In addition to helping PA residents easily and efficiently obtain their medical marijuana certifications, The Greener Institute is dedicated to educating and empowering PA cardholders.
As part of that mission, our Founder, Barry Greenberg, started a Facebook group as a safe space for PA cardholders to discuss the MMJ program, share recommendations and product reviews, and connect with others on their MMJ journey. To date, the Facebook Group, Medical Marijuana PA, is the largest and most active Group for PA cardholders with nearly 7,000 members.
Why You Should Join the Group
First and foremost, why wouldn’t you want to be part of a community dedicated to furthering their knowledge and understanding of medical marijuana? Besides that, whether you’re new to the MMJ program or a seasoned patient, this group will always have something of value to you.
The membership in the group is composed of both new and experienced patients, as well as advocates involved in ongoing cannabis legislation, parents whose children use MMJ for their health conditions, physicians, lawyers, and more. Members regularly ask for advice regarding strain recommendations for specific conditions or ailments, MMJ laws and procedures, and where they can find specific products or strains.
If you’re a new patient in the program, this group can be especially useful. One of the most confusing parts of the program is figuring out where you should even start. Anxious about your first visit to the dispensary? Ask the group for advice! Wondering what terpenes are and how they impact the effects of your marijuana? The group can help! Our members are typically quick to respond and happy to help—though there are always people with something negative to say, we do our best to make sure the group is a helpful and positive place.
What’s more, with thousands of members, if you’re wondering about a certain product or strain, it’s likely that someone in the group has reviewed the product. With the search function and the Facebook Units tool, you can easily find information on all the products or strains you’re looking into purchasing. If you don’t see one there, create your own review and we’ll add it to the database!
All in all, we truly believe that joining the group can help make your MMJ journey easier and more enjoyable. Not only will you have access to hordes of information, but you’ll also be a part of a community full of PA cardholders, many of which may suffer from the same conditions as you.
Navigating the Group
If you’ve decided to give the group a shot, your first order of business will be to submit a membership request to our admins. We only accept PA cardholders, or those looking seriously into obtaining certification, so we have a mandatory screening for all incoming members. If you do not answer the questions, you will not be granted access to the group. However, once accepted, you’ll be able to browse, comment, interact, and post (though we do have all posts screened by mods first to ensure the posts follow group rules).
You may be a bit overwhelmed at first by the sheer volume of posts and comments and wonder how you’ll be able to find specific information when you need it, and that’s understandable. As such, we’ve created a little guide to show you how to navigate the group.
Searching for Specific Information
While this may seem straightforward, many new and experienced group members are unaware that the page has a search function! Whether you’re looking for advice on using MMJ to treat anxiety, information on a dispensary near you, or the best equipment, with just a few keywords you’ll be able to get the info you need.
In both the mobile Facebook application and the desktop version, the search tool, a magnifying glass, can be found in the upper-right hand corner of the group’s homepage. When you click the magnifying glass, you’ll be able to search for members and keywords, as well as pick whether you want to search exclusively within the group or Facebook as a whole.
Finding Product Reviews with the Units Tool
The Units function of our Facebook group is under-rated and relatively unknown to many group members. Managed and organized by our Admins and Mods, the Units page allows us to create folders for specific topics—in this case medical marijuana brands and products—and file posts related to that topic in them. For example, the first “folder” you’ll see when you click on Units is “Illera Tincture/Concentrate Products.” If you open that Unit, you’ll see a connection of posts with reviews on their products.
We receive dozens and dozens of reviews a week and try our best to keep up with them, but sometimes we miss a few. If you can’t seem to find a brand or product you’re interested in within Units, we may have missed the review. In that case, simply refer to the search function to find what you’re looking for. If you still can’t find any reviews, post to the group and see if someone has tried it without sharing their experience through a post. If no one has, congrats! You’re the first in the group to try a certain project and you can create your first review!
Getting the Best Out of Medical Marijuana PA
For the best experience in the group, we recommend following the suggestions above, as well as reviewing the rules outlined on the group’s homepage. Additionally, we do not tolerate bullying, name-calling, or harassment. Nor do we tolerate those who seek to use the group to sell marijuana illegally or push people to buy illegally, outside of dispensaries.
If someone reaches out to sell you cannabis or harass you, please report them to the admins and moderators. Additionally, if someone is acting out of turn in the comments, we do our best to hold them accountable with warnings or removing them from the group.
If you’re interested in becoming a member of Medical Marijuana PA, click here to register. If you’re looking to become a certified PA MMJ cardholder, please click here to schedule an appointment or call us at 833-888-5323 for more information.