Petition to Medical Board of California

Californians have enjoyed the benefits of telemedicine (connecting patients with doctors over live video) for almost four years now. Onlinemedicalcard.com has alone opened the doors to medical cannabis for more than 30,000 patients across the state annually. The benefits to both patients and doctors are numerous – telemedicine drastically reduces costs for both parties, while significantly increasing access, convenience and availability for both parties. It’s obvious that telemedicine makes sense, that’s why Telemedicine is now a mainstream part of the American healthcare system supported in law in more than 25 states. The Medical Board is now proposing to take all that away and make physical exams mandatory for cannabis consultations; thus denying Californians their right to access of care and stepping backwards in time. Why should telemedicine for Cannabis patients be restricted? It shouldn’t. We firmly believe the proposed changes are wrong for medical cannabis patients, and we need you to make your voice heard now to stop this needless change in the rules. It will take just a few minutes of your time. Help us keep costs low for patients, and continue to make medical evaluations convenient and accessible. Stand up for your rights as medical cannabis patients! WE NEED YOUR HELP IN SENDING A MESSAGE NOW Help us convince the Medical Board to keep the requirements for physical examination OUT of their new proposed regulations by sending this letter to the Board. INSTRUCTIONS Visit http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/keep-telemedicine-legal Enter your name and other details Submit the petition We will do the work of gathering the signatures and presenting it to the medical board. Our message to the Medical Board of California. Esteemed Board Members: It is with great concern that we, the collective telemedicine patients and practitioners of the great progressive state of California, address recent reportings that your board has intentions to disband the use of telehealth platforms for the purposes of medical marijuana evaluations. As with any blanketed approach to policy change, this misguided effort will leave thousands of California residents, taxpayers and voters without a convenient method with which to meet a certified doctor. As I’m certain you’re aware, the purposes of medical marijuana are to reduce pain and discomfort caused by a vast array of ailments, including but not limited to: cancer, anxiety, cataracs, and chronic pain caused by injuries. Many of these ailments commonly treated by medical marijuana limit the mobility of a patient and leaves these individuals without an easy, cost-effective way to visit a doctor. Telemedicine, as with much of the ever-more digitally advanced world we live in, applies a modern technological convenience to an age-old practice: meeting with your doctor. We implore you to support and push forth the utilization of conferring with a trusted medical professional whenever anyone has a question or concern about their own health, especially if they are already too ill to easily leave home, and without forcing them to otherwise employ costly means of medical transportation. THANK YOU!