Small Group of PA Docs Approve a Third of Medical Marijuana Cards
Last Updated: Thursday January 16, 2025
(Spotlight PA) HARRISBURG — A small number of doctors approve an outsize share of medical marijuana cards in Pennsylvania, state health department records obtained by Spotlight PA reveal.
The findings have already spurred calls for greater oversight of physicians and potential changes to the state’s medical marijuana law. The data have also raised concerns among some medical professionals about the ability of doctors to provide appropriate care to several thousand patients a year.
In 2022, 17 doctors issued more than 132,000 Pennsylvania medical marijuana certifications combined. That accounts for nearly one-third of the total number issued in the state that year, based on physician records released by the health department. Those doctors each issued more than 5,000 that year.