Washington healthcare practitioners who authorize marijuana for medical use will be required to use the state’s updated Medical Cannabis Authorization Form beginning Tuesday, September 1.
The Washington Medical Commission recently reminded practitioners of the approaching deadline, saying older versions of the form can be used only through August 31. The updated form was developed by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and has been available for practitioners to begin using ahead of the mandatory transition.
One of the most notable changes is that the authorization form no longer identifies the patient’s specific qualifying medical condition. Instead, practitioners confirm that the patient has a terminal or debilitating medical condition that meets the requirements of state law.
DOH said the change was made in response to patient privacy concerns. Specific qualifying conditions are also no longer entered into the state’s Medical Cannabis Registry.
The updated form also requires healthcare practitioners to acknowledge that an initial office visit for a medical marijuana authorization must take place in person. State guidance requires practitioners to conduct an in-person physical examination before initially authorizing a patient for medical marijuana.
Practitioners must print completed authorization forms on approved tamper-resistant paper containing the state-required RCW 69.51A.030 medical cannabis logo. Patients who have a designated provider must receive a separate, identical authorization for that person.
The authorization itself is not a prescription. A valid authorization allows a qualifying Washington resident to access the state’s medical marijuana system and can be used to enroll in the Medical Cannabis Registry and obtain a recognition card.
Adult authorizations may remain valid for up to one year, while authorizations for patients younger than 18 may be valid for up to six months.
Healthcare practitioners with remaining stock of older tamper-resistant authorization forms have been allowed to use them during the transition, but the Washington Medical Commission says the updated form becomes mandatory September 1.
