Obtaining your Medical Records

Before you can apply for a medical marijuana license, you must provide your medical records,
indicating you have a qualifying condition.

To obtain a medical marijuana card in Kentucky, you must provide medical records that indicate you have one or more of the "qualifying conditions" recognized under Kentucky law.

Your medical records are created by your doctors during your visits. However, not all medical records may include the necessary information to confirm your qualifying condition. Therefore, it is important to ensure that your records mention the specific condition or conditions that you claim. Bills from your doctor, disability statements, or self-filled forms are not considered as medical records.

Under the law, we can only review records from a licensed M.D. or D.O. in Kentucky. We are not authorized to accept records from doctors practicing in other states to confirm a qualifying condition.

Special note about post-traumatic stress disorder: We acknowledge that PTSD is a qualifying condition, and many people seek counseling and therapy for it. To confirm a PTSD diagnosis made by a non-physician, our doctors will ask you questions about what happened and your current symptoms. This way, your PTSD diagnosis can be confirmed by our provider. We understand that this may cause some discomfort, but we are obligated to follow the state's rules.

Special note about pain: The qualifying condition for medical marijuana is chronic and severe pain or intractable pain. "Chronic" means the pain must have persisted for at least three months. "Severe" generally means it is bad enough to seek medical attention. "Intractable" implies that no treatment has worked so far. If you submit records that mention a previous injury or surgery, it does not confirm that you still have pain. Current medical records must indicate that you are still experiencing pain, and it is not improving despite regular medical treatment.

FAQs

  • To obtain a medical marijuana license, patients must have an in-office visit with a licensed provider, and complete a license application. You will need to provide your medical records that indicate you have a qualifying condition.

  • No, medical marijuana cards are only valid for the purchase and use of medical marijuana.

  • It is illegal to drive while under the influence of marijuana in Kentucky, even if you have a medical marijuana card.

  • Patients with a medical marijuana card in Kentucky are allowed to purchase and possess up to a 30-day supply of medical marijuana, as determined by their licensed physician.

  • The qualifying medical conditions in Kentucky include: - Any type or form of cancer, regardless of stage; - Chronic or debilitating pain, epilepsy or any other seizure disorder; - Multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms, or spasticity; - Chronic nausea or cyclical vomiting syndrome that has been proven resistant to other conventional medical treatments; - Post-traumatic stress disorder; and, - Any other medical condition or disease that the Kentucky Center for Cannabis determines.

  • No, smoking marijuana in public is not allowed in Kentucky, even for medical purposes.