vaped, or eaten cannabis. Because meditation is a very personal experience, people tend to look for a wide variety of effects from cannabis to guide their mental journey. The following strains have numerous traits that can be used together or independently to achieve a variety of desirable results:
Most people are familiar with THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) cannabis’ most popular cannabinoid. When activated, it is the medication that provides pain relief but also intoxicates. This medicine provides many patients with the results that they seek. Still, THC is not right for everyone, and many patients have a difficult time dealing with the disorienting side effects. It may surprise you to find out that cannabis actually produces other lesser known cannabinoids that do not disorient and can even reduce the intoxicating effects of THC. The diversity and similarity of these medications may get a bit complicated. This is largely because cannabis is a complex plant with an extensive assortment of medicinal properties. There are numerous components in every cannabis plan, and this article will discuss a few of these lesser known cannabinoids.
The world of medical cannabis is expansive. Beyond the typical plants, concentrates, and edibles you’d expect to find in a provisioning center, there have been a number of innovations to fit the needs and comfort level of each patient. One such specialty item is topical cannabis, an extract of cannabis meant to be applied directly to the skin to treat site specific or localized pain and/or inflammation. But what are topicals made from and how do they work? Can they make you feel “high”?
Although most people have seen cannabis used on TV or in the movies, it is difficult to know what to expect when first using medical marijuana. There are so many different strains, potencies and mediums of medication that your first time to a provisioning center may feel overwhelming. This article is to give you an idea of how to approach medicating with marijuana if you are unfamiliar with current cannabis culture.
