RIDGELAND, Miss. (WLBT) – Physicians in Mississippi are beginning the process of entering the State Health Department portal to help get medical cannabis to patients with debilitating illnesses. One local doctor may be among the first in the state to prescribe medical marijuana to patients who qualify.
“We’re seeing patients that are just looking for relief,” said Dr. Nathan McIntosh.
The emergency room physician has seen thousands of patients in his more than 13-year career in the metro. Many suffer constant pain from car accidents, injuries, cancer, osteoarthritis, and more.
“A lot of chronic pain and really in the emergency department maybe from my biased perspective, we see a lot of patients that have nowhere else to go,” said McIntosh. “And so we’re seeing a lot of patients that don’t have access to maybe other kinds of specialties or therapies.”
The ER doctor is applying for certification through the State Health Department to prescribe medical cannabis to patients who qualify. He will undergo eight hours of Continued Medical Education to receive a license.
“Just trying to make providers that could potentially be evaluating these patients as up to date on the evidence-based medicine as possible,” said McIntosh.
The 39-year-old is also a medical cannabis advocate serving on the board of the Mississippi Cannabis Patients Alliance.
“It’s really important that we have an adequate number of medical cannabis practitioners in each area,” said MS Cannabis Patients Alliance Founder and CEO Angie Calhoun. “At least the major cities of Mississippi so that the patients can easily get there.”
McIntosh is currently researching cannabis effects on adolescence, dependence potential, pregnancy, and other factors.
“My only reason for looking for certification to do it is just to make sure patients have a place to go,” added the medical cannabis proponent.
If he’s certified, it will be late fall or by the end of the year before McIntosh is prescribing medical marijuana to patients who meet the criteria.
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