Our Process, Prices, and PA MMJ Program Details

The Process

We make the process as easy and as streamlined as possible.

 

1. Register yourself on the PA Medical Marijuana Program website

Go to medicalmarijuana.pa.gov

Click on “Log into the Registry”

Click “Adult Patient Registration”

Create a patient account by entering your information and then creating a username and password.

2. Get certified by a physician

Email us to set up an appointment: schedule@mmjadvocatedoc.com

Our physician or NP will call you promptly at your scheduled appointment time. (We respect your time!)

Your certification will be submitted on the same day as your appointment.

All certifications are valid for a full year (the maximum allowed by law.)


3. Order your PA Medical Marijuana ID card

Log back into the patient account that you created on the PA Medical Marijuana Program website, click “Make Payment” from the menu and pay your annual card fee to the State. This triggers the State to print-out and mail you your PA Medical Marijuana ID card.

The annual card fee paid to the State is $50, but you can request a fee waiver if you participate in any of the following programs: Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, Pacenet/Pace, CHIP. More information can be found on the PA Medical Marijuana Program site: Click here

4. Receive your card in the mail

The PA Department of Health will mail your ID card to the address that you have listed in your Profile Settings page in your patient account. You will receive your PA Medical Marijuana ID card in the mail within about 1-2 weeks on average. (See the PA Medical Marijuana Program site for the most up-to-date estimates on printing and mailing times.)

5. Go to any dispensary in PA and purchase cannabis products

You are not limited to any one dispensary- You may shop at any and all dispensaries in the state of PA. To find a dispensary near you, use the interactive map below, or simply Google “Medical Marijuana Dispensary near me.” Click here for Interactive map on PA MMJ site

  Who can participate in the PA Medical Marijuana Program?

A person with an approved serious medical condition who is a Pennsylvania resident and is certified by a doctor can participate. The following is the current list of the approved serious medical conditions:

  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

  • Anxiety disorders

  • Autism spectrum disorders

  • Cancer, including remission therapy

  • Chronic Hepatitis C

  • Damage to the nervous tissue of the central nervous system (brain-spinal cord)

  • Dyskinetic and spastic movement disorders

  • Epilepsy

  • Glaucoma

  • HIV / AIDS

  • Huntington's disease

  • Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative colitis, Lymphocytic colitis)

  • Intractable seizures/seizure disorder

  • 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 (PTSD)

  • Severe chronic or intractable pain

  • Sickle cell anemia

  • Terminal illness

  • Tourette syndrome

How much does a certification appointment cost?

 New Certification Appointment

Our cost for a New Certification phone appointment is $125. This appointment will take about 20 minutes depending on what questions you have.

Some places offer discounted appointments every once in a while. We offer the lowest consistent price in PA. We certify every patient for the maximum period of time allowed by law (one year), and importantly, we call you promptly at your appointment time. (No waiting around for us.)

Recertification Appointment

Our cost for a recertification phone appointment is $55 (whether you did your initial certification with us or not.) We recertify all patients for one year - the maximum allowed by law. The call will take about 10 minutes.

 The PA Medical Marijuana Program - History and Laws

On April 17, 2016, Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law SB 3, Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis legislation now known as Act 16. The law went into effect on May 17, 2016, the very first patients in the program got certified in the winter of 2017, and the first dispensaries began serving patients in early 2018.

Under the law, Pennsylvania residents who have a serious medical condition can apply for an ID card to allow them to participate in the PA MMJ Program. Patients create a user account on the PA MMJ Program website, get certified by an approved physician, pay for an ID card, and use that card to access PA MMJ dispensaries to obtain medical marijuana.

Please see the PA Medical Marijuana Program website for complete details: medicalmarijuana.pa.gov

Types of Cannabis Products Available in PA

Initially, the only types of medical cannabis products allowed were cannabis capsules, oral concentrates (RSO), topical products (such creams, lotions, ointments), tinctures, vape cartridges/disposable vape pens, and vaporizable concentrates requiring a dab rig/dab pen (shatter, butter, badder, etc). However, in May 2018, the PA Department of Health issued revised regulations to allow whole plant (cannabis flower) to be sold. Important to note- vaporization of cannabis flower is allowed, however smoking (combustion of) flower is still prohibited. To legally utilize cannabis flower, a patient must purchase a dry-herb vaporizer (also called an herbal vaporizer or flower vaporizer) to vaporize the flower.

Also important to note- PA dispensaries cannot sell “edibles” (i.e. prepared food/candy items), but patients can absolutely make their own at home and ingestible-type products such as RSO (Rick Simpson Oil), tincture, troches, capsules/tablets, syrups are available for purchase.

Things to keep in mind

  • Cannabis is still NOT legal on a federal level; Therefore health insurance plans do not cover any of the costs associated with medical cannabis (neither the certification appointment nor the products themselves.)

  • Cannabis is still NOT legal on a federal level; Therefore government medical assistance programs and private health insurers are not required to reimburse any costs involved with the use of medical cannabis.

  • Act 16 contains language that protects employees from discrimination based on their status as a PA MMJ Program patient. However, some jobs that involve public safety may disregard that protection and may fire, or not hire, a person based on their use of medical cannabis.

    • Employment discrimination in the medical cannabis realm is a hot topic right now, and employees have the right to sue an employer for firing (or not hiring) them based on their status as a PA MMJ Program patient. If your employer requires routine drug-testing, it may be helpful to talk to your employer/HR department and find out what their particular policy is regarding employees participating in the PA MMJ Program. It may also be helpful to speak with an employment-law attorney if you suspect that you are being discriminated against by your employer (or by a potential-employer.)

  • A certified patient is protected from prosecution for cannabis use/possession when program rules are followed, and from discrimination in child custody cases when using their medical cannabis in a lawful way.