If you’ve ever struggled with frustrating ailments like chronic pain, insomnia, or depression, medical marijuana could potentially help you mitigate symptoms. Of course, first and foremost, you have to find a doctor willing to prescribe medical marijuana. That’s where David Boguslavsky, a family doctor from Bridgewater, comes in.
Boguslavsky has already helped over 1,000 patients apply for a medical marijuana card at his Bridgewater office. Now, Boguslavsky has brought his practice — and his pro-marijuana medical methods — to Hoboken. His practice, Premier Medical Marijuana, opened in the Mile Square on December 30th and is ready to serve the local community in the best ways possible.
“The philosophy of our practice calls for looking at each patient holistically and assessing their medical needs, whether those needs be for Medical Marijuana or for medical therapy of their chronic headaches, hypertension, etc.,” explains Dr. Boguslavsky in an email to Hoboken Girl. “Our goal is to offer each patient a place where their medical care is tailored to them, where each provider meets their needs in a caring and accepting environment.” Read on to learn more about Dr. Bouguslavsky and his medical-marijuana friendly methods here in Hoboken.
About Premier Medical Marijuana
Premier Medical Marijuana has opened up a second location in the Mile Square at 500 Bloomfield Street. Formerly the location of Hoboken Ankle + Foot Center, Premier Medical Marijuana can do everything from treating sinus infections to discussing Medical Marijuana treatment for patients’ various ailments.
According to the Premier Medical Marijuana website, “The unique aspect of our practice is that every patient’s condition is examined through the lens of both, Eastern and Western, medicine. We are comfortable treating acute sinus infections or talking about high cholesterol or diabetes, as we are discussing whether the patient qualifies for Medical Marijuana treatment of chronic low back pain!”
So, how does it work? In the State of New Jersey, a patient may qualify for the NJ Medical Marijuana Program if they suffer from any of the following:
- Seizure disorder, including epilepsy
- Chronic intractable pain of skeletal muscular spasticity
- Glaucoma
- Severe or chronic pain
- Severe nausea or vomiting, cachexia, or wasting syndrome results from the condition or treatment of human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or cancer
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Multiple sclerosis
- Terminal cancer
- Muscular dystrophy
- Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease
- Terminal illness, if the physician has determined a prognosis of less than 12 months of life; or
- PTSD
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Marijuana in New Jersey
But that’s not all. New Jersey has been taking steps to make marijuana more accessible for years now — including marijuana legalization. From Jersey City working to decriminalize marijuana offenses to a medical marijuana dispensary coming to JC, New Jersey has been taking baby steps toward legalization for a while now.
In 2018, NJ Medical Marijuana legislation added five new qualifying conditions to the list of conditions that qualify for Medical Marijuana treatment. These include:
- Anxiety
- Migraine
- Chronic Pain related to Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Chronic Pain of visceral origin
- Tourette’s Syndrome
Say you get a Medical Marijuana card and are approved for this type of treatment, it’s actually a lot more complicated than simply getting access to weed.
How Premier Medical Marijuana Helps
Elissa Dikun is one of Dr. Boguslavsky’s Physician’s Assistants at PMM and is also a Hoboken resident. Dikun explains to Hoboken Girl, “We also see many patients who have been suffering from adverse side effects due to their medications. If accepted into the Medical Marijuana Program, after full evaluation and consultation, the patient will meet with a counselor at one of the Dispensaries to discuss the different strains of Marijuana.”
Dikun explains that different strains help different people with different symptoms.
“Patients can then experiment with the strains, to assess which works best in the treatment of their symptoms,” Dikun adds. “During our follow-up visits with our patients, it is rare to hear that they are experiencing negative side effects from the Marijuana. However, if they dislike one strain, they have the ability to choose from a wide selection of others.”
As helping patients register for Medical Marijuana cards is one of PMM’s specialties — though, of course, not the only thing they do there — Dr. Boguslavsky says the process is very personalized to the patient’s needs.
“The process begins with the patient making a decision to learn more about this therapy. Once the patient meets us for an evaluation, we assess the medical history, we perform a thorough physical exam and obtain a urine drug screen,” Dr. Boguslavsky explains. “Primarily we are looking for illicit substance use that could endanger the patient’s safety if combined with Medical Marijuana.”
Dr. Boguslavsky continues, “A week later we meet with the patient again and review the results of the test, help them begin the process of registration with the State of NJ for a Medical Marijuana Card. We follow up with our patients in the program every three months to confirm their qualifying condition still exists, there are no complications from therapy and that the treatment goals established at the second visit are being met.”
Premier Medical Marijuana opened its doors to patients on December 16th, had its official opening on December 30th. Patients can book an appointment online and then undergo an evaluation — the same evaluation that has helped so many of Boguslavsky’s patients get recommended for Medical Marijuana.
Medical Marijuana Programs
As it stands in New Jersey, patients are encouraged to ask their primary care physicians about whether or not they qualify for Medical Marijuana treatment. If you’re interested in joining the Medical Marijuana Program in New Jersey, you can also use the Find a Doctor tool on the Division of Medical Marijuana’s website. It allows you to search for doctors by specialty, doctor name, or city.
If you’re searching for a Medical Marijuana Program doctor in Hudson County, there aren’t many. However, when you plug “Hoboken” into the Find a Doctor tool, you’ll see three listed at 720 Monroe Street, one at 317 Willow Street, and two family practice doctors at 108 Washington — the latter two of which are currently not accepting new patients.
With Boguslavsky’s practice coming to town, that makes for a total of eight doctors in Hoboken as part of the Medical Marijuana Program. As of 2015 — according to Patch — Hoboken had no doctors from the program listed.
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Dr. Boguslavsky + the Legalization of Marijuana
You may be wondering: Where does Dr. Boguslavsky stand on the legalization of marijuana?
“I think that a decision of such magnitude requires profound consideration and has the potential to impact millions of people,” Dr. Boguslavsky tells Hoboken Girl. “All things being equal, this is a complex decision and I am glad our lawmakers are taking a measured approach to this topic. My hope is that ultimately marijuana is legalized and de-stigmatized, and is as widely available as alcohol is today. The vast majority of alcohol consumers are responsible adults and I suspect the same will be said about cannabis consumers in not too distant of a future.”
“I have seen countless patients whose pain had become managed, whose anxiety no longer requires pharmaceutical suppression. I have seen patients with Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis whose muscle spasm has finally become manageable,” Dr. Boguslavsky adds. “I truly couldn’t tell you the number of patients who describe this therapy as ‘life changing.’ One of my favorite patients is finally able to sleep regularly after being severely anxious and not sleeping for almost twenty years. My patients with PTSD report no longer being hostage to terrible nightmares, or severe bouts of daily stress impairing their function.”
PMM is now open and seeing patients. If you’re interested in booking an appointment and becoming a patient with Premier Medical Marijuana, you can book online or call 908-450-7002.
“Most of all, I want the people of Hoboken to know that there are kind, caring clinicians in their corner who will listen to their stories without judgment and will help them gain access to Medical Marijuana, when appropriate,” Dr. Boguslavsky concludes.
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