There are a surprising number of medical reasons for a gynecologist to have male patients. The list includes fertility consultation, treating sexually transmitted infections, and anal cancer screenings.

The list does not, however, include prescribing medical marijuana.

Officials said that’s exactly what led a Maine gynecologist to surrender his medical license Tuesday after it was discovered he prescribed marijuana to 49 male patients.

The state’s medical licensing board announced Friday that Dr. Keng-Cheong Leong had “not been performing appropriate examinations, had not been creating appropriate medical records, and had been seeing patients at medical marijuana dispensaries instead of an office.’’


The statement on the board’s website read“Dr. Leong admitted the Board had sufficient evidence from which it could conclude that he engaged in unprofessional conduct, incompetent medical care, and that he violated the terms of his previous agreement.’’

The doctor already had his right to practice medicine limited in 2011, after state officials said he engaged in “unprofessional conduct’’ by prescribing narcotics to patients without following proper procedures.

Leong was not available for comment at his office Friday night, though he reportedly told the board he granted the certificates because of his “inclination for holistic treatment.’’

It’s not clear whether the 49 patients who received medical marijuana certificates will still have access to dispensaries after the decision.