Pennsylvanias medical marijuana program appears to be right on schedule for an early 2018 launch.

The state gave out the first round of dispensary and grower/processor permits, and physicians are now able to register to become certified to recommend (not prescribe) cannabis to their patients.

The question is will any actually want to?

The Department of Health didnt returnThe Inclines request for information on how many physicians have registered since late July.But according to the CEO of one of the companies that will teach Pennsylvanias doctors the ABCs of medical cannabis,the phone is ringing off the hook.

Doctors, nurses and pharmacists are hungry for this education, said Cheryl McDaniel, owner ofExtra Step Assurance. Her companys Cannabis Expertise is one of just two training courses the state has approved, per a July 26 email. The other is fromThe Answer Page, which has also designed online certification courses for New York state, Ohio and Florida.

Physicians who want to participate in Pennsylvanias medical marijuana program are required to register online, at which point DOH checks to make sure theyre licensed to practice. Before these professionals can get final approval, they have to go through a four-hour course.

The Answer Pages course is completely online with quizzes, while Cannabis Expertise offers live webinars and in-person seminars. Both will cover how marijuana can be used to treat various illnesses, how cannabis interacts with the body and the current state of regulations in Pennsylvania.

And they have just four hours to do that.

McDaniel and Dr. Stephen B.Corn of The Answer Page both said its challenging to do that.Corns company approached the task by offering 12-month access to a medical cannabis reference library along with online training that can be printed or saved.

We want to make sure all the clinicians would have a library of all this information, Corn said.

Extra Step Assurances Cannabis Expertise also offers an 18-hour seminar. After a recent event in Columbus, McDaniel said she was told by participants that the course was as though I went back to med school also theyd like some additional breaks.

We had an attitude that, my goodness, we want the doctors to know everything possible, McDaniel said. She described entering her 18-hour event like a freshman and leaving with a graduate degree.

But because Pennsylvania requires just four hours, McDaniel said her company tried to distill what doctors absolutely need to know: some history, basic science, dosing information.

I understand how to handle drugs and educate doctors, said McDaniel, who worked in pharmaceutical support services for 30 years. But as she became more involved in medical cannabis, she became alarmed that there was no good place where [doctors, nurses and pharmacists] could go to get info.

McDaniels company was well-versed in how to put on continuing medical education and training events, but didnt have the medical expertise to design something around medical cannabis. So she took the next several months to listen to speakers and enlist professionals like Dr. Dustin Sulak to take part in the trainings.

The curriculum is constantly being updated as new information on medical cannabis becomes available, McDaniel said. She finds it scary to think of the bad sources of information available.

You wouldnt say to a doctor, we want you to start diagnosing patients who have cancer. Could you read this pamphlet and good luck? McDaniel said. You wouldnt do that.

The Answer Pages online course can be accessed now and costs $299 with the promo code PADOH.

Cannabis Expertise will hold two live webinarsAug. 10 and Aug. 17(both are $298) and its first live seminar Aug. 25, in Allentown ($398 to attend in person). Future seminars are planned for Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, State College, Scranton, Erie, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Williamsport and Altoona.

You cant get extra credit, but Pa. doctors who want to meet the requirement plus get a more in-depth education can attend Cannabis Expertises next 18-hour seminar, in Orlando.

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'The phone is ringing off the hook': What Pa. doctors will learn about medical cannabis - The Incline