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How to get a PA Medical Marijuana Card

Here is a step-by-step guide for how to get a medical marijuana card in Pennsylvania. To become a patient in the program you must have one of the state-approved qualifying conditions, register with the program online, and get certified by an approved physician before receiving your card and visiting a licensed dispensary.

PA Medical Marijuana Card
Medical Marijuana Card

Qualifying Conditions

The Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program is established for patients suffering from serious medical conditions. To qualify from the program patients must have one of the following conditions:​

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  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

  • 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

  • Intractable seizures

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  • Multiple sclerosis

  • 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

  • Severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin or severe chronic or intractable pain

  • Sickle cell anemia

  • Terminal illness

  • Tourette syndrome

  • Chronic Hepatitis C

If you believe you are suffering from one of these conditions, here are the steps to get your medical marijuana card in PA

1.

Register with the Program

First you have to register by creating a profile on the PA medical marijuana patient and caregiver registry and clicking "adult patient registration" under the new users section. You will then see the form shown to the right. 

Tips for correctly registering:

  • You will need a valid PA driver's license or state ID card

  • Put info in ALL CAPS exactly as it appears on your ID

  • Don't enter spaces in your license number

  • Don't use punctuation in your address 

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After registering correctly, you should receive an email from the Department of Health confirming your registration.

PA Department of Health
Get A Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Card

2.

Get Certified by an Approved Physician

After registering successfully and receiving a patient ID number, schedule a consult with a Pennsylvania Department of Health approved medical marijuana practitioner to receive a certification that you suffer from one of the qualifying conditions. 

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The list of DOH approved practitioners can be found here.

Note that licensed physicians in PA are not permitted under current medical marijuana program laws and regulations to advertise or specifically state that they are approved to recommend medical marijuana and certify patients for the program. So be sure to ask your doctor if they can certify at your next scheduled visit! 

3.

Complete the Registration by Paying and Receive Your ID Card

Once you receive a certification from an approved physician log back into the PA medical marijuana patient and caregiver registry with the username and password you created and complete registration by paying for your medical marijuana ID card.  The current fee charged by PA for a medical marijuana card is $50. 

PA Department of Health.jpeg
PA Medical Marijuana Assistance Program

Individuals who participate in the following government programs may qualify for a no-cost ID card: ​

  • Medicaid

  • CHIP

  • SNAP

  • WIC

  • PACE/PACENET

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You will receive confirmation when you successfully pay for your card. The Department of Health states to allow up to 7 days for printing your card and up to 14 days to receive the card at the address you provided. 

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