RECOMMENDING CANNABIS IN GUAM

A board license physician in Guam can recommend cannabis to a patient by filling out this written certification form. Physicians must establish the qualified patient has a debilitating medical condition and believe that the potential health benefits of the medical use of cannabis would likely outweigh the health risks for the qualified patient. They must then transmit a copy of the signed written certificate to DPHSS within 24 hours after certifying the qualified patient either by fax or email and keep a copy of the written certification in the qualified patient’s file and provide it upon request by the DPHSS or authorized law enforcement personnel.

Physicians must have a bona fide patient-practitioner relationship. This requires the practitioner to:

  1. Review the medical history of the qualified patient
  2. Provide information and explain to the qualified patient about the benefits and risks of medical cannabis
  3. Perform or have performed an appropriate exam of the qualified patient, either physically or by the use of instrumentation and diagnostic equipment through which images and medical records may be transmitted electronically; except for medical emergencies, the exam of the patient shall be performed by the practitioner himself or by consulting practitioner prior to issuing a recommendation for medical cannabis, prepared medical cannabis and medical cannabis products
  4. Initiate additional interventions and follow-up care.

Qualifying Debilitating Medical Conditions include:

  • Cancer
  • Glaucoma
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord, with an objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity
  • Epilepsy
  • Positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired
  • Admitted into hospice care in accordance with rules promulgated under this Act
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Rheumatoid arthritis or similar chronic autoimmune inflammatory disorders
  • Any other medical condition, medical treatment or disease for which the qualified patient’s practitioner has determined that the use of medical cannabis may provide relief.

Medical professionals have a legal right to recommend cannabis as a treatment in any state, as protected by the First Amendment. Established by a 2004 United States Supreme Court decision to uphold earlier federal court rulings that found doctors and their patients have a fundamental Constitutional right to freely discuss treatment options.

More resources for medical professionals can be found here.