This story is part of The Article, your information to Arkansas information and tradition, introduced by the Democrat-Gazette. Join The Article’s twice-weekly e-newsletter here or to see tales which have appeared in previous newsletters, go here.
Arkansas sufferers with sure well being situations are eligible for medical marijuana playing cards, however the course of to get one entails a number of steps. Listed here are the fundamentals.
Doctor certification
Alex Hooper, private care companies department supervisor with the Arkansas Division of Well being, mentioned step one towards acquiring a medical marijuana card is visiting a health care provider in a position to certify sufferers for medical marijuana.
Medical doctors who maintain a legitimate, unrestricted, and present license to follow in Arkansas and who’ve been issued a present and energetic registration from america Drug Enforcement Administration to prescribe managed substances are allowed to certify sufferers for medical marijuana, based on Danyelle McNeill, a spokeswoman with the well being division.
Sufferers will be thought of for medical marijuana eligibility if they’ve at the least certainly one of eighteen situations:
- Most cancers
- Glaucoma
- Optimistic standing for HIV or AIDS
- Hepatitis C
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Tourette’s syndrome
- Crohn’s illness
- Ulcerative colitis
- Put up-traumatic stress dysfunction
- Extreme arthritis
- Fibromyalgia
- Alzheimer’s illness
- Cachexia or losing syndrome
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Intractable ache, which is ache that has not responded to extraordinary medicines, remedy or surgical measures for greater than six (6) months
- Extreme nausea
- Seizures together with with out limitation these attribute of epilepsy
- Extreme and protracted muscle spasms together with with out limitation these attribute of a number of sclerosis
Sufferers may petition for a situation to be added to the permitted checklist, however Hooper mentioned there have been no profitable petitions to date.
There is no such thing as a minimal age to be eligible for medical marijuana use, however minors want parental help to obtain a certification, Hooper mentioned.
Making use of to Division of Well being
If a health care provider certifies a affected person for medical marijuana use, the person should then ship an software to the Division of Well being to obtain a registry card.
Hooper mentioned he recommends applying online however functions can be despatched by mail to Arkansas Division of Well being, 4815 West Markham St., Slot 50, Little Rock, AR, 72205.
Along with the applying kind, a person might want to ship:
- The finished Doctor Written Certification
- Photocopy of your Arkansas issued driver’s license or state ID
- A nonrefundable $50 software price
Hooper mentioned the Division of Well being solely denies functions for administrative causes, similar to lacking a doc or paperwork being crammed out incorrectly.
“We do not test the certification’s validity, because it have been,” Hooper mentioned. “We depart that to the physicians.”
Sufferers permitted for a medical marijuana card can use it at any licensed dispensary within the state.
Renewal
Physicians determine how lengthy a affected person’s certification will final, as much as one yr, Hooper mentioned.
If a person wish to renew their medical marijuana card, the Division of Well being recommends beginning the method at the least 30 days earlier than their card expires.
Sufferers might want to revisit their physician to obtain a brand new certification, after which will re-submit the identical paperwork as of their preliminary software.
The renewal can take as much as 14 days based on the Department of Health’s website.
