JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — It starts off like any normal doctors appointment. The patients fill out paperwork, talk about medical history and discuss any current prescriptions. “Then they’ll meet with the nurse practitioner or the doctor. They’ll do their evaluation one-on-one and determine whether or not they qualify,” Owner of Kentucky Cannabis Docs Darby Cook said. These types of doctor’s appointments are unlike anything Kentucky has seen before; they’re for patients who want to apply for a medical marijuana card. “So, the nurse practitioners or doctors that we work with, they got special licensing from the state to certify people,” Cook said. Once a patient is certified by a doctor or a nurse practitioner, they can officially submit their application to the state. Then, the state decides whether to issue that patient a medical marijuana card. “That application doesn’t go live until January first,” Cook said. In the meantime, patients can still book appointments to get approved by a doctor. Cook says many of these patients are dealing with chronic pain and a lot of them are already on some type of pain medication. “A lot of folks can become less dependent on opioids and use medical marijuana instead,” she said. The state has a list of the conditions that qualify for a medical marijuana card. It includes cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chronic nausea and PTSD. “I do hope they expand the list of qualifying conditions because it’s missing a lot that are usually on there,” Cook said. Even though the list of qualifying conditions is said to be short, the clinic has been busy. “We did our first appointments on Monday, December 2nd, and we have been really busy ever since,” she said. After submitting a medical marijuana application to the state, they have 30 days to decide whether to approve. If a patient is issued a medical marijuana card, they can purchase the legal cannabis at any state-approved dispensary. If you are looking to apply for a medical marijuana card, you can visit Kentucky Cannabis Docs at their website.  Categories: Featured, Local News, News Tags: cannabis, kentucky cannabis docs, Lottery, medical, medical marijuana, opiods, weed