Get a Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Card

medical marijuana program Pennsylvania
Medical Marijuana is Legal in Pennsylvania

You may be wondering “how do I get a medical marijuana card in Pennsylvania?” Getting your Pennsylvania medical marijuana card can now happen from the comfort of your own home.

During COVID-19 and the lockdown, Pennsylvania started allowing telemedicine appointments to obtain your medical marijuana patient certification. Additionally, the process now only requires one appointment with a doctor in order to qualify for a medical marijuana recommendation. Once you have your Pennsylvania medical marijuana card, you will be ready to visit a dispensary.

To become a Pennsylvania medical marijuana patient, you can first talk with one of our doctors to see if you qualify. Then we will help you through filling out the online state paperwork upon approval. Prestodoctor makes the process easy, fast, private, and also 100% online. Our doctors are licensed in Pennsylvania to certify patients for medical marijuana cards.

Qualifying Conditions:

To become a Pennsylvania medical marijuana patient, you must first be diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition. You must also be a Pennsylvania resident. The qualifying conditions include the following:

  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS);
  • Anxiety disorders;
  • Autism;
  • Cancer, including remission therapy;
  • Crohn’s disease;
  • Damage to the nervous tissue of the central nervous system (brain-spinal cord) with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, and other associated neuropathies;
  • Dyskinetic and spastic movement disorders;
  • Epilepsy;
  • Glaucoma;
  • HIV / AIDS;
  • Huntington’s disease;
  • Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD);
  • Intractable seizures;
  • Multiple sclerosis (MS);
  • Neurodegenerative diseases;
  • Neuropathies;
  • Opioid use disorder for which conventional therapeutic interventions are contraindicated or ineffective, or for which adjunctive therapy is indicated in combination with primary therapeutic interventions;
  • Parkinson’s disease;
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD);
  • Severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin or severe chronic or intractable pain;
  • Sickle cell anemia;
  • Terminal illness; and
  • Tourette syndrome.

Proof of Residency:

You’ll need to provide one of the following items to show proof of residency:

  • ID number from your Pennsylvania State Driver’s License or Pennsylvania State Non-Driver ID Card.
  • Copy of a government issued identification card that contains your name and Pennsylvania State address.
  • Copy of a utility bill or other document showing your residency. It must be issued within the previous two months. The document must also contain your name and address.
  • Copy of a current lease or similar document showing your residency within Pennsylvania.
  • Other documentation as approved by DOH containing sufficient information to show proof of residency in Pennsylvania.

Register with the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program

After you’ve identified a qualifying condition and verified you are a resident of Pennsylvania, you must then register with the state of PA medical marijuana program. The Pennsylvania Department of Health is the government website where you will register your medical marijuana patient status. Your information and address must match what is registered with the state already. If it is not the same, then the state will reject your form.

After registering, you will receive a patient ID number. Write this number down, as you may need to reference this later.

Next, create an account with Prestodoctor. You will out a brief medical profile and schedule and then appointment to see a doctor. Same day appointments are often available. Our Pennsylvania medical marijuana doctors are online now.

The Appointment Process

During your appointment, you will be asked to describe your medical condition, and history of any medication taken (if any). Be as descriptive as possible so that your doctor can best understand your health and condition. This will allow the doctor to decide if medical marijuana is an appropriate alternative to consider.

If your doctor feels your condition would benefit from medical marijuana, then the doctor will explain how to best use medical marijuana as treatment. After this appointment, you will receive a formal medical marijuana recommendation (assuming you qualify).

After Approval

Once approved, the doctor will generate a unique medical marijuana recommendation that will be accessible in the Pennsylvania State Patient Portal. Your Pennsylvania specific certificate will be ready shortly after. Once you receive the certificate, you must complete your registration in the State Portal.

In the portal, you will need to finalize your registration by paying an application fee. The fee is $50 and paid directly to the state of Pennsylvania. Patients that can provide evidence of enrollment in the following programs may qualify for a discounted medical marijuana ID card:

  • Medicaid,
  • PACE/ PACENET
  • CHIP
  • SNAP
  • WIC.

The discount would bring the application fee down to $25.

Once you complete your application and confirm your registration, a physical card will be mailed to you by the state. It will arrive within 7-14 business days. Once you receive your cannabis card, you may visit licensed dispensaries in Pennsylvania.

Book Now – Get your Pennsylvania Card Today

Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Renewal

Pennsylvania law requires patients to renew their medical marijuana card after one year. The process is similar to when you first got your medical marijuana card. You will need to talk to a doctor again and get re-certified. You do not need to go back to the same doctor who you went to last year.

However, you will need your Patient ID number. This can be found in the patient portal on the PA website. It is best to have this before your appointment with the doctor starts.

Once you receive your new medical marijuana certification, you will need to pay your annual fee on the PA state website. Be sure to pay this before your card expires to avoid losing access to medical marijuana dispensaries. The state usually mails your new card within 7-10 business days.

Caregivers Registering

Patients and caregivers will have a similar application, however the caregiver will not have an appointment with a doctor or get a patient ID number.

The caregiver will only need to register on the state website and undergo a criminal background check. Once the background check is completed, you will receive an email stating the outcome. The background check takes about 4-6 weeks to be completed.

The caregiver will need the patient’s basic information as well as their patient ID number. Caregivers must also pay an application fee.

Requirements for caregivers are that the caregiver is at least 21 years old, a resident of PA, and have a valid PA driver’s license or state issued ID card. The caregiver must also not have been previously convicted of a criminal offense relating to drugs or a controlled substance in the last 5 years. Once the caregiver has their Pennsylvania medical marijuana ID card, they will be able to pick up the patients medical marijuana at a dispensary.

Pennsylvania Dispensaries

Pennsylvania medical marijuana dispensaries are accessible by medical marijuana patients only. This means, there is no recreational cannabis use allowed in Pennsylvania. After becoming a medical marijuana patient and receiving your medical marijuana ID card, you may purchase cannabis at a licensed dispensary.

Medical marijuana patients can purchase up to a 30-day supply.

Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Laws

Before the pandemic, Pennsylvania did not allow patients to certify online for a medical marijuana card in PA. Now, patients can visit an online medical marijuana doctor to get medical marijuana in PA. Since marijuana is not legal for adult-use, only medical marijuana patients will be able to visit dispensaries.

As of now, home grow is not legal in Pennsylvania even for medical marijuana patients.

In 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Health stated that cards printed in 2023 will have a new look. Read the latest announcements here.