Physician Requirements and Eligibility

  • Physicians who wish to certify a patient for medical marijuana must:
  • Possess an active Connecticut medical license issued by the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
  • Practice within the State of Connecticut.
  • Possess an active controlled substance registration issued by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that is not subject to limitation.
  • Possess an active Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) controlled substance registration that is not subject to limitation.
  • Be registered with, and able to access, the Connecticut Prescription Monitoring Program.

Physicians must also have a bona fide relationship with the patient in order to register them with the program. A bona fide physician-patient relationship means a relationship in which the physician has ongoing responsibility for the assessment, care and treatment of a patient’s debilitating medical condition or a symptom of the patient’s debilitating medical condition whereby the physician has:

  • Completed a medically reasonable assessment of the patient’s medical history and current medical condition;
  • Diagnosed the patient as having a debilitating medical condition;
  • Prescribed, or determined it is not in the best interest to prescribe, prescription drugs to address the symptoms or effects for which the certification is being issued;
  • Concluded that, in the physician’s medical opinion, the potential benefits of the palliative use of marijuana would likely outweigh the health risks to the patient; and
  • Explained the potential risks and benefits of the palliative use of marijuana to the patient or, where the patient lacks legal capacity, to the parent, guardian or other person having legal custody of the patient.

In addition, the physician should be reasonably available to provide follow-up care and treatment for the patient, including any examinations necessary to determine the efficacy of marijuana for treating the patient’s debilitating medical condition, or a symptom thereof.

 

 

Physician Certification Process

Physicians are the gatekeepers to the medical marijuana registration system. No patient or caregiver can log in to the system until a physician initiates their application.

Once you, the physician, conclude that your patient should be registered with the Department of Consumer Protection for the palliative use of marijuana, you can access our online registration system to certify your patient as meeting the medical pre-requisites for a registration certificate.

To begin certifying your patients you must:

  • Confirm that you meet the Physician Requirements and Eligibility in terms of having the proper licenses and registrations.
  • Create a DAS Business Network Account so you can access the online registration system.
  • Log in to the registration system using your DEA Number and the last four digits of your Social Security number.
  • Be prepared to obtain contact information for your patient, including a valid e-mail address (if your patient has one) and a primary phone number. This information must be included in the patient profile page of your certification before you can submit the certification.

 

 

Medical Marijuana Program Board of Physicians

The Medical Marijuana Program Board of Physicians operates within the Department of Consumer Protection and comprises the Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Protection and eight members, although only four members have been appointed thus far. The Board is charged with advising the Department of Consumer Protection regarding implementation of various provisions of Connecticut General Statutes, Chapter 420f, Section 21a-408.

The board does meet on a fairly regular basis to review petitions for additional conditions to be added for medical cannabis usage, status reports on program implementation, and to discuss any other pertinent issues relative to the program.

If you are interested in attending a public meeting of the board, please follow this link for dates and agendas of upcoming meetings

Procedure to Submit a Petition to Add a Debilitating Medical Condition, Treatment or Disease for the Use of Medical Marijuana

The Department of Consumer Protection will accept and consider petitions to add debilitating conditions, treatments or diseases to the list of eleven (11) conditions currently allowed by law.

If you believe that your patients could benefit from the incorporation of medical cannabis usage to help treat and manage their symptoms, but cannot currently qualify them under the list of eleven (11) conditions currently allowed, please submit a petition to have the condition considered in Connecticut.

 

How to Submit a Petition

The following form must be used for submitting a petition for consideration.
Petition to Add a Medical Condition, Medical Treatment or Disease to the List of Debilitating Conditions. Click here to view the form.

The Department will only accept petitions that are sent via U.S. mail or electronically.

Email to: [email protected]

Or mail to: Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection
Medical Marijuana Program
165 Capitol Avenue, Room 145
Hartford, CT 06106

If the petition meets all requirements, it will be referred to the Board of Physicians for a public hearing. Petitioners will be notified in advance of the date, time and location of the public hearing, and will be allowed to offer verbal comments, as will other members of the public.

If a medical condition, medical treatment or disease in a petition has been previously considered and rejected, or is determined to be substantially similar to a previously-rejected condition, treatment or disease, the Commissioner may deny the petition without first submitting it to the Board of Physicians, unless new scientific research that supports the request is offered in the petition.

The Board of Physicians will meet at least twice each year to review and hold a public hearing on petitions. The list of conditions, treatments and diseases to be reviewed at the hearing will be published on the Medical Marijuana website prior to the hearing.

After reviewing the petitions, supporting evidence and public comments, the Board will issue a recommendation to the Commissioner as to which of the conditions, diseases or treatments should be added as qualifying conditions.

The Commissioner will make the final determination; if the decision is to add the condition, treatment or disease, the Department of Consumer Protection will proceed to propose regulations to expand the list.