In January of 2017, The Florida Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative (known as Amendment 2) went into effect allowing Floridians the right to use medical cannabis to treat eligible conditions. The Florida Department of Health created the Office of Medical Marijuana Use for overseeing seeing the Florida Medical Marijuana Use Registry and its application process. After our first visit with Dr. David Berger of Wholistic Releaf and the completion of our application in the Florida Medical Marijuana Registry for our son Richie, we began to feel hopeful about finding relief for him and the pain, anxiety and other internal struggles he experiences daily. Everything Dr. David explained about the medical marijuana registry process was on target. If you've been wondering about applying for medical cannabis, please keep following our blog series and read about our step-by-step experience with the Florida Medical Marijuana Use Registry Process.
Eligibility for Qualified Patients
After making the decision to treat Richie with medical cannabis, we knew he needed to meet the criteria for eligibility. Although autism is not on the list of qualifying medical conditions a person can also qualify for exhibiting symptoms that are the same class or kind of debilitating symptoms of qualifying conditions. In Richie’s case, as a Florida resident, Dr. David explained that he qualifies for medical cannabis treatment due to having the same severe symptoms of PTSD (he experiences severe anxiety, insomnia, and he engages in self-injurious behavior and he is aggressive with others) and Parkinson’s (decreasing ability to effectively communicate with others).
Eligibility for Qualified Caregivers
If a qualified patient is a minor like Richie who is under the age of 18, then a qualified caregiver must be designated. A caregiver must be a Florida resident who is over 21 years old. In Richie’s case, I am his mother and caregiver and I reside in the state of Florida. I have no prior or existing criminal drug violations, and I can pass any current background screening process.
A Qualifying Physician must Confirm Eligibility
A qualified physician must diagnose (or confirm diagnoses) and determine if medical cannabis is an appropriate treatment. For minors, a second physician must submit a letter stating that he or she concurs with the patient’s diagnosis and that medical cannabis is an appropriate treatment for the patient. The physicians letter must also state that the benefits of medical cannabis outweigh the risks for the patient with the diagnosis (Wholistic Releaf has other doctors on staff who can provide this service if needed). Please note that it wasn’t enough for us to just identify a qualified physician who has taken the required 2-hour course to certify Richie for medical cannabis. As I mentioned in my previous blog segment, Finding the Right Doctor with the Right Approach was important to us as well as follow-up and treatment management. Dr. David of Wholistic Releaf is our best option for moving forward with treating Richie using medical cannabis.
Patients and Caregivers are Entered into the Medical Marijuana Registry
After our first visit with Dr. David, he needed two email addresses to enter into the Medical Marijuana Use Registry. One was for the start of Richie’s application as the patient and one was for mine as the caregiver. It’s important to note that only a qualified physician can enter the emails needed for the Medical Marijuana Registry for starting the application process. Dr. David told us to expect emails from the Medical Marijuana Use Registry within two weeks. It does not necessarily take two weeks to receive the login information from the Medical Marijuana Registry, there are times when it is completed within one day. However, if there is a need to obtain a patients medical records, a second Doctor's letter, or other information, it can take as long as two weeks. In our case, as Dr. David stated, within two weeks I received two emails (one for each of our accounts) inviting us to create logins with an assigned password that would be changed once I accessed our user profiles.
Patients and Caregivers Apply for their Registry Card
Once we were entered and logged into the system, I had to complete both applications for Richie and myself (both profiles are linked in the system as patient and caregiver). This process may be completed electronically or by mail (note that mailing will take a bit longer for processing). For both applications, I would need to confirm all the basic information already entered by Dr. David (our full names, dates of birth, address, etc.). Both applications required proofs of identification, residence, and photos to be uploaded.
For (Minor) Patient Applications – Since Richie is a minor, naturally I would be completing his application. For Richie’s proof of ID and residence, a picture that met the requirements for a passport photo would be allowed to upload along with a copy of his birth certificate (Richie was born in Florida). A $75 processing fee would need to be paid after clicking the submit button for completing Richie’s application.
For Caregiver Applications – Before accessing my profile as caregiver, I was required to complete the “Medical Marijuana Use Caregiver Certification Course.” This is a 48-slide online presentation that reviews the status of medical marijuana in Florida, the requirements for becoming a qualified patient and caregiver, the role and legal responsibilities of the caregiver, the physician recommendation process, what a medical marijuana treatment center is, and finally, the civil and criminal penalties for violations of Florida law. After reviewing the presentation, a short quiz (about five questions) must be passed before proceeding with the application process. My Florida driver’s license was sufficient for proof of residence, photo, and confirming my current address. I also needed to upload Richie’s birth certificate with my application to prove my legal representation as his caregiver. A $75 processing fee would need to be paid after clicking the submit button for completing my application.
Once the applications are submitted, we wait until the Office of Medical Marijuana Use either requires further information or approves our applications. This is currently where we are in the application process. Even though it’s typical for the registry to send notifications about your application, I read on their website that it’s advised to log in and check the status of your application. In the meantime, it’s also a good idea to stay informed of any legal changes, updates, and continue learning about cannabis and medical uses.
Resources:
Wholistic Releaf Resources - Review their great list of local, statewide and nationwide resources!
Wholistic Releaf Blog - Dr. David Berger shares the latest updates and news on Medical Cannabis and other informative articles.
Stay tuned for our next series segment Part IV, "The Science Behind the Development of a Treatment Plan."
Read our previous segment - part II: "Finding the Right Doctor with the Right Approach."
Although we received services as part of our collaboration with Wholistic Releaf for raising awareness on treating autism with medical cannabis, all opinions expressed are my own.
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