Who qualifies as a health care professional?
A health care professional is an individual licensed in Vermont to practice medicine. This includes physicians, osteopathic physicians, naturopathic physicians, PAs (physician assistants), and nurse practitioners. This definition also includes professionally licensed individuals under substantially equivalent positions in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, or New York.
I qualify as a health care professional under the medical cannabis program - what are my responsibilities?
The only responsibilities of a health care professional with regards to the provisions of the Medical Program is to verify that the patient has a debilitating medical condition.
What qualifies a patient for a medical cannabis card?
A patient must be suffering from a debilitating medical condition in order to be eligible for a medical card. In Vermont, a debilitating medical condition is:
- Cancer
- Multiple sclerosis
- HIV or AIDS
- Glaucoma
- Crohn's disease
- Parkinson's disease
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
Medical conditions that produce one or more of the following symptoms also may qualify: wasting syndrome, chronic pain, severe nausea, or seizures.
Voiding a Registry Identification Card
A Health Care Professional may remove a patient from the registry, if they completed the Health Care Professional Verification Form for that patient. If a Health Care Professional wishes to void a registered patient's ID card, he or she would notify the registry in writing requesting to void the registered patient’s registry ID card. A health care professional may notify the registry by emailing CCB.Med@vermont.gov.
Privacy and Confidentiality
All applications and supporting information submitted by registered patients, including information regarding their caregiver and health care professional are confidential. Records maintained by the Cannabis Control Board that identify applicants for a registry identification card, registered patients, registered caregivers, and registered patient’s health care professionals are confidential.
Vermont DMV Total Abstinence Program
The use of cannabis is prohibited by individuals enrolled in the Vermont DMV Total Abstinence Program, because cannabis is not a prescribed drug. A health care professional is verifying the relationship they have with the patient and the patient's medical condition. Health care professionals do not prescribe or recommend the use of cannabis. For more information click here to visit the Department of Motor Vehicle's Total Abstinence Program website.