Over 1 Million Patients Have Been Certified Across the State to Use Medical Marijuana to Treat Anxiety, PTSD, Chronic Pain, and more
In the latest report on Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program (PAMMP), the PA Department of Health announced that more than 1 million patient certifications have been issued to individuals seeking marijuana for relief from serious medical conditions — a number that continues to rise across the state.
“When Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program started, there were a significant number of patients interested in treatment for conditions like chronic pain. But as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re seeing remarkable shifts in patients seeking medical marijuana to help with anxiety-related disorders as well,” said Dr. Bryan Doner, Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of Compassionate Certification Centers (CCC). “Patients are reporting tremendous results,” he added.
Studies around medical marijuana treatments have shown that medical marijuana can help alleviate the symptoms of anxiety, including racing thoughts, restlessness, and sleep-related issues. Medical marijuana has also been shown to be effective in helping patients relieve physical symptoms associated with anxiety, such as nausea and muscle tension.
Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana: A Safe and Legal Alternative to Recreational Marijuana
A leading provider of medical marijuana certifications in Pennsylvania, Doner’s CCC has focused its mission on making the process of accessing the MMJ program easier, as well as providing patient support and education. To date, the organization has certified more than 100,000 patients across Pennsylvania through in-office and virtual telehealth appointments on its website.
“Our goal has always been to educate, support, and remove any stigma associated with MMJ certifications. We pride ourselves on transparency, patient support, and quality of service, and are proud to be ongoing advocates for the PA MMJ community and patients,” said Dr. Doner.
As the program grows and more awareness and education are spread, the interest around medical marijuana has spiked in recent years. And thanks to organizations like CCC, registering and taking advantage of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program is a simple and convenient process.
What Are the Benefits of Becoming a PA Medical Marijuana Patient?
One major benefit to registered patients is safety. While black-market marijuana products lack quality control, which means that those products can be of poor quality, or worse, laced with other, more dangerous substances such as fentanyl, the state’s medical marijuana program offers patients legal access to a range of lab-tested, high-quality marijuana products.
The state requires that medical marijuana be grown, extracted, and sold by state-certified providers who are held to stringent standards for product safety and quality, and testing procedures are mandated and products must meet specific guidelines for packaging, labeling, and distribution. The result? A safer, higher-quality product for patients.
But risk aversion is not the only reason to look into medical marijuana for treatment of specific medical conditions.
In addition to quality and safety standards, Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program offers patients a range of products that can meet specific medical needs. These include products that are THC- or CBD-dominant, which allows patients to more accurately tailor their use of marijuana to their specific condition and symptoms.
Through the state’s medical marijuana assistance program, patients can also offset the costs of registering for the program if they qualify for accepted assistance programs like Medicaid, PACE, SNAP or WIC.
Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program also ensures that patients who are certified to use medical marijuana are provided with certain legal protections; They cannot be arrested, charged, or penalized for their use of legal medical marijuana products as long as they are following the rules provided by the program. In contrast, recreational and black market marijuana use can result in legal repercussions, which can have significant social and financial consequences.
How to become a PA Medical Marijuana Patient or Caregiver
“Since we began in 2016, we’ve streamlined the MMJ certification and card renewal process to make it as easy and convenient as possible, supporting our patients and certified caregivers every step of the way,” said Dr. Doner.
The process of becoming a PA MMJ patient is as simple as registering on the DOH website, seeing an approved practitioner like CCC to get certified, and paying for your medical marijuana ID card. Once you receive your card, you are legally able to visit any Pennsylvania dispensary and purchase medical marijuana products.
