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A handful of Pa. doctors approved 1/3 of medical pot cards in a single year. Experts question the quality of care.
Spotlight PA link: https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2024/12/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana-top-doctor-certification/
HARRISBURG — A small number of doctors approve an outsize share of medical marijuana cards in Pennsylvania, state health department records obtained by Spotlight PA reveal. The findings have already spurred calls for greater oversight of physicians and potential changes to the state’s medical marijuana law. The data have also raised concerns among some medical professionals about the ability of doctors to provide appropriate care to several thousand patients a year.
In 2022, 17 doctors issued more than 132,000 Pennsylvania medical marijuana certifications combined. That accounts for nearly one-third of the total number issued in the state that year, based on physician records released by the health department. Those doctors each issued more than 5,000 that year.
A proposal introduced this past legislative session, and backed by nine Republican lawmakers, would have given the Department of Health more authority to monitor physicians, including the power to limit the number of certifications that individual doctors can issue.
In 2022, 17 doctors issued more than 132,000 Pennsylvania medical marijuana certifications combined. That accounts for nearly one-third of the total number issued in the state that year, based on physician records released by the health department. Those doctors each issued more than 5,000 that year.
A proposal introduced this past legislative session, and backed by nine Republican lawmakers, would have given the Department of Health more authority to monitor physicians, including the power to limit the number of certifications that individual doctors can issue.
[... snip ...]
Since the medical marijuana program began in Pennsylvania, doctors have been the gatekeepers.
Instead of providing a traditional drug prescription, they issue a medical marijuana certification that allows patients to obtain a card and shop at dispensaries for the products they want. While the law enables doctors to limit the appropriate form of medical marijuana for each certification, they aren’t required to.
To issue a certification, physicians must determine that patients have a qualifying medical condition and are “likely to receive therapeutic or palliative benefit” from using the drug.
The price for a certification varies — a Spotlight PA review of more than a half dozen websites found a typical range of about $100 to $200 for a new patient. And “since medical marijuana consultations are not covered by medical insurance,” individual doctors can decide what to charge, a health department spokesperson told Spotlight PA.
Patients need to receive a certification at least once a year to continue with the medical marijuana program. The annual requirement and the cost burden it causes for patients have received some pushback.
- more at link -
Instead of providing a traditional drug prescription, they issue a medical marijuana certification that allows patients to obtain a card and shop at dispensaries for the products they want. While the law enables doctors to limit the appropriate form of medical marijuana for each certification, they aren’t required to.
To issue a certification, physicians must determine that patients have a qualifying medical condition and are “likely to receive therapeutic or palliative benefit” from using the drug.
The price for a certification varies — a Spotlight PA review of more than a half dozen websites found a typical range of about $100 to $200 for a new patient. And “since medical marijuana consultations are not covered by medical insurance,” individual doctors can decide what to charge, a health department spokesperson told Spotlight PA.
Patients need to receive a certification at least once a year to continue with the medical marijuana program. The annual requirement and the cost burden it causes for patients have received some pushback.
Friends, I looked into getting a medical marijuana card about 3 or 4 years ago, during the Covid lockdown. It sounded to me like a very scammy situation, but your mileage may vary. I was told that I needed to have an online video "consultation" with some licensed doctor who was somewhere in Pennsylvania, and I needed to pay $200 IN ADVANCE for this consultation.
Once I obtained approval from the doctor (everyone gets approved) I needed to pay $250 IN ADVANCE for the medical marijuana card. They mail you the card, and then you can use it to legally purchase marijuana products (mostly CBD oil) by mail or in-store in certain metro areas. Your card is good for one year, and then you go through the consultation and getting another card again the next year.
I never followed through with any of this, even though a few of my friends thought it was a good deal and rather easy. I didn't feel comfortable with the process, and after a while I stopped getting their high-pressure emails. The impression I got was that a lot of senior citizens are being targeted with this medical marijuana card program, and it's mostly males who are buying the cards. Again ... your mileage may vary.
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My friend who told me about it in the first place - we're both retired and in our early 70's - said all you have to do is tell the doctor you have "anxieties." Then you get approved by the doctor and you purchase the card.
That's what I meant when I said it sounded scammy. At the time it seemed easier and cheaper just to grow my own.
