By Luke Sumpter


Cannabis and CBD are increasing in popularity. Multiple countries around the world now enable patients to legally pick up cannabis prescriptions. Regardless of whether you live in a region where it’s legal or prohibited, it can help to do some homework before bringing cannabis up with your doctor. Use the tips below to enter your appointment feeling confident and armed with the right questions.

BE SERIOUS

Why do you want to use cannabinoids? If you’re going to bring up cannabis or CBD use with your medical professional, you should be serious about your decision. Don't treat the conversation like a joke or casually add it in at the end of your appointment. If you want to discuss this topic seriously, you need adequate time to work things out with your doctor.

If you happen to live in a region under prohibition, bringing up cannabis use can be nerve-wracking. If you’re serious about it and believe it can make a beneficial difference to your life, present your case as such. Don't undermine yourself by perpetuating stereotypes or false information.

DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT

It's up to you to conduct the necessary research on your condition and the laws surrounding cannabis and CBD before your appointment. It's also on you to delve into research on cannabinoids, terpenes, and the endocannabinoid system itself, so you can be as informed as possible from all angles.

DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT

UNDERSTAND YOUR CONDITION

Even a basic grasp on your condition will help you feel more at ease and encouraged than facing the unknown. Expand your personal research into how exactly cannabis and CBD might impact you. Attending the doctor’s office with this knowledge in hand will help you understand your doctor’s response and approach. It will also give you a leg to stand on if your doctor questions your choice.

WHAT IS THE LOCAL LAW REGARDING THE USE OF CANNABIS OR CBD?

Cannabis and CBD laws fluctuate around the world. They can even change from state to state or county to county. Learn about your local cannabis and CBD laws before speaking to your doctor about it. As a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, CBD remains legal in many countries. However, many medical systems don’t view it as a medicine.

Some countries have legalized cannabis for medicinal use, but even possession of the herb remains an offense in many nations. Review the laws of your country to see if it’s worth pursuing any further.

LEARN ABOUT CANNABIS AND CBD

Many systems are behind the times when it comes to scientific findings. Of course, detailed clinical trials confirming the efficacy of substances take time. However, many biology textbooks don’t even feature the endocannabinoid system. Most patients are left to educate themselves when it comes to cannabis or CBD. Chances are—in countries under prohibition—your doctor might not be well-versed on either.

Read up on cannabinoids and the function of the endocannabinoid system before your consultation. Showing your knowledge on the topic might even help introduce your physician to something they weren’t really aware of.

THINK ABOUT WHICH TYPE OF CANNABIS OR CBD PRODUCT WOULD SUIT YOU BEST

You may already be experimenting with cannabis before approaching your doctor. In this case, you probably know which strain, extract, or even specific cannabinoid works best for you. If not, it’s worth exploring the options. THC produces a psychoactive effect that may help boost the mood, soothe the body, and raise the spirits. It certainly helps many people get out of bed in the morning and start their day off with a positive mindset.

CBD produces no psychoactive high, but provides a lucid and clear-headed effect that allows users to remain fully functional and productive. Certain extracts also exist that possess varying ratios of the two cannabinoids to fit specific needs.

Aromatic molecules known as terpenes also dictate the effects of a particular strain or extract, producing a synergistic effect[1] with cannabinoids. Myrcene, for example, exerts more of a relaxing sensation. In contrast, limonene produces more of a lively and refreshing effect.

THINK ABOUT WHICH TYPE OF CANNABIS OR CBD PRODUCT WOULD SUIT YOU BEST

WRITE DOWN QUESTIONS YOU WANT TO ASK ABOUT CANNABIS OR CBD

Writing down a list of questions before your appointment will help you get the answer you’re looking for. It can be easy to forget specific questions during a consult, so bring the list in with you. Examples of questions you might want to ask include:

• Will cannabis or CBD interact with any of my medications?
• What type of cannabis or CBD would be most effective for me?
• What would be the best way for me to consume cannabis?
• Where can I find more reliable information on cannabis?
• Are there any side effects I should be aware of?

BE TRANSPARENT WITH YOUR DOCTOR

Honesty is the best policy. Doctors take confidentiality seriously. Tell them everything, from why you think cannabis might help you to your concerns about taking it. The more honest and transparent you are, the more they will understand your situation and try their best to help you.

LISTEN TO YOUR DOCTOR’S CONCERNS

It can be tempting to try and undermine your doctor's opinion. Sure, taking charge of your own health through good diet, stress management, and sensible cannabis use can be transformative. However, Google doesn’t have all the answers. If your doctor has concerns about your cannabis or CBD use, you need to take their points seriously.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR A SECOND OPINION

That said, doctors don’t always get it right, especially in regards to cannabis. The herb has only just re-entered mainstream culture in the most progressive countries, and doctors don’t learn a whole lot about it in school. If you think your doctor might have overlooked something, follow your gut and ask another medical professional for a second opinion.

KEEP A RECORD OF YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH CANNABIS OR CBD

Writing things down can help you keep track of your experiences. Figure out what works well for you through trial, error, and experimentation. Jot your thoughts and sensations down in a journal. Was a particular cannabis strain too strong? Perhaps a specific formula of CBD oil didn’t quite live up to your expectations? The more you record, the more you’ll learn.

External Resources:
  1. Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: