In 2016, Governor Wolf legalized medical marijuana in Pennsylvania. In February of 2018, medical marijuana was made available across the commonwealth. But how does one qualify to receive medical marijuana?

Step 1: Register

Before visiting a doctor about receiving medical marijuana, the patient must first register on the Medical Marijuana Registry. While registering, you will be asked your name, date of birth, PA drivers license number or state ID number, email address, phone number, and physical address.

Step 2: Get Certified by a Doctor

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has published a list of physicians that are approved to participate in the medical marijuana program. These doctors can only allow patients to participate in the program if they have one of these following conditions:

 

  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
  • Autism
  • Cancer, including remission therapy
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Damage to the nervous tissue of the central nervous system (brain-spinal cord) with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, and other associated neuropathies.
  • Dyskinetic and spastic movement disorders
  • Epilepsy
  • Glaucoma
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Huntington’s disease
  • Intractable seizures
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Neurodegenerative diseases
  • Neuropathies
  • Opioid use disorder for which conventional therapeutic interventions are contraindicated or ineffective, or for which adjudicative therapy is indicated in combination with primary therapeutic interventions.
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin or severe chronic or intractable pain
  • Sickle cell anemia
  • Terminal illness

Step 3: Pay for an ID Card

Once a patient has been approved by a doctor, they return to the Medical Marijuana Registry. Once there, they complete the application for a medical marijuana ID card. The ID card costs $50 but this fee may be reduced if the patient participates in social services such as medicaid, PACE/PACENET, CHIP, SNAP, or WIC. During this process, a patient may assign two caregivers that may assist in obtaining medical marijuana from a dispensary. These caregivers must also register with the Medical Marijuana Registry and pass a background check before being approved.

Step 4: Find a Dispensary

Once a patient has received their medical marijuana ID card, they may find a marijuana dispensary. At this point, the patient may purchase medical marijuana for self use.

Law Office of Vincent J. Caputo

As always, the Law Office of Vincent J. Caputo is here to educate our clients and friends with current laws and regulations. If you or a loved one has been charged with a drug crime in South Eastern PA, please contact our experienced legal team at the Law Office of Vincent J. Caputo. Your future? Our priority!