It costs just ${{statesPrices.PA}} to get your Pennsylvania MMJ recommendation with NuggMD. And you're only charged if you're approved!

The best way to contact the program is via email at RA-DHMedMarijuana@pa.gov

You're in luck! NuggMD now has available physicians in Pennsylvania. Just click on this link to get started today!

Any Pennsylvania resident who has a serious or underlying medical condition approved by the state and is certified by a licensed physician is eligible for the program.

The following medical conditions are listed as qualifying conditions for the Pennsylvania MMJ program:

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

Only a few steps are necessary to become a patient:

• Sign up on the state website;
• Receive an MMJ certification from a state-licensed doctor;
• Pay the associated MMJ ID fees;
• Finally, use your medical marijuana ID card at a nearby Pennsylvania dispensary.

To become a patient, you'll need proof of residency in Pennsylvania. This can be a Pennsylvania driver's license or a state ID card with an up-to-date address in the state. A valid email address is also required for both patients and caregivers.

It is both possible and recommended that you register before visiting your physician. MMJ certifications require the patient ID provided after your registration.

Once your certification is entered into the state system, you will receive a confirmation email with the necessary instructions on paying the fees associated with your MMJ ID.

• First, log into your account on the Pennsylvania MMJ website (the same account when you first registered).
• Navigate to the 'Make Payment' section.
• Prompts will appear asking for your payment information.
• Once your payment has gone through, you'll receive an email confirmation and receipt.

A Pennsylvania medical marijuana ID card costs $50 for both patients and caregivers. However, the price may be discounted for qualifying residents who are enrolled in these government programs: PACE/ PACENET, Medicaid, SNAP, CHIP, and WIC.

From the date of payment, expect to wait a full week for your ID card to be printed, and another week for it to come in the mail.

After you've received your MMJ ID via mail, you can legally visit any dispensary in Pennsylvania to purchase your medicinal cannabis. Be mindful that some dispensaries ask you to make an appointment if it's your first visit.

Any approved qualifying physician can issue your MMJ certification.

You can see the list of approved MMJ physicians here.

Potential Pennsylvania patients do not need to complete background checks while they are registering. However, this is not the case for those applying to be caregivers, in which criminal records will be considered during the approval process.

Yes. Pennsylvania minors can become medical patients if they have a qualifying medical condition. However, they can only obtain their marijuana through a licensed caregiver.

Yes, and you can have caregivers help you obtain your medical marijuana as well. Pennsylvania law stipulates that you can designate no more than two caregivers to apply and register with the state program on your behalf.

Any Pennsylvania resident aged 21 or older, unless otherwise stated by the PA Heath Department, can become a state caregiver. Caregivers must be registered with the PA Health Department and pass a background check regarding their criminal history.

Every qualifying patient in Pennsylvania can designate up to two caregivers. Minors can become MMJ patients, but they must have a designated caregiver. Also, three groups do not need to obtain an ID card, but instead, have a caregiver register with the state and visit the dispensary on their behalf. These are:

• Patients under 18;
• Patients unable to leave their homes;
• Patients who require regular medical assistance.

To become a specific patient's caregiver, you'll need a valid Pennsylvania driver's license or PA state ID card. If your patient has already registered with the PA Health Department, you'll need to provide the patient's name, date of birth, and patient ID number.

Caregivers can be designated for all patients, not just their family members. If you have been designated for a patient under 18, but you aren't the patient's parent, legal guardian, or spouse, you must be listed as their third-party caregiver by the patient's legal guardian or spouse.

Every Pennsylvania resident must first get a valid background check before becoming a caregiver. If a criminal history appears, it shall be thoroughly reviewed before approval. Those applicants who've been convicted of criminal charges regarding the sale or possession of scheduled substances within the past five years will not be approved.

Caregivers may be designated for no more than five patients.

Any Pennsylvania patient younger than 18 needs a caregiver to register for them. The minor's parent, legal guardian, or spouse can easily become their caregiver one the state registration website. If, however, you are not a family member of the patient, you should first complete a form known as the 'authorization to designate a third-party caregiver.' This form can be found in your caregiver's profile on the state website. Once completed, you simply upload the form back into your profile.

The registration process is no different for patients with disabilities. If they're a minor, they, too, must have their caregiver apply for the program for them. If they're legal adults, however, they may register themselves, but they may still have a caregiver register for them if they so choose.

Pennsylvania law defines a "caregiver" as any state resident aged 21 or older (unless otherwise allowed by the PA health department) who:

• Is designated to a medical marijuana patient;
• A minor patient's parent, legal guardian or spouse;
• Designated by a parent, legal guardian, or spouse to be a patient's caregiver;
• Is registered with the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

All Pennsylvania caregivers must complete a criminal history background check. Instructions on how to properly do so will be provided during the registration process. All criminal histories will be evaluated before an approval is issued. Those applicants who have been convicted of criminal charges regarding controlled substances within the last five years, whether it be for possession or the sale of, will not be approved.

Caregivers must choose one of the following, given their individual circumstances:

• Adult patient-caregiver – Those being designated for adult patients who have already been enrolled in the MMJ program. The patient's name, date of birth, and patient ID number are necessary upon the caregiver's registration.
• Caregiver for existing patients – Those caregivers being designated for patients already enrolled in the program but will not go to dispensaries. The patient will not need to register themselves, nor will they receive their own MMJ ID card. The designated caregiver must enter the patient's name, date of birth, and patient ID number upon their registration.
• Caregiver registering for new patients – Those designated caregivers who are registering on behalf of patients not yet enrolled in the state program. Again, these patients will not need to register on their own, nor will they receive their own MMJ ID card. The patient's name, date of birth, address, and telephone number is necessary upon the registration by the caregiver.
• Caregiver registration approved by the Department of Health – The registration for those caregivers who authorize the Department of Health to share their contact information with local patients in their area in need of a designated caregiver. However, if you have a specific patient in mind you'd want to be designated with, the other three options are more applicable.

• First, register on the PA health department website.
• Complete your valid criminal history check.
• Finally, pay the fees associated with the MMJ ID card following your approval

Prior to your registration, you should have the patient ID along with their date of birth ready. You'll submit this information during your registration. If, however, you are already registered with the state program but have yet to be designated with a certain patient, the patient will need to manually add you to their account via the "Manage Caregivers" section in their patient profile. If you have not done this, you cannot legally purchase or dispense medical marijuana in the state of Pennsylvania.

After your fingerprints have been taken, it can take up to 4-6 weeks to be approved as a Pennsylvania caregiver.

Absolutely. You have the right to see whatever practitioner you choose to renew your medical marijuana certification, so long as they're licensed in the state and qualified to certify patients for cannabis use. All NuggMD practitioners are fully licensed in the state for which they provide evaluations and have obtained all state required education and certifications to recommend cannabis.