(410 ILCS 130/35)

Sec. 35. Certifying health care professional requirements.

(a) A certifying health care professional who certifies a debilitating medical condition for a qualifying patient shall comply with all of the following requirements:

(1) The certifying health care professional shall be currently licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987 to practice medicine in all its branches, the Nurse Practice Act, or the Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987, shall be in good standing, and must hold a controlled substances license under Article III of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act.

(2) A certifying health care professional certifying a patient's condition shall comply with generally accepted standards of medical practice, the provisions of the Act under which he or she is licensed and all applicable rules.

(3) The physical examination required by this Act may not be performed by remote means, including telemedicine.

(4) The certifying health care professional shall maintain a record-keeping system for all patients for whom the certifying health care professional has certified the patient's medical condition. These records shall be accessible to and subject to review by the Department of Public Health and the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation upon request.

(b) A certifying health care professional may not:

(1) accept, solicit, or offer any form of remuneration from or to a qualifying patient, primary caregiver, cultivation center, or dispensing organization, including each principal officer, board member, agent, and employee, to certify a patient, other than accepting payment from a patient for the fee associated with the required examination, except for the limited purpose of performing a medical cannabis-related research study;

(1.5) accept, solicit, or offer any form of remuneration from or to a medical cannabis cultivation center or dispensary organization for the purposes of referring a patient to a specific dispensary organization;

(1.10) engage in any activity that is prohibited under Section 22.2 of the Medical Practice Act of 1987, regardless of whether the certifying health care professional is a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or physician assistant;

(2) offer a discount of any other item of value to a qualifying patient who uses or agrees to use a particular primary caregiver or dispensing organization to obtain medical cannabis;

(3) conduct a personal physical examination of a patient for purposes of diagnosing a debilitating medical condition at a location where medical cannabis is sold or distributed or at the address of a principal officer, agent, or employee or a medical cannabis organization;

(4) hold a direct or indirect economic interest in a cultivation center or dispensing organization if he or she recommends the use of medical cannabis to qualified patients or is in a partnership or other fee or profit-sharing relationship with a certifying health care professional who recommends medical cannabis, except for the limited purpose of performing a medical cannabis-related research study;

(5) serve on the board of directors or as an employee of a cultivation center or dispensing organization;

(6) refer patients to a cultivation center, a dispensing organization, or a registered designated caregiver; or

(7) advertise in a cultivation center or a dispensing organization.

(c) The Department of Public Health may with reasonable cause refer a certifying health care professional, who has certified a debilitating medical condition of a patient, to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for potential violations of this Section.

(d) Any violation of this Section or any other provision of this Act or rules adopted under this Act is a violation of the certifying health care professional's licensure act.

(e) A certifying health care professional who certifies a debilitating medical condition for a qualifying patient may notify the Department of Public Health in writing: (1) if the certifying health care professional has reason to believe either that the registered qualifying patient has ceased to suffer from a debilitating medical condition; (2) that the bona fide health care professional-patient relationship has terminated; or (3) that continued use of medical cannabis would result in contraindication with the patient's other medication. The registered qualifying patient's registry identification card shall be revoked by the Department of Public Health after receiving the certifying health care professional's notification.

(f) Nothing in this Act shall preclude a certifying health care professional from referring a patient for health services, except when the referral is limited to certification purposes only, under this Act.

(Source: P.A. 101-363, eff. 8-9-19; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21.)