It may be a shock to recognize that pediatric patients in Massachusetts, from those desperate to explore medical cannabis treatments to those who are simply interested in learning more, are still sadly very limited with options for educated medical providers. CED Clinic is proud to help lead the charge to embrace and support all patients for whom the benefits of medical cannabis outweigh the risks, irrespective of what make one patient different from another. Each one of our patients is respected and treated as an individual.”
– Dr. Benjamin Caplan,
MD CED Clinic Founder and Chief Medical Officer
Overview of the Massachusetts Pediatric Medical Cannabis Process
Pediatric patients must maintain an active certification from two certifying healthcare providers (one of which must be board certified pediatrician or a board certified pediatric subspecialist) and also maintain an active registration with the Medical Marijuana Program in order to be eligible for medical use of marijuana under Massachusetts law.
After the virtual visit with both clinicians, the medical component of the patient’s card (the doctor “certification”) part is complete.This certification must be renewed every 3 months with check-up virtual visits.
Massachusetts also requires that you complete a brief online application so that they can mail you a state-sponsored plastic license, which gives you access to MA dispensaries (and others that offer reciprocity) for the duration of your certification. The state registration must be completed annually.
Becoming a Pediatric Patient at CED Clinic
1. Do your research
- Get to know CED Clinic through exploring our website; including our clinician’s about pages, blog postings and content in our video library! We’ve added our two Doctor Discussions webinar with Dr. Exelbert and Dr. Caplan for you to view below.
- CED Clinic is unique because we are one of the only certifying clinics that can accommodate pediatric patients for the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Program.
2. Make an appointment
- If you feel that CED Clinic is the best fit for your needs, schedule an appointment with us
Click Here to Schedule An Appointment
3. CED Clinic will call you at the time of your appointment
- This will be the first of four appointments required over a calendar year for pediatric certifications in the Massachusetts medical cannabis program
- The 2nd virtual appointment comes 3 months following the first visit
- The 3rd appointment comes at month 6
- The 4th appointment comes at month 9
- After each telemedicine appointment, the patient’s guardian will receive the next steps for any requirements for the patient’s registration with the CCC online, and any relevant clinical guidance.
4. Continue your care with CED Clinic
- CED Clinic encourages patients to keep in touch regularly with our team and providers to ask questions and keep us up to date of the patient’s wellbeing.
More Information
Doctor Discussions: Pediatric Cannabis
Doctor Discussions are our way of connecting with other medical professionals to provide insight in to the different ways cannabis can overlap with other specialties
Dr. Eric Exelbert is a board certified pediatric intensivist and board-certified pediatrician with an added specialty in medical cannabis. While he currently resides in Florida, his knowledge and passion for medical cannabis spans all the way up to our Massachusetts office!
Please see the discussions with Dr. Exelbert and Dr. Caplan below for more info.