Not always. Although you're welcome to provide your prior medical history, doing so isn't a prerequisite to receiving medical marijuana in most states. The medical doctor performing the certifying evaluation of your condition during your consultation will perform their own evaluation and decide on the necessity of medical marijuana. The criteria will depend on the particular state.

The good news is that not having medical documentation for your symptoms does not automatically prevent you from qualifying for medical marijuana. Some common reasons you may not have this type of documentation:

• You treated yourself at home without visiting a physician
• Your health condition is new
• You changed doctors, and your old records are no longer available to you
• You have not had any health insurance
• You are seeking a conversation about your condition and how it may be helped with a medical marijuana doctor

What to do instead: During your consultation with one of our medical marijuana physicians, we will take into account all of your health and medical history to help determine your eligibility.

If there are no prior medical records available, the provider will take extra interest in your present ailment as well as your past medical history. The following questions can be expected from your health care provider:

• Do you have any existing symptoms?
• For what period of time have the symptoms existed?
• On a scale from one to 10, how painful are the symptoms?
• Has a past physician experimented with other forms of medicine?
• How do these symptoms affect your lifestyle?

When you respond truthfully to your health care provider, they can gain a clearer insight into your condition and establish whether you meet your state's requirements for medical cannabis patients.

While each state program's list of conditions can differ, a common list includes:

• Anxiety (where allowed by state law)
• Cancer
• Chronic pain
• Crohn's disease
• Epilepsy
• HIV/AIDS
• Multiple sclerosis
• Parkinson's disease
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Severe nausea

In addition, some states allow doctors to prescribe medical cannabis for any chronic symptoms, including muscle spasms, pain, or nausea.

Most people think that you must have a diagnosed condition to book an appointment, but that's not always the case. With physician discretion varying by state laws, a doctor on our platform might be able to diagnose your condition during the virtual consultation or provide an examination as needed based on your specific case. Not all states require you to bring prior testing, documents, or a diagnosis to be eligible for care. Should your doctor feel more evidence is needed for you to qualify, they will inform you of the appropriate next steps to take.

Yes. Currently, numerous states permit medical marijuana evaluations via private telemedicine appointments. You'll visit a secure virtual office and speak with one of your state's authorized and accredited healthcare providers. They will evaluate whether you're an eligible candidate in your state and write a physician certificate that you can use to finish your state application, if the state you live in allows for this. Many patients find that telemedicine has dramatically increased the speed and comfort of their certification process.

Medical records are typically not required for your appointment when applying for a Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Card. Many Pennsylvania dispensaries, including telehealth clinics like Apply MMJ Card, have patients complete an intake form and attend a doctor's evaluation rather than submit medical records in advance of an appointment. An examining physician uses these and any records they have as evidence to reach their own conclusion on whether a patient qualifies under Pennsylvania's qualifying conditions. Each case is judged on individual merit.

If you don't have medical records, you can prepare by:

• Filling out your forms carefully and thoroughly
• Keeping an organized list of symptoms you have experienced
• Noting the dates your symptoms began
• Listing the medications or remedies you've already used
• Being clear about the impact your symptoms have had on your daily life

Honest communication helps your provider reach an informed medical opinion.

Medical documents are not always mandatory for the certification process. However, some documents may facilitate it. Examples include:

• Former doctor's notes
• Imaging reports (X-ray or MRI results)
• Medical prescription list
• Discharge letters from the hospital
• Specialist reports

Bring these files with you to the medical examination if you have them available.

So, do you need medical records for a medical marijuana card? Unfortunately, in many instances the absence of medical records does not immediately eliminate you from meeting the requirements for medical cannabis certification. The fact of the matter is, many licensed medical marijuana doctors determine whether their patients qualify by looking at their current symptoms and medical history, and by performing a physical evaluation for each patient, whether records are presented or not. It truly does depend on the requirements of your specific state, as well as the provider who holds the medical marijuana license. If you don't know what the qualifications are in your state, booking an evaluation to obtain your medical marijuana documentation and certification is going to be your best bet. For a much easier path to medical cannabis certification, we here at Apply MMJ Card try to make the road as patient-oriented as possible, using the most convenient approach available, so you can apply for a medical cannabis card online with ease.