The third Friday of February is reserved for National Caregivers Day! This is a day designated to show appreciation for caregivers across the nation. The role of a caregiver is a particularly important one that many people depend on. Caregivers help individuals with medical needs and assist them in many different ways in daily life. Caregivers administer medications, pick up medications, help with daily activities, doctor’s visits, and more. As times change and our approach to medicine changes with it, a new kind of caregiver has begun to surface.
Cannabis caregivers are an especially important part of cannabis culture and the medical community. Caregiver laws vary from state to state, but many cannabis caregivers grow medicine and handle its pickup and delivery for most patients. Some work with helping patients learn regimens that fit their body chemistry and lifestyle. Some even help minor medical cannabis patients with the administering of cannabinoid medicines such as rescue oils.
Cannabis caregivers pick up cannabis from dispensaries and deliver it to patients. Not all medical cannabis patients are mobile. This can present a difficult challenge for obtaining their medicine. This is a situation when a cannabis caregiver is needed. The caregiver can legally purchase medicine for the patient and deliver it to them. Patients that would either go without or be limited to access no longer have this worry when they have access to and find a caregiver.
Cannabis caregivers do more than pick up and deliver medicine; in some states, they also grow cannabis and make various medicines such as RSO, capsules, and suppositories for patients. As a patient, when you find a specific variety of cannabis or strain that works for you, it becomes your go-to. Sadly, just because you find a strain that works for you doesn’t mean that it will always be in stock in a dispensary. This is where having a cannabis caregiver comes into play. A caregiver can grow the strain of cannabis you love and have it ready for you just like a dispensary.
Cannabis caregivers often grow in small craft batches of cannabis versus large calendar grows. They tend to grow the medicine that a patient requests vs. a patient going to a dispensary and having only the option of what they have in stock. Many of them learn to perfect growing the requested strains.
I personally met a cannabis caregiver in Oregon who specialized in growing one strain of medical cannabis called Diablo. This individual had been growing this particular strain of cannabis for over 14 years. Patients of this caregiver would never go anywhere else for their medicine. After a sample of it, it was easy to see why. This medicine had been flowered to perfection. The flavor profile and potency were unlike that of what is typically found in dispensaries unless you’re scouring them looking for top quality and spending big bucks on your bud.
If you are looking for a caregiver or wanting to become a caregiver where you live, be sure to check your local laws. Some places will only allow caregivers to purchase and deliver cannabis, and others will allow them to buy, transport, grow, etc. In some states like Colorado, you can award your plant count as a patient to a dispensary. In return, you receive your medicine at a reduced price, and you’re typically rewarded with other incentives for being a member or awarding your plant count to a dispensary as well.
The role of a cannabis caregiver is an extremely important one. A particularly good friend of mine and a cannabis industry professional in the state of Michigan offers up another great example of the importance and professionalism of a cannabis caregiver. My friend is allergic to just about everything it seems. She is a nurse and has learned what to avoid. In recent years, she learned that certain strains of cannabis were not good for her.
Certain terpenes have negative health effects on her and can even hospitalize her. Cannabis is an amazing medicine that she depends on. Over the years, she has had several instances where a few puffs made her more than uncomfortable. Upon being hospitalized for an allergic reaction to something, she discovered a particular terpene that was causing her to go into atrial defibrillation. Linalool, aka the lavender terpene, was the culprit. It’s found in all kinds of everyday products and is even found in some strains of cannabis like Timewreck and Zkittlez. She now has a caregiver in Michigan that grows a special strain of cannabis for her called, Illudium. Her caregiver makes sure that her medicine tests free of linalool and is of the highest quality when it comes to potency and taste. Her caregiver always has her strain available for her based on her consumption rate, and she never runs out. By the time she is low, her caregiver has more cured and ready to go.
Caregivers often develop a relationship with patients that leads to friendship. They have a deep connection with the patients they serve as they become a lifeline for many of them. This February 21st, in observance of National Caregivers Day, let caregivers across the country of all kinds know, you appreciate all that they do.
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