Osteoarthritic Joint Pain: Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment

Frontline healthcare practitioners face their own rendition of ÒThunder RoadÓ when it comes to providing quality pain management for their patients. ItÕs 2021, and weÕre still in the middle of a pandemic, an economic roller-coaster, and the fledgling era of Òlegal weed.Ó Does ÒlegalÓ mean truly legal when it comes to cannabis, whether medical or recreational? What are the legal implications for a prescriber who actively treats patients with controlled medication knowing that the patient actively uses cannabis? What is the DEAÕs position on cannabis and how does it impact medical decision-making? How do practitioners document their way through this gauntlet and show reasoned and sound efforts to individualize patient care? Using case examples and regulatory resources, we will examine basic navigation tools that will facilitate how to clinically and legally reconcile the treatment of patients with controlled substances in the face of growing patient access to cannabis, legal or not. The lawÕs penchant for documentation of the prescriberÕs individualized patient care and demonstration of sound medical reasoning will serve as the compass for surviving the journey.