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Qualifying medical conditions

Attending Provider's may recommend the use of medical marijuana for the following medical conditions:

  • Cancer
  • Glaucoma
  • A degenerative or pervasive neurological condition
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • A medical condition or treatment for a medical condition that produces one or more of the following:
    - Cachexia (a weight-loss disease that can be caused by HIV or cancer)
    - Severe pain
    - Severe nausea
    - Seizures, including but not limited to seizures caused by epilepsy
    - Persistent muscle spasm, including but not limited to spasms caused by multiple sclerosis

Who may recommend medical marijuana

An attending provider who has the primary responsibility for the care and treatment of a person diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition may recommend medical marijuana. An attending provider is defined as:

  • Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathy (DO), licensed under ORS chapter 677.
  • Physician Assistant licensed under ORS 677.505 to 677.525.
  • Nurse Practitioner licensed under ORS 678.375 to 678.390.
  • Clinical Nurse Specialist licensed under ORS 678.370 and 678.372.
  • Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist as defined in ORS 678.245.
  • Naturopathic Physician licensed under ORS chapter 685.

"Primary responsibility" means that the attending provider has one of the following roles:

  • Provides primary health care for the patient.
  • Provides medical specialty care and treatment for the patient.
  • Is a consultant who has been asked to examine and treat the patient by the patient's primary care physician licensed under ORS Chapter 677, the patient's physician assistant licensed under ORS Chapter 677, or the patient's nurse practitioner licensed under ORS Chapter 678.
The attending provider must also have reviewed a patient's medical records at the patient's request and conducted a thorough physical examination of the patient; provided or planned follow-up care; and documented these activities in the patient's medical record. 

An Attending Provider Statement (APS) form must be signed by the attending provider attesting that the patient has been diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition and that the medical use of marijuana may mitigate the symptoms or effect of the individual’s debilitating medical condition. As an alternate, the attending provider may supply the patient with relevant portions of the patient’s medical records containing the same information on the APS. 

The patient is responsible for submitting the APS, or relevant medical records, with other required application documents, to the OMMP. The APS or relevant medical documents must be submitted within 90 days of the attending provider’s signature when a patient applies for the first time. When a patient is renewing with OMMP, application material must be submitted within 90 days of their registration card expiration date and the APS must be signed within that 90-day period.

Attending provider protections and rights may be found under ORS 475C.891, 475C.892 and 475C.916. Specific questions for how overseeing Boards follow these ORSs should be directed to the specific Board. 

Guidelines for Attending Physicians

House Bill 4014, passed in 2015, directed OHA to convene a work group to develop the guidelines listed below.

Helping patients with paperwork

Below you can find application materials to provide you and your patients with important information regarding the Medical Marijuana Program.

Learn more