Medical Marijuana Info for Philadelphia, Warminster and Bensalem:
FOR OUR WILLOW GROVE OFFICE, CALL
215-613-1119
How to Get Medical Marijuana in Philadelphia, Warminster, Bensalem and Willow Grove
To receive medical marijuana in Philadelphia, patients or caregivers must register with the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana registry, complete a criminal background check, and be certified by a doctor who confirms that that patient has one of the 17 serious medical conditions defined in the Act, and that medical marijuana may benefit the condition.
For more information on the process, please phone our Philadelphia medical offices at 215-987-1350 (Philadelphia, Warminster, Bensalem), or for our Willow Grove office, call 215-613-1119
Willow Grove office: call 215-613-1119
TO REGISTER WITH THE PENNSYLVANIA MEDICAL MARIJUANA REGISTRY, use the link below:
Go to the Patient and Caregivers Registry
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON REGISTERING
or phone our medical offices at the numbers above.
According to the PA MEDICAL MARIJUANA WEBSITE:
Patients that want to participate in the medical marijuana program must follow these steps:
- First, visit the Patients and Caregivers Registry and create a patient profile in the Department of Health’s patient and caregiver registry.
- Next, obtain a physician’s certification that you suffer from one of the 17 serious medical conditions.
- Then, return to the Patient and Caregivers Registry and pay for a medical marijuana ID card.
- Obtain medical marijuana from an approved dispensary in Pennsylvania.
Caregivers that want to participate in the medical marijuana program must follow these steps:
- First, visit the Patients and Caregivers Registry and create a caregiver profile in the Department of Health’s patient and caregiver registry.
- Next, complete a criminal background check.
- Then, complete an ‘authorization to designate a third-party caregiver’ form, if necessary.
- Ensure your patient has a patient certification.
- Return to the Patient and Caregivers Registry and pay for a medical marijuana ID card.
The site says:
Under the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act, patients who are residents of the commonwealth and have a serious medical condition as certified by a physician will be able to obtain medical marijuana at dispensaries that are located in the commonwealth and have a validly-issued permit from the department. A “caregiver” who is designated by the patient and is registered with the department will be able to obtain medical marijuana from a dispensary located in the commonwealth that has a validly- issued permit from the department in order for the caregiver to deliver medical marijuana to the patient.
The Act defines a “caregiver” as an individual 21 years of age or older, unless otherwise authorized by the department, who is:
- Designated by a patient;
- A parent, legal guardian or spouse of a patient that is under the age of 18; and/or
- Designated to be a caregiver by a parent, legal guardian or spouse of an individual approved by the department if no parent or legal guardian is appropriate or available.
Caregivers must register with the department and complete a criminal history background check in order to receive a medical marijuana ID card.
For more information, contact 215-987-1350
For our Willow Grove office, call 215-613-1119
17 Medical Conditions
The Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act permits the use of medical marijuana for Pennsylvania residents with a serious medical condition, listed below.
The Act specifies a “serious medical condition” as any one of the following, which must be certified by an authorized physician.
For more information, please phone our Philadelphia medical offices at 215-987-1350 (Philadelphia, Warminster, Bensalem), or for our Willow Grove office, call 215-613-1119
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
- Autism.
- Cancer.
- Crohn’s Disease.
- Damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity.
- Epilepsy.
- Glaucoma.
- HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) / AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).
- Huntington’s Disease.
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
- Intractable Seizures.
- Multiple Sclerosis.
- Neuropathies.
- Parkinson’s Disease.
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.
- Severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin or severe chronic or intractable pain in which conventional therapeutic intervention and opiate therapy is contraindicated or ineffective.
- Sickle Cell Anemia.
For more information, please phone our Philadelphia medical offices at 215-987-1350 (Philadelphia, Warminster, Bensalem), or for our Willow Grove office, call 215-613-1119
Medical Marijuana Info
Medicinal marijuana or cannabis can offer relief from pain for many patients, so we have compiled some information on its possible medical uses. Please review and discuss this with your pain management doctor at our practice.
There are two active components in marijuana that scientists believe serve medicinal purposes, CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). It is believed that both have pain relieving properties. THC is the ingredient which provides more of a psychoactive high along with pain relief, while CBD can offer pain relieving assistance without much (or any) of a so-called “high”.
There have been several scientific studies which indicate there are valid medical uses for marijuana, and even the National Institutes of Health lists medical uses for it. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine also released a study with evidence that cannabis can be an effective remedy for pain, noting that pain relief is one of the most common reasons patients consider using medicinal marijuana.
The marijuana informational website Leafly reports the following:
In a comprehensive, Harvard-led systematic review of 28 studies examining the efficacy of exo-cannabinoids (e.g. synthetic formulations or cannabinoids from the plant) to treat various pain and medical issues, the author concluded, “Use of marijuana for chronic pain, neuropathic pain, and spasticity due to multiple sclerosis is supported by high quality evidence.”
Of the studies reviewed, six out of six general chronic pain studies and five out of five neuropathic pain studies found a significant improvement in symptoms among patients. Notably, while most of the studies were limited to synthetic preparations of cannabinoids, three of the five neuropathic pain studies investigated “smoked” cannabis, while two examined an oral spray preparation.”
The website WEBMD.com published findings from a McGill University pain management unit, which studied the safety of marijuana as a treatment for pain. The article stated:
Medical marijuana appears mostly safe for treating chronic pain, at least among people with some experience using the drug, a new study suggests. People who used pot to ease their pain didn’t have an increased risk of serious side effects, compared to people with pain who didn’t use marijuana“
Medicinal cannabis may be a powerful arsenal in helping to relieve your pain, so please consider discussing it with your pain management professional. PLEASE TALK IT OVER WITH YOUR DOCTOR AND DECIDE IF MEDICINAL MARIJUANA IS SOMETHING YOU SHOULD CONSIDER FOR PAIN RELIEF.
You can get more information at one of our many Greater Philadelphia medical offices by phoning 215-987-1350. For Willow Grove office, call 215-613-1119