orle wrote:Heya! Have you seen your huisarts (GP) to mention your self-medication? He might be willing to discuss medicinal cannabis options with you. I have had several types of medication for autism-related anxiety over the years and the only thing that helped were benzos (massively addictive) and pregabalin (better, but not ideal). My doc was the one who then suggested medicinal cannabis (but sadly it's not very effective for me and if I overdo it then it'll worsen matters). Also, the apothecary cannabis was quite pricey for its effects and my insurance didn't cover it, although some other health insurance companies DO cover it (partly).
I have indeed researched it a little bit, but quickly came to the conclusion that it's not really worth the trouble to even try to pursue. I do have officially documented ailments which could possibly result into getting the prescription. I suffer from anxiety, stress, insomnia and chronic headaches, but also from back/neck(cartilage) pains and muscle cramps. Sadly tho, the requirements for a prescription and insurance coverage has become quite strict. Even tho I have some similar symptoms, cannabis very rarely gets prescribed to people suffering from anything other then MS, ALS, tourettes, glaucoma, aids or cancer.
After that, I think the rules/guidelines could be good enough for my situation. As far as I can tell, there is no maximum to the prescribed amount, could potentially be multiple grams per day. But the available medical cannabis is saddening compared to some US states. 3-4 different varieties. Very little indica's, usually only 1 CBD strain. But most of all, very high costs. Basic production costs are already around €8/g, easily pushing €50-60/5g.
Even though current compensation rules, from my health insurance provider, state that the compensation is 100% of the medicinal costs without a maximum, it is quite difficult to get it. The request for compensation has to be submitted by a specialist, not your GP. That specialist must specify your exact symptoms and diseases including the specific amount of cannabis you'll need. A specialist can request compensation based on any and all symptoms or diseases, there is no list of things you
must be suffering from to qualify. But in the end a 'specialist' team will make the final decision on your individual request, who sadly turns down pretty much everyone that isn't suffering from the above mentioned MS, ALS, tourettes, glaucoma, aids or cancer.
It's always worth a try, probably nothing to write home about, but even getting compensation for a small amount would be technically profit. But then again, I smoke around 3-5g per day, which is 3-5 ounces per month. Which is only financially possible if I buy directly from growers at discounted prices which I often have to properly cure myself. Then you're looking at €150-200 per ounce or about €5-7 per gram. You'd easily pay €12-16 or more per gram in regular coffeeshops. No way in hell I could ever get something like that covered by any insurance company.
