Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana

Updated on April 26, 2020.  Medical content reviewed by Dr. Joseph Rosado, MD, M.B.A, Chief Medical Officer

Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program: Contact Details

Pennsylvania Department of Health
Phone: (888) 733-5595
E-Mail: RA-DHMedMarijuana@pa.gov
Website: Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program

Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program: Information

1. Patients must be at least eighteen (18) years of age. If the patient is under the age of eighteen (18) an Approved Caregiver must be registered on behalf of the patient.
2. Patients must be residents of Pennsylvania and provide proof by providing a copy of a Pennsylvania Driver’s License or State Issued identification Card with current address.
3. Patients must then create a Patient Profile on the Patients & Caregivers Registry.
4. After creating a Patient Profile, the patient must then be evaluated by a certified physician and obtain a certification. Certification must show the patient is suffering from one of the above qualifying conditions.
5. After obtaining a Physician’s Certification, the patient must then pay for the Medical Marijuana ID Card. The Fee is $50.00 and Non-Refundable. Patients may qualify for a discount on the Fee if they provide evidence they are participating in  Medicaid, PACE/ PACENET, CHIP, SNAP or WIC.
6. If the application is approved, the Medical Marijuana Identification Card will be mailed to the address listed on the Application.

Recent Legislation Changes

Pennsylvania’s full rollout of its medical cannabis program should begin in 2017, about eight months after it was approved by the state lawmakers and signed by the governor. About 50 licenses are supposed to have been issued to medical marijuana dispensaries so qualified patients can start purchasing their recommended dosages locally. Physicians can take the first steps to participating in the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program by completing the Practitioner Registry. Governor Wolf announced in November 2017 that the state is committed to having medical marijuana available to patients in 2018.

In November 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of Health approved five practitioners from Delaware County to begin prescribing medical marijuana to patients after dispensaries go live. In total, 100 physicians across the state and 18 physicians across Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery counties will be able to recommend medical marijuana to patients with qualifying conditions.

As of May 17, 2018, Governor Wolf added the following conditions as part of a temporary regulation for universities to research the effectiveness of medical marijuana:

• Neurodegenerative Diseases
• Terminal Illness
• Dyskinetic and Spastic Movement Disorders
• Opioid-Use Disorder

Under Pennsylvania law, a condition must be approved in order for research to be conducted.

“The department may not initially issue permits to more than 50 dispensaries. Each dispensary may provide medical marijuana at no more than three separate locations,” Senate Bill 3 [April 12, 2016]

* Please note: Complete program details are pending the establishment, of the state program. The Pennsylvania Patient Registry application fee is $50 and patients who participate in assistance programs including Medicaid, PACE/PACENET, CHIP, SNAP, and WIC may be eligible for fee reductions.

* The Pennsylvania Patient Registry is mandatory.

On April 12, 2016, Senate Bill 3 was approved by the Senate 42-7, and by the House 149-46 on April 13, 2016; and was signed into law by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D) on April 17, 2016. Senate Bill 3 effectively removes all state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess a signed recommendation from their physician stating that marijuana “may mitigate” his/her debilitating medical symptoms.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has been instructed on how to establish and implement the state’s Medical Marijuana Program — implementation is expected to take between 18-24 months.

Qualified patients with physician’s recommendations, must register with the state DOH — once registered, the patient will receive a Pennsylvania medical marijuana identification card. Patients issued with registry I.D. cards may purchase medical marijuana from an authorized state-licensed medical marijuana dispensary.