PA Marijuana Qualifications [2019 Update]

Updated on January 24, 2019.  Medical content reviewed by Dr. Richard Koffler, MD, Board Certified Physiatrist

What Ailments Qualify For Medical Marijuana in Pennsylvania

Patients in Pennsylvania diagnosed with one of the following severe, debilitating, or life-threatening medical conditions, are afforded legal protection under the Pennsylvania medical marijuana law, as per Senate Bill 3— “The Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program”:

• ALS
• Autism
• Cancer
• Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy
• Crohn’s Disease
• Dyskinetic and Spastic Movement Disorders
• Intractable Spasticity (caused by damage to the spinal cord)
• Epilepsy/Seizures
• Glaucoma
• HIV/AIDS
• Huntington’s Disease
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (including Colitis and Crohn’s)
• Intractable Seizures
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Neurodegenerative Diseases
• Neuropathies
• Opioid-Use Disorder
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Severe Chronic/Intractable Pain
• Sickle Cell Anemia
• Terminal Illness
• Ulcerative Colitis

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 Phyisician’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.

Who Qualifies for Medicinal Marijuana in Pennsylvania

On April 12, 2016, Senate Bill 3 was approved by the Senate, and by the House on April 13, 2016, and was signed into law on April 17, 2016, effectively removing 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 indicated that the implementation of the state’s Medical Marijuana Program, is expected to take between 18-24 months. Once established, qualified patients with a physician’s recommendation must register with the state DOH — once registered, the patient will receive a Pennsylvania medical marijuana identification card, with which, they may purchase medical marijuana from an authorized state-licensed medical marijuana dispensary. Currently, in the state of Pennsylvania, there are about 18 physicians approved to recommend medical marijuana in the following counties: Delaware County, Chester County, and Montgomery County. Over 100 physicians have been approved in the state of PA as a whole.

How to Become a Medical Marijuana Patient in Pennsylvania

1. Patients must be at least 18 years of age, or if under 18 years of age, must be accompanied by an approved Caregiver.
2. Patients must be a resident of the state of Pennsylvania with proof of residency. If you do not have a Pennsylvania I.D. an out of state I.D., passport, or other photo I.D. with proof of residency such as bank statement, utility bill, etc is acceptable
3. The qualifying patient must have been diagnosed by a physician as having a debilitating medical condition and obtain a physician’s certification  — *Find a certified medical marijuana physician in Pennsylvania
4. Patients must obtain legitimate medical records or documentation from your primary care physician describing the diagnosis of the patient’s qualifying condition. Ensure to bring the records to the marijuana evaluation appointment — *Learn how to request your medical records
5. Upon receiving a physician’s recommendation, patients are required to register with the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) as a qualifying patient and complete application for a Medical Marijuana Identification Card. Registry Fee is $50.00 (Patients who participate in assistance programs including Medicaid, PACE/PACENET, CHIP, SNAP, and WIC may be eligible for fee reductions).

Approved Medical Marijuana Forms:

• Pill;
• Oil;
• Topical forms, including gel, creams, or ointments;
• Tincture;
• Liquid; and
• A form medically appropriate for administration by vaporization or nebulization, including dry leaf or plant form for administration by vaporization.

Medical Marijuana Access in Pennsylvania

Some medical marijuana patients will claim they have a doctor’s prescription for medical marijuana, but marijuana prescriptions are in fact illegal. The federal government classifies marijuana as a schedule I drug. Therefore doctors are unable to prescribe marijuana to their patients, and medical marijuana patients cannot go to a pharmacy to fill a prescription for medical marijuana. Instead, medical marijuana physicians will supply patients with a medical marijuana recommendation in compliance with state law.

Under Pennsylvania medical marijuana law, “medical marijuana may only be dispensed to a patient or caregiver in the following forms: (i) pill; (ii) oil; (iii) topical forms, including gel, creams or ointments; (iv) a form medically appropriate for administration by vaporization or nebulization, excluding dry leaf or plant form… (v) tincture; or (vi) liquid. Unless otherwise provided in regulations adopted by the department under section 1202, medical marijuana may not be dispensed to a patient or a caregiver in dry leaf or plant form.”

In April 2017, state regulators proposed the establishment of an online physicians’ registry that would make it much easier for patients who meet medical marijuana qualifications in Pennsylvania to find doctors who can recommend medical weed. The Pennsylvania Department of Health requested feedback, but they made it clear that doctors would not be required to take part in either the registry or the state’s medical cannabis program as a whole. If they do decide to participate in the registry, doctors will have to complete a four-hour training course.

Doctors who are looking to recommend medical marijuana for qualifying patients can now complete the Practitioner Registry to participate in the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program.

Turn to MarijuanaDoctors.com for information on obtaining a medical cannabis card in Pennsylvania, meeting medical marijuana qualifications in Pennsylvania or anything else involving medical weed.