As we cross the one year anniversary of its passage, Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program continues to develop. On April 11, the Department of Health released Draft Temporary Regulations for Physicians.
The Regulations lay out the process for physicians to register as a licensed practitioner under the Program and to certify patients to receive medical marijuana to treat a covered medical condition. Pennsylvania’s law identifies 17 specific medical conditions for which medical marijuana can be prescribed, including Cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, Epilepsy, and Autism.
In addition to the licensing process, physicians must complete a four-hour training session on Pennsylvania and federal law regarding marijuana and the latest scientific research on medical marijuana. The Regulations also contain several prohibitions for physicians licensed to prescribe marijuana, including that physicians cannot advertise that they are licensed to prescribe medical marijuana, and cannot accept, request, or offer any fee or remuneration for certifying a patient other than accepting a fee from the patient for the physician’s care.
Dr. Karen Murphy, the Secretary of the DOH, “urged the medical community to provide feedback on proposed temporary regulations,” and the DOH is accepting public comments on the Temporary Regulations until April 20.