Certifying Providers
About this page
This page has information for medical professionals.
If you are a patient looking for a certifying provider, visit the directory of public registered providers in Maryland.
Becoming a Certified Provider
In order to be able to issue written certifications for medical cannabis to patients for treatment of a qualifying medical condition, you must register as a “Certifying Provider” with the Maryland Cannabis Administration.
Who is eligible to register?
Any physician, physician assistant, podiatrist, dentist, nurse practitioner, or nurse-midwife with an active, unrestricted license in good standing with the respective Maryland State Board, and actively registered to prescribe controlled substances in Maryland, are eligible to register with the Maryland Cannabis Administration.
Issuing a written certification
Qualifying medical conditions
Qualifying medical conditions include:
- Anorexia
- Cachexia
- Chronic pain
- Glaucoma
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Seizures
- Severe nausea
- Severe pain
- Severe or persistent muscle spasms
- Wasting syndrome
Requirements for issuing a certification
The requirements for issuing a written certification for medical cannabis are:
- A “bona fide provider-patient relationship” with the patient
- The patient’s condition must be severe
- Other medical treatments must have proven ineffective for the patient’s condition, and
- The symptoms must reasonably be expected to be relieved by the use of medical cannabis.
What is a "bona fide provider-patient relationship"?
Maryland law defines a “bona fide relationship” as a treatment or counseling relationship between a Provider and patient in which the provider reviews the patient’s relevant medical records, completes an annual in-person or telehealth assessment of the patient’s medical history and current medical condition, creates and maintains medically standardized records, expects to monitor patient program and takes any medically indicated action to follow up.
Amending or revoking a written certification
Once issued, a Provider may amend or revoke a patient’s written certification on any medical grounds or if the patient no longer meets the Provider’s inclusion criteria or the patient now meets the Provider’s exclusion criteria.
Examples of exclusion criteria include suspicion on the part of the provider that the patient is abusing cannabis or diverting cannabis to others.
Resources & forms
- Certifying Provider Inactivation Request Form
- Serious Adverse Event Reporting Form
- Medical Cannabis Purchase Limits & Availability
- Speaking to Your Patients About Medical Cannabis
Provider FAQs
Provider FAQs
A provider's professional obligations to prospective medical cannabis patients are not different from those for any other patient. A provider is not required to qualify a patient for medical cannabis. The provider is expected to assess a patient’s medical history and medical condition, and recommend treatment that they think is appropriate.
Providers must register on the MCA’s website in order to provide patient certifications. Registration must be renewed every two years.
During registration, you will need to provide your Maryland Board license number, your CDS number, specify the conditions or diseases that you plan to treat, and any criteria for including or excluding patients.
Patient name, address, date of birth, physician’s name, the date of patient qualification, and medical condition(s).
Yes, a provider may amend or revoke a certification on any medical grounds or if the patient no longer meets the physician’s inclusion criteria or the patient now meets the provider’s exclusion criteria.
Two examples of exclusion criteria are that the provider suspects that the patient is abusing cannabis or the patient is diverting cannabis to others.