RECOMMENDING CANNABIS IN MICHIGAN

Medical professionals recommending medical cannabis must be a licensed medical doctor or doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Physicians are required to demonstrate a bona fide physician-patient relationship through:

1. The physician has reviewed the patient's relevant medical records and completed a full assessment of the patient's medical history and current medical condition, including a relevant, in-person, medical evaluation of the patient.
2. The physician has created and maintained records of the patient's condition in accordance with medically accepted standards.
3. The physician has a reasonable expectation that he or she will provide follow-up care to the patient to monitor the efficacy of the use of medical marihuana as a treatment of the patient's debilitating medical condition.
4. If the patient has given permission, the physician has notified the patient's primary care physician of the patient's debilitating medical condition and certification for the use of medical marihuana to treat that condition.

A physician shall not be subject to arrest, prosecution, or denied any right or privilege, including but not limited to civil penalty or disciplinary action by the Michigan board of medicine, the Michigan board of osteopathic medicine and surgery, or any other business or occupational or professional licensing board or bureau, solely for providing written certifications if in compliance with a bona fide physician-patient relationship.

A patient registration application must include:

• The legal name, mailing address, and date of birth of the qualifying patient. The address for the patient must be a physical address located in the state.
• The physician's name as it appears on their Michigan physician’s license, mailing address, and telephone number.
• The legal name, mailing address, and date of birth of the patient’s primary caregiver, if applicable.

Qualifying Medical Conditions include:

• Cancer
• Glaucoma
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
• Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
• Hepatitis C
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
• Crohn’s disease
• Agitation of Alzheimer’s disease
• Nail Patella
• A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces the following:
  • Cachexia (Wasting Syndrome)
  • Severe and chronic pain
  • Severe nausea
  • Seizures, including but not limited to those characteristic of epilepsy
  • Severe and persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those characteristic of Multiple Sclerosis
• Any other medical condition or its treatment approved by the marijuana regulatory agency

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.