Integrative Medicine
Alfred D. Kulik, M.D., FACS
Dr. Kulik has been certifying patients in the medical marijuana programs of New Jersey and New York since the inception of the programs in 2010 and 2014, respectively. Dr. Kulik is one of the most experienced physicians in both states. As a cancer survivor, Dr. Kulik is emphatically familiar with the special needs of cancer survivors and those suffering from long-term, chronic medical conditions. As a trained surgeon, he approaches medical disease with a wider range of treatment approaches. (Continued)
Medical Cannabis
Medical cannabis is currently being utilized across the country for conditions, such as anxiety, pain control, to increase appetite, ALS, and, autism. Each of the 36 states who currently allow medical cannabis in the management of disease, or the prevention of symptoms related to disease, define for their state an individual list of diseases and disorders are approved for use with medical cannabis. So, while medical cannabis may be approved for the use of anxiety in New Jersey, in New York it is not. We utilize medical cannabis for myriad reasons and conditions. Some of the areas in which medical cannabis is currently being used:
- Anxiety
- ALS and other neurological disorders
- Autism
- Cancer and cancer related symptoms, such as an aide to increase appetite or to decrease pain
- Chron’s disease
- Epilepsy
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Seizures
General Patient Information
Patients have many questions about the use of medical cannabis as a form of treatment for medical conditions and disorders. The two most often asked questions are: “is it legal?” and “does it work?” Marijuana has over 100 active components, including THC (the component of the hemp plant which causes a “high” when individuals consume the plant) and CBD (cannabidiol). (Continued… )
Dispensary Information
A medical dispensary is simply a pharmacy approved to dispense medical marijuana for a state. Medical dispensaries are specialized pharmacies. A patient requires a prescription and must be registered with his or her state, in order to receive a prescription for medical marijuana.
There are many dispensaries in the New York and New Jersey region. While Dr. Kulik is prohibited from recommending one dispensary over another, he does maintain professional relationships with many dispensaries in the NY-NJ area and is familiar with the different strains offered by most of the major dispensaries.