Become a Medical Marijuana Caregiver

A caregiver is someone who can pick up medical marijuana at a dispensary on a patient’s behalf. Each patient can designate up to two caregivers. Minor patients are required to have a caregiver.

Caregivers can provide care for up to five medical marijuana patients.

Caregiver Requirements

 

  • Be at least 21 years old (If you are under 21 years of age but would like to be considered as a caregiver for a patient, email the Department of Health at RA-DHMedMarijuana@pa.gov. In the email, please provide information about your relationship to the patient and why you should be allowed to serve as their caregiver
  • Be a Pennsylvania resident
  • Have a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license or a state-issued ID card (with current address).
  • Complete a criminal history background check
  • Not have been convicted of a criminal offense relating to the sale or possession of drugs, narcotics, or a controlled substance in the last five years
  • Register and obtain an ID card that will allow you to pick up medical marijuana at a Pennsylvania dispensary

Registering as a Caregiver for an Existing Patient

 

Have a registered medical marijuana patient who needs your help? Here’s how to register as their caregiver.

You’ll need the patient’s:

  • Name as it appears in the Patient and Caregiver Registry
  • Patient ID number
  • Date of birth
  • Go to the Patient and Caregiver Registry 
    • In the “Caregivers” section, click “Adult Patient Caregiver Registration” if the patient is an adult patient who has or will have a patient ID card to visit a dispensary
    • In the “Caregivers” section, click “Caregiver registering for an existing patient” if the patient is registered and is a minor, requires in-home support, or has a disability that requires assistance. (These patients will not get an ID card of their own or visit a dispensary.)
  • Fill out all information and click “Submit” to register and create an online profile. Note: Each account in the Patient and Caregiver Registry requires a different email address. A patient and caregiver cannot share the same email address
  • Watch for an email with instructions for completing your background check
  • Allow four to six weeks for your application to go through the approval process
  • Once notified via email of your acceptance by the Department of Health, return to the Patient and Caregiver Registry  to pay the fee to get your medical marijuana caregiver card

Registering as a Caregiver for a New Patient

 

Here’s how to register as a caregiver for a person who is not yet registered in the medical marijuana program and will not visit a dispensary on their own behalf.

In this instance, your patient is a minor, a person who requires in-home support, or a person with a disability. These patients will not get an ID card of their own or visit a dispensary.

  • Go to the Patient and Caregiver Registry . In the “Caregivers” section, click “Caregiver Registering for a New Patient.”
  • Fill out all information and click “submit” to register and create a caregiver profile
  • Watch for an email with instructions for completing the background check
  • Allow four to six weeks for your application to go through the approval process
  • Once notified of your acceptance by the Department of Health, return to the Patient and Caregiver Registry  to pay any fees to obtain your medical marijuana caregiver card

If you are a caregiver for a minor but not the patient’s parent, legal guardian or spouse, you should be designated as a third-party caregiver by the patient, the patient’s legal guardian, or the patient’s spouse. It is recommended that you complete an “authorization to designate a third-party caregiver’ form. This form can be downloaded from the caregiver’s profile in the Patient and Caregiver Registry . Once completed, you can upload the form to your caregiver profile.

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