What are physician responsibilities when working in a cannabis clinic?

When physicians are employed by cannabis clinics merely to act as “authorizers”, the physician-patient relationship can be undermined. Physicians who work in cannabis clinics must comply with the standards of practice: Cannabis for Medical Purposes, Responsibility for a Medical Practice, Advertising, Patient Record Retention and Conflict of Interest and should be aware of their responsibilities before entering into this type of arrangement.
Individual physicians are responsible for:

• processes used to interview and counsel patients;
• advertising about the indications for medical cannabis;
• information provided about the products;
• clinic fees for providing services; and
• the accurate and secure documentation of the patient record.

If a physician cannot influence the factors above to comply with the standards of practice, s/he should not practice in this clinical setting.