Physician/PA/APRN Requirements and Eligibility
A physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse who wish to certify a patient for medical marijuana must:
- Possess an active Connecticut medical license issued by the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
- 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 and that is designated for the State of Connecticut.
- Be registered with and reviews a patient's prescription history in the Connecticut Prescription Monitoring Program.
A physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse must also have a bonafide relationship with the patient in order to register them with the program.
- A bonafide patient relationship means a relationship in which the physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse 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, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse 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, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse 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, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse providing telehealth services.
Effective June 13, 2023, Public Act No. 23-52. Sec. 13. Section 21a-408c
- (f) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes or any regulation of Connecticut state agencies concerning the certification of qualifying patients through telehealth services, a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse may issue a written certification to a qualifying patient and provide any follow-up care utilizing telehealth services, provided all other requirements for issuing such written certification to the qualifying patient, including, but not limited to, all recordkeeping requirements, are satisfied.