More states are allowing medical marijuana patients to obtain or renew doctors’ recommendations via telemedicine so they can continue purchasing MMJ, a move that could support sales during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to MedPage Today, more than two dozen states have issued guidance temporarily allowing physicians to write recommendations for MMJ patients via online consultations.
This saves patients from having to visit doctors’ offices in person to ensure there’s no lapse in their ability to purchase medical cannabis, according to MedPage Today, an online news source for health-care professionals.
The ability to use telemedicine also led to some calling for the shift to be made permanent.
The tally of states allowing telemedicine for MMJ recommendations, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, includes:
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New York
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
Even more states – as well as the District of Columbia – are allowing existing medical marijuana patients to get their recommendations renewed via telemedicine but aren’t allowing online consultations for first-time patients:
- Alaska
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- Utah
- Vermont
- Washington state
- Washington DC
For more of Marijuana Business Daily’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on the cannabis industry, click here.
