Pennsylvania’s Department of Health sets up a Physician’s Work Group to aid in the implementation of the Medical Marijuana Program.

Posted on by Jorge Pereira, Esq.

On Tuesday, July 19, 2016, the Pennsylvania Department of Health took another step forward in the implementation of the state’s Medical Marijuana Act by establishing a Physician’s Work Group.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Health, Dr. Karen Murphy, in an announcement from the DOH, said, “We have started working closely with physician groups to disseminate important information, and have formed a physician workgroup to ensure continued communication and feedback on the program and its implementation. Physicians and their medical expertise are crucial to the success of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program, and we will continue to engage them throughout the process to ensure their medical expertise is heard on behalf of patients.”

It is important for the implementation of Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act to assist physicians and/or practitioners in the process. Under Section 401 of the Act, in order for a physician to issue certifications to patients for the use of medical marijuana, the physician must apply for registration, be determined by the DOH to be qualified to treat the defined 17 “serious medical conditions”, and complete the four hour training course under section 301(a)(6). Once the application is approved, the physician and/or practitioner will be placed in the registry and subject to annual review. The physician will also be required to adhere to the regulations established by the DOH for physicians and/or practitioners listed on the registry. Obviously, it is crucial to the implementation of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program to have a sufficient number physicians to certify patients.

Some states with medical marijuana programs have had difficulties finding enough physicians who are willing to prescribe medical marijuana. I previously wrote in my blog, Will Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act Get Doc Blocked, about the reluctance of physicians in Minnesota to participate in the state’s medical marijuana program. For various reasons more fully discussed in my blog, Minnesota physicians were not eager to participate in the state’s medical marijuana program. Because there was initially too few physicians in Minnesota who were willing to participate, it was difficult for patients to be certified.

Secretary Murphy states that the DOH is being very thoughtful and thorough in its approach to developing and implementing the states medical marijuana program. It also helps to be able to learn from other state’s medical programs to avoid any pitfalls experienced in the initial start up these programs.

The first Medical Marijuana Physician Workgroup will be convened within the next few weeks. Participants will include:

Allegheny Health Network
Geisinger Health System
Penn State Health
Port Allegany Health Center
Temple University Health Systems
The Lehigh Valley Health Network
Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals
University of Pennsylvania – Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
The Commonwealth Medical College
Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians
Pennsylvania Chapter – American Academy of Pediatrics
Pennsylvania Medical Society

The DOH will also release a survey to help in the development of temporary regulations for physicians. Additional information can be obtained at the DOH’s website.

Published by Jorge Pereira, Esq.

I was born in Portugal and raised in Bethlehem after immigrating with his family to the Lehigh Valley at the age of 2. I attended Rutgers University, New Brunswick graduating with B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Psychology. After graduating with honors from Rutgers University, I attended Rutgers-Newark Law School. While at Rutgers-Newark Law School, I was part of Appellate Moot Court, Urban Legal Clinic and the Animal Rights Clinic. Upon graduating Rutgers-Newark Law School Law, I initially practiced at a small boutique law firm in Newark, New Jersey but always maintained a desire to return to his home in the Lehigh Valley. I spent the last eighteen years working in civil litigation and personal injury law firms in the Lehigh Valley. For the last sixteen years, I has worked at an Allentown law firm, The Law of Business, P.C. f/k/a Douglas M. Marinos & Associates, P.C. focusing on business divorce, corporate law, creditor’s rights and general civil litigation. I am a member of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey bars and admitted to practice in the United States District Court of Pennsylvania for the Eastern District and the United States District Court of New Jersey. I have litigated cases throughout the Courts of Common Pleas of Eastern Pennsylvania from Susquehanna County to Philadelphia County and represented both debtors and creditors in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern and Middle District of Pennsylvania. As counsel for Sovereign Bank, I wrote the appellate brief in the precedent setting decision in the matter of Sovereign Bank v. Schwab, 414 F.3d 450 (3rd Cir. 2005). I am an avid cigar smoker and a founding member, board member and former officer of the Lehigh Valley Cigar Club, a non-profit social club with over 200 members dedicated to protecting and promoting the enjoyment of cigar smoking in the Lehigh Valley.I played Rugby for ten years on the men’s team of the Lehigh Valley Rugby Football Club, becoming a captain of the men’s team, and President of the club. I own a commercial building in the historical district of Main Street, Bethlehem where my business partner and I own a hair salon, Hair Studio Main.

One thought on “Pennsylvania’s Department of Health sets up a Physician’s Work Group to aid in the implementation of the Medical Marijuana Program.”

  1. I need info re: how to find a MD that is willing to order marijuana if warranted in my area. I do go to a primary and he is in a Geisiger group, can you help.

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