RECOMMENDING CANNABIS IN COLORADO

 

The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment oversees the Colorado Medical Cannabis Program.  The program has evolved since Amendment 20 was passed in 2000.  Patients and their caregivers must be registered with the program to benefit from the rights and protections granted under these statutes. 

 

Recommend medical marijuana for all medical conditions

To recommend medical cannabis for debilitating or disabling medical conditions in Colorado, a practitioner must:

  1. Be a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathic medicine.
  2. Be licensed to practice medicine in Colorado and in good standing.
  3. Have a valid, unrestricted DEA certification.
  4. Have an online account to submit patient certifications.

Recommending Medical Cannabis for Disabling Medical Conditions in Colorado

To recommend medical cannabis for disabling medical conditions only, a Colorado practitioner must:

  1. Be an advanced practice practitioner with prescriptive authority, including one of the following:
    • Dentist
    • Physician assistant
    • Advanced nurse practitioner
    • Podiatrist
    • Optometrist
  2. Be licensed to practice in Colorado and in good standing.
  3. Have a valid, unrestricted DEA certification.
  4. Have an online account to submit patient certifications.

Registering as a Healthcare Provider in Colorado

Before registering as a healthcare provider, practitioners should gather PDF or JPG copies of the required documents. These may include:

  1. A valid and signed Colorado license to practice medicine.
  2. A valid Colorado driver’s license. Colorado digital IDs from the myColorado app are not accepted.
  3. A valid DEA certificate.
  4. A mentorship agreement, if the practitioner has a provisional license.
  5. Signed copies of RN, APN, and RXN licenses, if the practitioner has an APN license.
  6. Signed copies of C-RXN, C-APN, and registered nurse licenses issued by the practitioner’s home state, if the practitioner has a C-APN license.

To register, practitioners must create an online account and select “health care provider” as the registration type. The practitioner will enter their information and upload the required documents, including a valid Colorado ID or driver’s license, Colorado professional license, and DEA certificate.

As part of the identity and credential verification process, the practitioner will be asked a series of security questions. These questions help protect the practitioner’s identity, account, and patient certifications.

Once the practitioner’s information has been verified, they will receive an email with instructions for logging into their account.

Debilitating Medical Conditions:

    • Cancer
    • Glaucoma
    • HIV or AIDS
    • Cachexia
    • Persistent muscle spasms
    • Seizures
    • Severe nausea
    • Severe pain

Disabling Medical Conditions:

    • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
    • An Autism Spectrum Disorder
    • Any condition for which a physician could prescribe an opioid

Certifying Patients in Colorado

Medical cannabis recommendations in Colorado must be made during an in-person encounter in a clinical setting. Recommendations made through telemedicine are prohibited.

Colorado law allows qualified physicians and advanced practice practitioners with prescriptive authority to recommend medical cannabis if they determine that a patient has a debilitating or disabling medical condition and may benefit from medical cannabis use. A medical cannabis recommendation is not a prescription and cannot be filled at a pharmacy.

Required Information on Provider Certifications

Effective January 1, 2022, providers must include additional information when completing medical cannabis certifications. Under the “Etiology and Additional Information” section, providers should select “Additional Information” and enter the required details, including:

  1. Patient address
  2. Maximum THC potency level
  3. Directions for use
  4. Recommended product, if any
  5. Patient’s daily authorized quantity, if the quantity exceeds the maximum amount allowed by law for the patient’s age
  6. Other etiology, if any

After entering this information, the provider should complete the remaining certification and provide a copy to the patient.

Provider Certification and Registry Application

The provider’s recommendation is submitted to the Medical Marijuana Registry with the rest of the patient’s application. If the application is complete and correct, the patient will be issued a medical marijuana registry identification card.

Please review this information for more details about the differences between prescriptions and medical marijuana recommendations.

Uniform Certification Form

If a provider authorizes a patient to purchase more than the statutory daily sales limit, the patient will need a Uniform Certification Form from the Marijuana Enforcement Division. This form must be completed by the recommending provider.

The Uniform Certification Form is separate from the provider certification submitted to the Medical Marijuana Registry and does not need to be included with the patient’s registry application. Providers and patients should visit the Marijuana Enforcement Division website for more information about the form.

For more information about the form, visit the Marijuana Enforcement Division's website.

Recommending Medical Cannabis for Minors and Young Adults in Colorado

Minor Patients

All minor applicants must submit two provider certifications from two different providers.

Minor patients diagnosed with a disabling medical condition, including post-traumatic stress disorder, autism spectrum disorder, or a condition for which a physician could prescribe an opioid, no longer need a certification from a physician who is a board-certified pediatrician, child and adolescent psychiatrist, or family physician who attests to being part of the patient’s primary care team.

If a provider recommends medical cannabis for a minor patient with a disabling medical condition and is not the patient’s primary care provider, the provider must review records from a diagnosing physician or a licensed mental health provider acting within their scope of practice.

Providers should review C.R.S. 25-1.5-106 and House Bill 19-1028 for additional requirements.

Applicants Ages 18–20

Applicants ages 18 to 20 who did not have a medical cannabis registry card before age 18 and who applied for the first time on or after January 1, 2022, must submit provider certifications from two different providers at different medical practices each year when they apply.

If the applicant is homebound, the providers do not need to be from different medical practices.

Patients who are enrolled in the Medical Cannabis Program must be recertified every year.

Medical professionals have a legal right to recommend cannabis as a treatment in any state, as protected by the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act (Title III section 301) which became law on December 2, 2022, and the First Amendment (established by a 2004 United States Supreme Court decision to uphold earlier federal court rulings that doctors, and their patients have a fundamental Constitutional right to freely discuss treatment options).

DOWNLOAD MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, MEDICAL CANNABIS & THE LAW 

 

State-by-state compassionate use programs are not the ultimate goal for medical cannabis patients; they are a means to aid patients in finding safe cannabis products until federal laws change. Americans for Safe Access is working to create a national program that would include prescriptions, standardized products, and a pathway to insurance coverage. Learn more about ASA Campaigns.

 

UPDATE: FEDERAL CANNABIS LAWS HAVE CHANGED AS OF APRIL 28, 2026: Learn more here.

More resources for medical professionals are available here.

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