Compassionate Use Board petition guide

What information does the petition ask for? 

We use the information in the petition to weigh the patient’s risks and benefits of using cannabis. We look at several factors, including the patient’s age, medical history, and treatments they’ve tried or are currently using; but overall, we need to know that the patient’s medical condition has significantly affected their quality of life and that it hasn’t been helped by other treatments. 

Use this guide to see what information to include in each section of the petition. There are 3 general sections in the petition:

Read our petition guide for medical conditions to learn information to include in petitions for specific medical diagnoses, like autism or insomnia.

Medical information

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1. Medical diagnosis

List the patient’s medical diagnosis if it is different than their qualifying condition. 

  • For example: Scoliosis is the medical diagnosis while the qualifying condition is persistent pain.

2. Symptoms

List the specific symptoms that medical cannabis will help treat. 

  • For example: Treating PTSD symptoms of insomnia and panic attacks.

3. Medical team

List each of the patient’s medical providers and their specialties. Include the following information:

  • The provider’s name
  • Their specialty
  • If they know about the patient’s medical cannabis application and CUB petition
  • Whether or not they support the patient using medical cannabis
    Note: we need this information for our review, but we understand that some providers may not support medical cannabis or can’t comment on medical cannabis.

4. Diagnosis history

List the patient’s medical history. Include the following information:

  • When they were diagnosed with their current medical condition.

5. Quality of life

Explain how the patient’s medical condition has affected their quality of life. 

6. Benefits and risks

Explain why the benefits of using cannabis outweigh any risks. This can include the following information:

  • The patient’s medical history
  • Past treatments that didn’t work 
  • Treatments they currently use 
  • Why cannabis is a better option than their past or current treatments

Trialed interventions

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1. Diagnosis being intractable

Include the following information:

  • Reasons why past treatments didn’t work (such as if the treatment didn’t work at all, if it only worked for a short time, if the side effects were too severe, etc.)
  • If the patient hasn’t tried other standard treatments before medical cannabis, explain why.

2. Previous medications

Include each medication that the patient took in the past. Include the following information:

  • The medication name
  • The diagnosis or symptoms it treated
  • How long they took the medication

3. Vaping medical cannabis

Include the following information if you recommend that the patient vapes cannabis:

  • Why you recommend vaping
  • How vaping supports the patient’s diagnosis and treatment plan 

4. Cannabis history 

Include the following information if the patient used cannabis in the past—both medically or recreationally. 

  • How long they used cannabis
  • The types of products they used 
  • The amount they used 
  • How often they used cannabis

5. Problem list

List any other medical conditions the patient has besides their qualifying condition.

6. Current medications

List each medication that the patient currently takes. Include the following information: 

  • Medication name
  • The diagnosis or symptoms it treats 
  • How long they’ve taken the medication

Documents

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1. SOAP note

Upload a SOAP note from your in-person visit with the patient. The note must include the following information:

  • Patient’s name
  • Visit date
  • Your name 
  • A full medical assessment for the patient’s qualifying condition

2. Other documentation

Upload other documents with information about the patient’s medical history, qualifying condition, and treatments. These can include the following:

  • Medical records
  • Imaging reports
  • Visit notes from specialists
  • Test results
  • Letters from the patient’s medical team stating that they’re aware of the patient’s medical cannabis application