State seeks docs for marijuana program

Physicians in Pennsylvania can now register with the state to participate in the Medical Marijuana Program, which is expected to go live next year.

“Since April 2016, we’ve been working to implement a patient-focused Medical Marijuana Program for Pennsylvanians in desperate need of medication,” said Dr. Rachel Levine, acting secretary of health and physician general. “Many physicians treat these patients everyday and understand the impact this medication could have on their treatment. Once these physicians register and complete the required continuing education, they can be approved to par- ticipate in the program.”

Registering physicians is the next-to-last step in the process of bringing medical marijuana to Pennsylvania, April Hutcheson, press secretary for the state Department of Health, said Thursday.

Previously, the state has drawn up regulations and registered growers, processors and dispensaries. Its last step will be to register patients who want to participate.

“The most important thing now is for patients and doctors tohave that conversation now – is medical marijuana right for me?” Hutcheson said. “Now is the time to decide whether this is an option for you or for your child.”

The health department said it surveyed physicians and found that of the 191 that participated, 75 percent said they would register with the program.

Two continuing education providers have been approved to offer the four-hour training required for practitioners: The Answer Page Inc. and Extra Step Assurance LLC.

The Medical Marijuana Program was signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf on April 17, 2016.

The statute defines a “se- rious medical condition” in which marijuana could be legally used by patients as any one of the following:

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; autism; cancer; Crohn’s disease; damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity; epilepsy; glaucoma; HIV/AIDS; Huntington’s disease; inflammatory bowel disease; intracta- ble seizures; multiple sclerosis; neuropathies; Parkinson’s disease; Post-traumatic Stress Disorder; severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin or severe chronic or intractable pain in which conventional therapeutic intervention and opiate therapy is contraindicated or ineffective; and sickle cell anemia.

Once the program goes live, expected to be sometime in 2018, patients apply to participate and receive support from their doctors. They then go to the authorized dispensaries to receive their marijuana treatments.

Since the governor signed themeasure into law, the department has:

• Completed temporary regulations for: growers/processors; dispensaries; practitioners; and laboratories;

• Released applications for medical training providers and laboratories;

• Issued permits to 27 entities for dispensaries and 12 entities for grower/processors;

• Developed the Medical Marijuana Physician Workgroup;

•Awarded a contract to MJ Freeway for electronic tracking of medical marijuana.

“The most important thing now is for patients and doctors to have that conversation now– ismedical marijuana right for me?. Nowis the time to decide whether this is an option for you or for your child.” April Hutcheson Press secretary for the state Department of Health