I’ve been social distancing, of course, along with every other responsible citizen looking to flatten the COVID-19 curve. So when I got an email saying my medical cannabis recommendation needed renewed, I was nervous. My head started to spin: Would I need to break self-isolation and take public transit into the city for an appointment with my doctor?!

But I can do it all online from home. The Canadian medical cannabis system was already largely set up for online encounters — which isn’t always ideal — but many clinics are going completely virtual for these difficult times we’re in.

I emailed National Access Cannabis Medical, a collective of healthcare providers, cannabinoid educators and clinic assistants who I have relied on for years. Within minutes, they sent six questionnaires to fill out before my appointment. And in a few weeks, my new paperwork will be off in the mail and I will have never left my house, thanks to NACM.

This was not my first rodeo. But if you’re thinking about trying medical cannabis to treat something, your first time will be very similar — with some potential inclusion of a call to transfer any relevant medical history files from previous healthcare providers. If you are experiencing symptoms in which you feel cannabis may help, get in touch with a clinic.

Once your paperwork goes through and you are ready to order cannabis, you choose your licensed producer(s) and order directly from them. Normally, the order would show up to your door days later, but COVID-19 has made some changes. Ontario-based cannabis producer Green Relief, for example, notified their clients of a change due to social distancing.

Canada Post has halted most of their signature required deliveries to limit person-to-person contact. So anything delivered through Canada Post will automatically be shipped to your nearest post office. The location of the post office will be indicated on a notice left on your doorstep or in your mailbox by a delivery driver. And since you will require ID and a copy of the notice when retrieving your package from the post office, you should call the post office to tell them someone else will be picking it up if you are too sick or vulnerable to go yourself.

Packages delivered with UPS will continue as normal, and Purolator packages will be delivered by verbal confirmation of identity and age. Pineapple Express: Same-Day Delivery Service will continue to function as normal.

But what about the costs?

Medical Cannabis is still not covered by most private insurance plans and costs for patients who have to medicate daily or weekly can be exorbitant. And with self-isolation often comes a strain on income, which can only make things harder. And what if everyone runs to the OCS and hoards all the cannabis – what if we run out? How can we ensure medical patients will not be left behind?

Enter Shelter Cannabis, the latest medical cannabis marketplace to enter the market, specifically committed to the medical consumer.

“Patients have been tragically underserved in Canada,” says CEO Mark Hauk, in a press release. “But we look forward to changing that. For us, it’s always been patients first. It’s who we are. It’s where we came from.”

Shelter’s aim is to provide cannabis exclusively to medical patients, at close to cost as possible, with a compassionate pricing program, and a focus on high end cultivars. Green Cush and Blue Cheese strains are currently available in one gram, 3.5 g, five gram and 10 g amount and pre-rolls will be sold as singles and in packs of three and four.

Jamie Shaw, director of communications and culture for Shelter and long-time cannabis activist, assures there will be plenty more offerings available in the coming weeks.

“But we felt it was important to launch now, as we have some really great cannabis, and we want to make sure medical consumers have affordable access to it as soon as possible,” she says.

And thank goodness for that! With COVID-19 keeping medical consumers cooped up inside for the unforeseeable future, the more options the better.