Get a Marijuana Card for Brain Injury in Connecticut

Christine Bufford
November 18, 2024

TBI is a serious illness, and it often causes severe lifelong physical, cognitive, and emotional impairment. Persons with a brain injury tire easily and experience pain most of the time, thus making it hard for them to be relieved by treatment.

Therefore, medical acceptance for marijuana in Connecticut seems to be advantageous for persons with TBI for whom the drugs appropriate to their disorder, including chronic pain, anxiety, and cognitive functioning, can be alleviated through medical marijuana.

In this guide, we will find out how medical marijuana can work for the treatment of TBI and show the procedure for getting a medical marijuana card in Connecticut.

Knowing More about Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Its Sign

A brief explanation of what TBI is

TBI stands for Traumatic Brain Injury and is a condition that results from a blow or shake to the brain. These injuries can be mild head blows such as a concussion or a severe blow that causes quadriplegia or death. The effects may interfere with the regular working of the brain in several areas, which include motor, memory, and emotional activity.

TBI may be classified as closed head injury, penetrating head injury, and secondary brain insults; major causes are car accidents, falls, sports-related injuries, and violence. The CDC also estimates that millions of people get affected by TBI every year, and the majority experience adverse effects on their health for the rest of their lives.

Some of the Typical Signs or Problems often experienced by TBI Patients

They may have headaches, trouble paying attention, memory problems, mood changes, difficulty sleeping or waking up, and pain that might not go away. TBI also comes with other issues that are emotional and psychological. Among them are anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

At times, the injuries impair a client’s cognitive and emotional status significantly, and he/she cannot be capable of sustaining one’s schedule autonomously. Conventional therapies may involve physical therapy, drugs (painkillers and antidepressants), and psychotherapy. Of course, these treatments might not give proper relief and thus, numerous patients turn to other kinds of treatment – for instance, medical marijuana.

Requirements that define medical marijuana in Connecticut

In Connecticut, medical cannabis can be administered to patients with brain injury through doctor approval to a certain patient. Medical marijuana is legal in Connecticut for patients with qualifying medical conditions. Starting from 2024, TBI with such a secondary condition as chronic pain and PTSD qualifies for the program. This means that those who have sustained a brain injury can apply for a medical marijuana card based on their condition.

Based on your medical history, the provider will decide whether medical marijuana will be an appropriate treatment for your TBI symptoms. If so approved, one can apply to be put on the state’s medical marijuana list and can acquire a marijuana card to make a purchase of Marijuana from the outlets that have been licensed.

As much as patients with other diseases can access medical marijuana, here is how brain injury patients can access medical cannabis:

How to obtain an MMJ card for TBI in Connecticut

The process of obtaining a medical marijuana card for TBI in Connecticut involves several key steps:

Connect With A Certified Medical Marijuana Practitioner – Set up an appointment with a certified healthcare provider online to get recommendations to use medical marijuana in Connecticut. When consulting, the provider will discuss your medical history and decide if the patient will benefit from medical marijuana in terms of recovery from the injury and reduction of the effects of the brain injury.

Get Certified for Medical Marijuana Use – Depending on your condition, the medical marijuana doctor will recommend you for medical cannabis use. This is important for the next step in your application.

Register with the State of Connecticut—After achieving the required recommendation, you must submit your own application with the Department of Consumer Protection of the State of Connecticut. You must provide your ID, address, and information about your medicinal recommendation.

Empower Clinics Achieve Your Medical Marijuana Card – After going through the approval process of your application, you will be issued a medical marijuana card. This card will enable you to buy cannabis from legal shops in Connecticut to relieve TBI symptoms.

Use of Medical Marijuana for Management of Brain Injury

How Medical Marijuana can Assist in the Treatment of TBI Symptoms

Cannabis for medical use has been highlighted for its probable neuroprotectant and antiemetic claims, though chiefly used in easing chronic pains and inflammation. THC and CBD are the two main active ingredients and work with the human body’s CB1 receptors, which concern itself with pain, mood, and inflammation.

The negative impact of TBI on the patient can be reduced with the help of medical marijuana, thus controlling nerve activity and decreasing inflammation in the brain, therefore easing pain. Also important, cannabis can prevent anxiety and PTSD symptoms, which are usual for TBI patients. It has also emerged that cannabinoids may help with cognitive rehabilitation by stimulating neurogenesis and minimizing oxidative stress to the brain.

Scientific Evidence For Medical Marijuana and Brain Injuries

Scientific investigation on the applicability of medical marijuana for brain injury patients is relatively limited and enclosed; however, the existing surveys are quite encouraging. There are some reports according to which cannabis helps to decrease the frequency and severity of post-traumatic headaches, anxiety, and insomnia in TBI patients.

However, a paper in the NIH database by Croxford indicates that cannabinoids may be useful in modulating neuroinflammation as well as neuroplastic changes. Based on small controlled trials, patients experiencing a brain injury have found their quality of life enhanced and opioid dependency reduced when using cannabis therapeutically.

Moreover, according to scientific studies from the Journal of Neurotrauma, cannabinoids of the substance may help reduce the intensity of secondary brain injury in TBI and may help in the recovery therapeutic approach.

The use of medical marijuana is important, especially to those patients who sustained a brain injury.

Pain Management and Better Brain Function

Pain is one of the more persistent problems associated with many TBI survivors, and acute pain management drugs like opioids are often dangerous and can produce a range of harmful effects. Medical marijuana is thus safer for use as a pain-relieving agent since it does not act directly on the opium receptors but on the endocannabinoid system, which is involved in pain regulation. TBI patients collecting and using cannabis have found that they have fewer headaches, muscle spasms, and other related pains.

Besides, treating the aching body acts as another aspect of why people should consider using medical marijuana since it reduces inflammation and is beneficial to the brain. According to research done, these cannabinoids have Diego’s that can help repair the brain has improved memory and learning, which is good for those who are getting over their head injuries.

Improving the Quality of Life of the TBI Survivors

Apart from the medical use of the plant in pain relief, there are still numerous gains found in injured individuals who dwell with traumatic brain injuries. The data reported that cannabis can be useful in cases of sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression – these are frequent problems for people who have TBI.

Besides enhancing the mood and decreasing stress, medical marijuana returns the patient to normalcy and slows the deterioration of the quality of life. In addition, at least fifty percent of TBI patients notice the diminished utilization of prescription drugs and, in particular, opioids and antidepressants after the use of medical marijuana has been introduced to the patient’s treatment.

This can result in fewer side effects and improved prognosis long-term control.

How Telemedicine Makes it Easy to Get Marijuana Recommendations

Another advantage for the people of Connecticut regarding getting a medical marijuana card is the use of telemedicine. This means you can have an online consultation with a certified healthcare provider without going to the clinic. It also helps when the patient with TBI has mobility or transport problems, as the case may be.

Common telemedicine consultations that include marijuana recommendations cost $179 to new patients. Annual recommendation renewal for subsequent years or membership can only be availed at $149 for comebacking patients. This enables you to monitor your condition and take control with a lot of comfort in your home.

Conclusion

For those or a loved one who is suffering from the signs of TBI in Connecticut, medical marijuana can be the answer for the solution to seek. The chronic pain, inflammation, and cognitive impairment that can be alleviated by taking medical cannabis make it an effective natural remedy to drugs.

Ready to take the next step? Schedule an online consultation today with a certified healthcare provider to begin the process of getting your medical marijuana card. Relief from TBI symptoms is just a few clicks away.