How to Get a Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Card

Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program allows residents with certain serious medical conditions to obtain cannabis products through state-licensed dispensaries. The program was established by Act 16 of 2016, but eligibility depends on more than having a diagnosis: the patient must be a Pennsylvania resident, receive certification from an approved practitioner, register with the state, and maintain an active certification and identification card.

Who qualifies for Pennsylvania medical marijuana?

Patients must have at least one qualifying serious medical condition and be under the continuing care of the practitioner who certifies them. The practitioner must also determine that the patient is likely to receive therapeutic or palliative benefit from medical marijuana.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health currently lists these qualifying conditions:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Anxiety disorders
• Autism
• Cancer, including remission therapy
• Chronic hepatitis C
• Crohn’s disease
• Damage to the central nervous system with objective neurological indications of intractable spasticity or associated neuropathies
• Dyskinetic and spastic movement disorders
• Epilepsy and intractable seizures
• Glaucoma
• HIV or AIDS
• Huntington’s disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Neurodegenerative diseases
• Neuropathies
• Opioid use disorder in specified circumstances
• Parkinson’s disease
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Severe chronic or intractable pain, including pain of neuropathic origin
• Sickle cell anemia
• Terminal illness
• Tourette syndrome

Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury with chronic symptoms and Type II diabetes are also recognized for limited Chapter 20 research purposes, rather than as ordinary qualifying conditions for general access. The state’s Medical Marijuana Program page provides the current list and program information.

How to apply for a medical marijuana card

1. Register with the Pennsylvania Department of Health

Start by creating an account through the state’s Medical Marijuana Program registration portal. You will need a working email address and proof of Pennsylvania residency, such as a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license or state-issued identification card. After registration, the system will provide a patient ID number.

Registering before the medical consultation is useful because the approved practitioner will generally need your patient ID to submit the certification.

2. Consult an approved practitioner

Only a physician—an MD or DO—who is registered and approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Health can certify a patient. The consultation may take place in person or, when offered by an approved practitioner, through telemedicine. The practitioner must verify the qualifying condition, confirm that the patient is under continuing care, and decide whether medical marijuana may provide a therapeutic or palliative benefit.

The state maintains information for practitioners and explains the certification requirements on its medical marijuana professionals page.

3. Pay the state identification-card fee

After certification, the patient receives an email with instructions for paying the annual card fee. The standard fee is $50. Patients participating in Medicaid, PACE or PACENET, CHIP, SNAP, or WIC may qualify for a fee waiver through Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Assistance Program.

If the fee is not paid within 60 days after the certification is submitted, the certification expires and the patient may need to obtain a new one.

4. Receive the card and visit a dispensary

The Department of Health says patients should allow up to seven days for card printing and up to 14 additional days for delivery by mail. Once the card is active, it can be used at any Pennsylvania-licensed medical marijuana dispensary. The department publishes a list of dispensaries and program resources.

A patient’s certification and card may be valid for less than a year, but the certification period cannot exceed one year. Patients generally receive notice before expiration and must obtain a new certification and keep their annual payment current to avoid a lapse.

Caregivers and minor patients

Patients may designate a caregiver to purchase and pick up medical marijuana on their behalf. Caregivers generally must be at least 21 years old, be Pennsylvania residents, register with the department, complete a criminal-history background check, and obtain their own identification card.

Minors must have a caregiver. Caregivers also register on behalf of patients who are homebound or otherwise unable to visit a dispensary. In those situations, the caregiver—not the patient—may be the person who receives the card and visits the dispensary.

What products are permitted?

Pennsylvania permits medical marijuana in several forms, including pills, oils, tinctures, liquids, topical products such as creams or ointments, and products designed for vaporization or nebulization. Dry-leaf cannabis may be dispensed for vaporization, but smoking medical marijuana remains prohibited under state law.

Patients should not assume that products sold as ordinary recreational edibles in other states are available through Pennsylvania’s medical program. Pennsylvania’s rules limit how medical marijuana may be prepared and administered. Patients should follow dispensary and practitioner instructions and keep products in their original packaging.

Important legal restrictions

Cardholders may purchase medical marijuana only through the state program. Pennsylvania does not authorize patients to grow their own medical marijuana plants, and a card does not authorize possession or use outside the program’s rules.

A medical marijuana card also does not make impaired driving legal. Pennsylvania’s driving-under-the-influence statute prohibits operating a vehicle while under the influence of a drug to a degree that impairs safe driving. Patients should not drive after using cannabis if they may be impaired, and they should review current state law or consult a qualified attorney about questions involving drug testing, employment, firearms, housing, or travel.

Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana card is intended for use within Pennsylvania’s program. Other states may or may not recognize an out-of-state card, and their rules can change. Before traveling with medical marijuana, check the destination state’s current law and remember that transporting cannabis across state lines can create separate legal problems.

Keeping the card active

Patients must be recertified by an approved practitioner and pay the annual state fee when due. A patient does not necessarily have to return to the original certifying practitioner; Pennsylvania allows recertification through any registered practitioner who is willing to evaluate the patient and submit a new certification.

The state’s rules and procedures can change, so patients should rely on the Pennsylvania Department of Health registry and patient guidance for current fees, deadlines, approved practitioners, dispensary locations, and renewal instructions.