Physician Certification Pattern Review, 2024 Annual Report 2 Physicians must submit required documentation and maintain up‐to‐date certification information in the MMUR. When closing a certification, physicians must note adverse events or reductions in use of other controlled substances. To continue to use medical marijuana as a treatment for the patient’s medical condition(s), physicians and patients must complete the entire process as a new certification. 3. Requirements for Patients to Obtain Medical Marijuana Figure 2 illustrates the general process for patients to obtain medical marijuana. Once a qualified physician determines that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for the patient, a certification is created for the patient. Certifications contain orders with a maximum duration of 35 to 70 days depending on route of administration (Edibles, Inhalation, Oral, Smoking, Sublingual, Suppository, or Topical). Current certifications have a maximum duration of 210 days, or three consecutive 70‐day orders (six consecutive 35‐day orders for marijuana in a form for smoking). Patients are allowed one current (active) certification and one pending (future) certification. Each order has a start and end date. Physicians can modify current orders. Once a physician certification has been issued, first‐time qualified patients must obtain a Florida Medical Marijuana identification (ID) card. If medical marijuana as a treatment for the patient’s medical condition is continued, the card must be renewed every 12 months. Orders can be filled at any medical marijuana treatment center (MMTC) in Florida. 4. Reporting Physician Certification Data Physician certification data for this report were pulled directly from the MMUR rather than vendor‐ generated reports used previously. This investment toward internal control of data gives the Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) more support for its Quality Assurance team, a critical feature in live data systems. Increased data access will allow rapid reporting by developing dashboards. Physician primary practice locations (addresses physicians provide in the Practitioner Profile) are taken from the MQA licensure database. Section 381.986(4)(j), F.S., requires the Panel to report physician certification data “both by individual qualified physician and in the aggregate, by county and statewide.” Please see the separate document, “Data Tables for Physician Certification Pattern Review, 2024 Annual Report.” Figure 2. General process for Florida residents who are interested in obtaining certifications for medical marijuana.
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