In other medical marijuana states, once a physician writes a recommendation for marijuana the patient has immediate access to well stocked dispensaries that offer a broad choice of edibles, hundreds of strains of marijuana bud, oils, topicals, extracts, tinctures, and concentrates. The patient has to get a medical marijuana card, however their receipt from the department of health serves as a temporary card. Some states have the patient upload their information online and the patient is immediately in the system, and easily identified as a medical marijuana patient by the dispensaries who look the patient up in the patient registry. The dispensaries have trained "bud tenders" who guide in-experienced patients to products that may be a good fit, and should that fit not work, the patient has the option of switching to something else. The patient must wait for the Department of health to process the state fee and card form which takes approximately 14 business days. To delay treatment in this manner is unconscionable. Especially considering a patient has no wait, and is not required to have an established relationship with a physician who can order vicodin, or oxycodone, or any other pharmaceutical drug, and immediately go to the drug store and make a purchase. In Florida the Dr. is required to "enter an order" for marijuana. Other states merely put a limit on the amount of marijuana a patient can purchase monthly.
