Medical marijuana still has a long way to go before it becomes completely legalized. For now, some are enjoying the advantage of being able to use it for medical purposes. Who is eligible depends on certain factors which we’ll be underlining below. Category 1. Category 1 patients are those who need relief from symptoms caused by health conditions where severe pain and nausea are factors. This applies to end-of-life care and those not on their death beds. The health conditions covered are multiple sclerosis, spinal cord disease and injury, HIV/AIDS, cancer, epilepsy and arthritis. Aside from pain and nausea, weight loss and cachexia are also factors. Category 2. Category 2 patients are covered by the same debilitating symptoms caused by diseases other than those listed above. For both categories, patients need to provide a declaration from licensed doctors as well as apply for and obtain authorization to possess cannabis in its dried form. It’s important to remember that this authorization will be issued only if conventional treatments do not alleviate these symptoms so patients who have not undergone conventional treatment will likely not be issued the authorization. Patients seeking such authorization will have to enter a medical marijuana access program.

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