TALLAHASSEE (NEWS SERVICE FLORIDA)
New rules laying out the do’s and don’ts physicians must follow when certifying patients to smoke medical marijuana took effect last week, but it’s not clear that doctors or patients are fully aware of them.
Patients certified or recertified to smoke medical marijuana must sign a new standardized consent form as of last Tuesday. That form for the first time includes information about the dangers of smoking near oxygen tanks and advises patients to check their marijuana supplies for mold contaminants.
Also, physicians must adhere to newly adopted practice standards that for the first time spell out what the doctors must do to certify patients and what information needs to be included in patients’ medical records.
The state Office of Medical Marijuana Use, however, does not have on its website the new standardized consent form. Additionally, the new physician practice guidelines aren’t posted on the Board of Medicine or Board of Osteopathic Medicine websites.
Moreover, statewide medical groups have not advertised to their members that the new rules are in effect.
Physicians who don’t comply with the new requirements could face disciplinary action from their state boards if complaints are filed and found to have merit.
Joel Rose, a Tampa physician who played a key role in writing the new regulations, acknowledged that the rules quietly went…
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TALLAHASSEE (NEWS SERVICE FLORIDA)
New rules laying out the do’s and don’ts physicians must follow when certifying patients to smoke medical marijuana took effect last week, but it’s not clear that doctors or patients are fully aware of them.
Patients certified or recertified to smoke medical marijuana must sign a new standardized consent form as of last Tuesday. That form for the first time includes information about the dangers of smoking near oxygen tanks and advises patients to check their marijuana supplies for mold contaminants.
Also, physicians must adhere to newly adopted practice standards that for the first time spell out what the doctors must do to certify patients and what information needs to be included in patients’ medical records.
The state Office of Medical Marijuana Use, however, does not have on its website the new standardized consent form. Additionally, the new physician practice guidelines aren’t posted on the Board of Medicine or Board of Osteopathic Medicine websites.
Moreover, statewide medical groups have not advertised to their members that the new rules are in effect.
Physicians who don’t comply with the new requirements could face disciplinary action from their state boards if complaints are filed and found to have merit.
Joel Rose, a Tampa physician who played a key role in writing the new regulations, acknowledged that the rules quietly went…
