In 2016, Governor Wolf legalized medical marijuana for patients at dispensaries throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Since then, patients with a variety of serious illnesses have been able to access this medical relief. Now getting access to a PA medical marijuana card is easier than ever before. Having said that, many qualified candidates are unsure of the process to acquire one. Below is a step-by-step guide to successfully securing a medical marijuana card in PA.   

Steps:

1. Register with the State

Prior to receiving a card, you will need to register with the state using your driver’s license or state ID number as well as your current address. It is of the utmost importance that you do this step before seeing one of the doctors so they can view all your information in the state medical cannabis database. The system is automatically verified and will give you a patient ID number. The doctor will upload your number and your records will be updated to reflect that you have been cleared for medical marijuana treatment.      

2. Get Certified by an Approved Physician 

Once you’re officially registered in the Medical Marijuana Registry (MMR), you will need a general practitioner to certify that you suffer from a medical condition that qualifies for a card. Approved doctors also require access to the MMR and will submit their certifications directly to the system. Any physician who recommends medical cannabis in any state must be registered with the Department of Health. 

3. Get a Card

Pending your prescription approval by the doctor, you have to go back to the online medical marijuana portal, fill out your application, register with the state’s Department of Health, and pay the $50 application fee. If you participate in government programs such as Medicaid, CHIP, PACE/PACENET, WIC, and SNAP are eligible to get a discount through the Medical Marijuana Assistance Program. After your application has been approved, the state will mail you your card and you can commence purchasing legal marijuana from any dispensary once you’ve received your card in the mail. This process typically takes anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, depending on the number of applicants at the time.     

Your certificate for medical marijuana is valid for one year so you will have to renew it annually by seeing your cannabis doctor.

Qualifying for Medical Conditions 

To qualify for PA’s medical marijuana program you must suffer from at least one of the following medical conditions: 

  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Autism 
  • Cancer, including remission therapy 
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Damage to the nervous tissue of the central nervous system (brain-spinal cord)
  • Dyskinetic and spastic movements 
  • Epilepsy
  • Glaucoma
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Huntington’s disease
  • Inflammatory bowel disease (IBS)
  • Intractable seizures
  • Multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodegenerative diseases 
  • Neuropathies 
  • Opioid Addiction
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic 
  • Sickle cell anemia
  • Terminal illness  
  • Tourette syndrome

If you’re looking for assistance when completing your application for the Medical Marijuana Registry, you can pick one or two caregivers to help you obtain an official card.