Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program

What is the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program?

The Pennsylvania medical marijuana program is the state's initiative to provide access to medical marijuana to qualified patients with physician recommendations. Under the program, patients registered in the Pennsylvania medical marijuana registry who have valid medical marijuana cards can purchase or order up to a 30-day supply of medical marijuana products. The composition of a 30-day supply for each patient will be determined by the pharmacists at the licensed dispensaries where purchases are made.

The Pennsylvania medical marijuana program was created by the state's Medical Marijuana Act, signed into law on April 17, 2016. The Act directs the Pennsylvania Department of Health to implement and administer the medical marijuana program. The program is open to patients of all ages, provided they have qualifying conditions. However, while any patient may designate a caregiver, minors are legally required to designate caregivers to participate in the program. You can apply for inclusion in the program at any time of the year if you are eligible.

How Old to Join Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program?

You can join the Pennsylvania medical marijuana program at any age but may only obtain a medical marijuana card under the program if you are 18 or older. If you are a minor (not yet 18), you must have an adult caregiver register on your behalf and obtain medical marijuana at the dispensary for you. When you are 18, you can register by yourself in the program and visit licensed dispensaries to purchase medical marijuana.

Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program Qualifying Conditions

You can join the Pennsylvania medical marijuana program if you have a serious medical condition, such as:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Autism
• Anxiety disorders
• Chronic Hepatitis C
• Cancer, including remission therapy
• Crohn's disease
• Dyskinetic and spastic movement disorders
• Damage to the central nervous system's nervous tissue producing intractable spasticity or other associated neuropathies
• Epilepsy
• HIV / AIDS
• Glaucoma
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Intractable seizures
• Neurodegenerative diseases
• Multiple sclerosis
• Neuropathies
• Huntington's disease
• Opioid use disorder where conventional therapeutic interventions are ineffective or contraindicated or for which an adjunctive therapy is indicated in conjunction with primary therapeutic interventions
• PTSD
• Parkinson's disease
• Severe chronic or intractable pain
• Sickle cell anemia
• Tourette syndrome
• Terminal illness

What Practitioners are Eligible to Recommend the Use of Medical Cannabis?

Practitioners eligible to recommend medical cannabis use in Pennsylvania include:

• Doctor of Medicine
• Doctor of Osteopathy

Must a Practitioner Obtain a License Before Issuing a Medical Card Recommendation?

Yes. Only MDs or DOs with active medical licenses in Pennsylvania issued pursuant to the Medical Practice Act of 1985 or the Osteopathic Medical Practice Act can issue medical marijuana certifications. Such physicians must also complete the required Pennsylvania Department of Health-approved training.

Do Physicians Need to Manage Patients Before Recommending Them for the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program?

Per Section 403 of Act 16, a patient must be under the practitioner's continuing care for a qualifying condition before the practitioner may issue a medical cannabis recommendation for the condition.

Do Physicians Have to Join the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program to Recommend Medical Marijuana to Patients?

Only healthcare practitioners participating in the Pennsylvania medical marijuana program can issue medical marijuana certifications.

Can a Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program Practitioner Use Telemedicine for Patient Assessment?

Yes, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania allows practitioners registered under its medical marijuana program to use telemedicine for patient evaluations.

How to Find Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program Doctors

You may use the Find a Practitioner link on the Department of Health website to find practitioners participating in the Pennsylvania medical marijuana program.

How to Apply for the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program

To join the Pennsylvania medical marijuana program, visit the state Department of Health website to create an account on the Pennsylvania medical marijuana registry. You will need a Pennsylvania driver's license or other State of Pennsylvania-issued ID to complete the account creation process. After, obtain a medical marijuana certification from a healthcare practitioner participating in the medical marijuana program. This meeting is required to verify that you have an eligible condition and will benefit from the therapeutic or palliative use of cannabis. If you designate a caregiver, the individual must complete a criminal history background check before they may serve as your caregiver.

After your certifying physician issues your certification, you will receive a notification by email of the next steps to complete the application. This will include paying an application fee of $50. If you are benefiting from a government assistance program, such as Medicaid, WIC, SNAP, CHIC, or PACE/PACENET, you must provide proof to be eligible for a discounted application fee.

A digital copy of your Pennsylvania medical marijuana card will be available on your account on the Pennsylvania Department of Health system within 7 days if your application is successful. The physical Pennsylvania medical marijuana card should arrive in the mail in 2-3 weeks.

For more information on joining the Pennsylvania medical marijuana program, see the patients page of the Pennsylvania medical marijuana program website or visit:

Medical Marijuana Program Pennsylvania Department of Health Health and Welfare Building 8th Floor West 625 Forster Street Harrisburg, PA 17120 Phone: (888) 733-5595