Podiatrists May Soon Be Added to the List of Practitioners Able to Prescribe Medical Cannabis in PA

The Medical Marijuana Advisory Board voted on this recommendation this week

Photo byKimzy NanneyonUnsplash

Podiatrists may soon recommend medical marijuana in Pennsylvania, that is if the legislature takes the advice of the state’s advisory panel. Supporters say that podiatry patients live with neuropathy and intractable pain—two of the 24 conditions currently approved for medical cannabis use.

A recent meeting of Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Board gave a green light for podiatrist prescribers, but its red light will remain for edibles.

One of the items on the Board’s September 6 meeting was discussion and consideration of a recommendation to add podiatrists to the list of practitioners who can certify medical marijuana patients in Pennsylvania.

Two of the dozens of conditions approved for medical cannabis use in Pennsylvania are neuropathy and intractable pain – both of which can affect the feet and ankles. As we recently reported, a study involving hundreds of patients indicated medicinal cannabis has generally been beneficial for neuropathy patients.

But to this point, in Pennsylvania (and many other states for that matter), podiatrists haven’t been able to prescribe medical marijuana. This may soon change – The Center Square reports the Board voted last week in favor of a recommendation to add podiatrists to a list of authorised prescribers.

However, this isn’t a done deal just yet. Pennsylvania’s Legislature will also need to give its thumbs up to the Board’s recommendation.

The Pennsylvania Podiatric Medical Association hadn’t publicly commented on the outcome at the time of writing, but previously ran a survey asking members if they have patients who might benefit from a medical marijuana recommendation.

Another item on the agenda for the Board’s September 6 meeting was discussion and consideration of a recommendation to add edibles as an approved form of medical marijuana. But according to The Progress, this recommendation didn’t pass muster. Apparently, concerns about safety, efficacy and legal enforcement remain sticking points.

Signed into law on April 17, 2016, Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program enables residents who have a qualifying serious medical condition as certified by an approved physician to register for an ID card that can be used to access medical marijuana at state dispensaries. Currently, there are more than 170 dispensaries scattered throughout the state.

As at June this year, there were 426,015 active patient certifications and 1,857 approved practitioners in Pennsylvania. Six forms of medical marijuana are available: pills, oils, topical creams and ointments, tincture liquid, and flower/leaf products for vaporization/nebulization. USD $7.5 billion in total medical marijuana sales have been racked up in the state to date.