How Do I Become a Medical Marijuana Patient In Pennsylvania?
Becoming a medical marijuana patient in Pennsylvania is not difficult, provided that you suffer from one of the medical conditions for which treatment with medical marijuana is permitted. If you are on Social Security Disability or suffer from a severe work injury, there is a good chance that you have a qualifying condition. Many patients find that medical marijuana treats pain and other symptoms better than conventional pharmaceuticals and with fewer side effects. If you have one of the qualifying conditions, there are steps that must be correctly followed to become a medical marijuana patient.
First, you must register and create a patient profile with the Department of Health. You may register here Patients Registry and create a patient profile. The information you supply to the patient registry must exactly match the information on your Pennsylvania driver’s license or identification card. If your own physician is not listed in the Physician Registry, you must either have your physician become certified [link last entry] to recommend medical marijuana, or locate and begin treatment with one who is already listed in the registry. There are physicians in every part of the state that are qualified to recommend medical marijuana, but do not be afraid to talk to your own health care provider about becoming certified.
Next, you must obtain a physician’s certification. The certification will verify that you suffer from one of the 17 serious medical conditions for which treatment with medical marijuana is permitted. The serious medical conditions include: ALS, cancer, autism, epilepsy, Crohn’s Disease, glaucoma, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with intractable spasticity, HIV/AIDS, MS, neuropathies, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, inflammatory bowel disease, Huntington’s Disease, sickle cell anemia, Parkinson’s Disease, intractable seizures, and severe chronic or intractable pain either of neuropathic origin or for which conventional therapeutic intervention and opiate therapy is contraindicated or ineffective.
After receiving the certification, you must return to the Patient Registry and submit the fee for a medical marijuana I.D. card. You will receive the I.D. card in a short time. Then you can obtain medical marijuana from any approved dispensary in Pennsylvania.
If you are receiving Pennsylvania Worker’s Compensation benefits you may not automatically be eligible for medical marijuana even if you follow all of the above steps. If you think medical marijuana may help your work related injury, you should contact an experienced Pennsylvania Worker’s Compensation attorney to discuss your options.
