How will Alabama physicians get certified to recommend Medical Cannabis?
HUNTSVILLE - This week marks a big step forward in bringing medical cannabis to Alabama.
On Monday, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) awarded business licenses to companies in several categories.
Those licenses will allow businesses to cultivate and produce cannabis products that can be sold at dispensaries in the state.
For people to purchase medical marijuana, they need to have a qualifying medical condition and be recommended by a doctor.
In order for doctors to be able to recommend medical cannabis to patients, they need to become certified. The Alabama State Medical Examiners Board is handling the certification process.
“What we’re looking for is physicians who have clean records, good licensure, and disciplinary history, and not have a history of being an over-prescriber,” explained Wilson Hunter, General Council for the Alabama State Medical Examiners Board.
Physicians who want to get certified will need to meet a list of requirements, pay a $300 application fee, and take a four-hour training course.
“What we’ve done is set up rules and regs and standards for physicians to follow, that one implement the law passed by the Alabama Legislature, and two set good standards for medicine so that physicians can do this in a safe and effective manner for the patients,” Hunter said.
While the ball is now rolling on getting medical cannabis businesses up and running, doctors can’t apply for certification just yet.
On Monday, the AMCC awarded business licenses, but they are not officially issuing licenses until their next meeting on July 10. The Alabama State Medical Examiners Board cannot start accepting applications for physician certification until the business licenses are issued.
Hunter estimated the Alabama State Medical Examiners Board would start accepting applications by “mid-July.”
Hunter also emphasized that part of the Medical Examiners Board’s role is to ensure doctors are familiar with the regulations for recommending medical cannabis to patients.
It should “not be a first line of treatment,” he said.
Doctors will need to consult with their patients about their current medical ailments and medical history.
“Before making that recommendation of marijuana, [doctors will] have viewed the patients’ prior treatment, their response to treatment, available diagnostic results,” Hunter said.
