HARRISBURG, Pa., June 2, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of Health Dr. Karen Murphy today announced that regulations for physicians to participate in the medical marijuana program will be published in the June 3 edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

"We received valuable input from physicians on implementation of this vital step in the program," Secretary Murphy said. "These regulations provide physicians with the information they need on how to participate in the program, how to become registered as a practitioner within the program, and how they will be able to issue patient certifications. Physicians are a vital part of making sure that this medication gets to the patients who need it."

The Practitioner Temporary Regulations outline the process for a physician with an active Pennsylvania license to register as a practitioner in the Medical Marijuana Program. Registration allows a practitioner to certify that a patient has a serious medical condition as defined in Act 16 and offer his or her recommendations on a course of treatment for the patient that includes obtaining medical marijuana at a Pennsylvania permitted dispensary.

The Medical Marijuana Program was signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf on April 17, 2016. Since that time, the department has:

Completed the Safe Harbor temporary guidelines and Safe Harbor Letter application process, as well as approved 257 applications;

Completed temporary regulations for growers/processors, dispensaries and laboratories which have been published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin;

Released Phase One permit applications for grower/processors and dispensaries;

Developed the Medical Marijuana Physician Workgroup;

Drafted temporary regulations for practitioners to participate in the program; and

Selected MJ Freeway to implement the program's seed-to-sale tracking system.

The Medical Marijuana Program became effective on May 17, 2016, and is expected to be fully implemented in early 2018. The program will offer medical marijuana to patients who are residents of Pennsylvania and under a physician's care for the treatment of a serious medical condition as defined by Act 16.

Questions about the Medical Marijuana Program can be emailed to RA-DHMedMarijuana@pa.gov. Information is also available on the Department of Health website at www.health.pa.gov or by following us on Facebook and Twitter.