Our commitment: Every piece of medical and health-related content published on pennsylvaniamarijuanacards.com is reviewed by a licensed physician before publication and re-reviewed whenever updated. We do not publish health content that has not passed our medical review process.
Why We Have a Medical Review Policy
Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards operates in the medical marijuana space — a topic that directly affects the health decisions of real people. The Pennsylvania Department of Health recognizes 24 qualifying Serious Medical Conditions under the Medical Marijuana Act (Act 16 of 2016). When patients come to our website to learn about these conditions and the certification process, they deserve content that is medically accurate, responsibly written, and reviewed by qualified physicians — not guesswork or generic information.
Google classifies medical cannabis websites as YMYL — Your Money or Your Life content. This means our content is held to the highest standard of accuracy and trustworthiness. Our medical review process is how we meet and maintain that standard. It is also how we demonstrate genuine E-E-A-T — Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness — which Google’s quality guidelines require of all health-related websites.
Publishing medically inaccurate information about qualifying conditions, cannabis interactions, or program requirements could lead a patient to make a health decision that harms them. That is a responsibility we take seriously, and our review process exists to prevent it.
What Content Is Subject to Medical Review
The following categories of content on pennsylvaniamarijuanacards.com are subject to physician review before publication and upon material update:
- All pages describing qualifying Serious Medical Conditions recognized by the Pennsylvania DOH
- Blog posts and articles discussing medical cannabis, health conditions, symptoms, or treatment approaches
- FAQ content that answers health or medical questions
- Content describing how medical marijuana may benefit specific conditions
- Any content referencing drug interactions, side effects, dosing, or consumption methods
- Condition guides, patient education content, and eligibility information
- Pages referencing clinical research, studies, or medical evidence related to cannabis
The following content types are not subject to physician medical review but are reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy and compliance:
- Program process pages — steps to apply, fees, registry instructions
- Legal pages — Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, Medical Disclaimer, Consent to Telehealth
- General website pages — About, Contact, Homepage
- Promotional or pricing content
Our Medical Reviewers
All medical and health-related content on pennsylvaniamarijuanacards.com is reviewed by the following licensed physicians. Both physicians are verified through the CMS National Provider Identifier (NPI) Registry.
Dr. Johnathon Chance Miller, MD
Dr. Johnathon Chance Miller, MD
Cannabis Medicine Physician | NPI: 1235623372 | NPI: Verify on NPI Registry
Specialty: Cannabis Medicine and Medical Marijuana Evaluation
Role at Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards: Lead Medical Reviewer — reviews all condition-specific content, cannabis interaction content, and clinical claims
Dr. Johnathon Chance Miller, MD is a licensed physician specializing in cannabis medicine. He has dedicated his practice to helping patients navigate evidence-based cannabis therapy and has built deep expertise in evaluating patients for medical marijuana certifications across multiple states. Dr. Miller approaches cannabis medicine with a focus on patient education, responsible use, and clinical accuracy — ensuring that patients receive information grounded in current medical understanding rather than anecdote or marketing.
As a practicing cannabis physician, Dr. Miller brings first-hand clinical experience to every content review. He evaluates whether health claims are supported by credible evidence, whether condition descriptions accurately reflect medical understanding, and whether content appropriately directs readers to consult a licensed physician rather than self-diagnose. His credentials are publicly verifiable through the CMS NPI Registry (NPI: 1235623372).
Dr. Anshi Thapliyal, MD
Dr. Anshi Thapliyal, MD
Internal Medicine | Geriatric Medicine | Hospice & Palliative Medicine | NPI: 1962698324 | NPI: Verify on NPI Registry
Specialties: Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Family Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Board Certification: Board Certified in Geriatric Medicine
Medical Education: King George’s Medical University (now CSMMU), Lucknow, India — graduated 1996. Over 29 years of clinical experience.
Practice Location: Pennsylvania — West Conshohocken, Norristown, East Norriton, and surrounding areas
Hospital Affiliations: Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital; Cancer Treatment Centers of America
Role at Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards: Medical Reviewer — reviews content related to chronic conditions, pain management, geriatric health, palliative care, and end-of-life qualifying conditions
Dr. Anshi Thapliyal, MD brings nearly three decades of clinical experience in internal medicine, geriatric medicine, and hospice and palliative care to our review process. Her breadth of specialty knowledge is particularly valuable when reviewing content about chronic pain, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer-related qualifying conditions, and the intersection of medical cannabis with complex, multi-condition patient profiles.
Dr. Thapliyal’s clinical background in palliative and geriatric medicine gives her a nuanced perspective on how medical cannabis fits within broader treatment plans for serious and terminal illnesses — several of which appear on Pennsylvania’s list of qualifying Serious Medical Conditions. Her credentials are publicly verifiable through the CMS NPI Registry (NPI: 1962698324).
Our Content Review Process
Step 1 — Content Creation
Content is researched and written by our editorial team with reference to authoritative sources including the Pennsylvania Department of Health, peer-reviewed medical literature, and official program documentation. Writers are required to cite sources and flag any claims that require physician verification.
Step 2 — Medical Review
Before publication, all health-related content is sent to one or both of our reviewing physicians depending on the subject matter. The reviewing physician checks for:
- Medical accuracy of all health claims and condition descriptions
- Appropriate sourcing — claims must be supported by credible medical or governmental sources
- Correct representation of how medical cannabis may or may not benefit specific conditions
- Absence of overstated, misleading, or unsubstantiated claims about cannabis efficacy
- Appropriate disclaimers — content must clearly direct readers to consult a licensed physician
- Compliance with Pennsylvania DOH guidelines and the Medical Marijuana Act
- Accuracy of program information — qualifying conditions, fees, process steps, and legal requirements
The reviewing physician may approve the content as written, request edits, or decline to approve content that cannot be made medically accurate. Content that is not approved does not go live.
Step 3 — Publication
Once approved by the reviewing physician, content is published with a reviewer attribution line identifying the reviewing physician by name, credentials, and NPI. This attribution is displayed visibly on the published page so readers can verify the reviewer’s credentials independently.
Step 4 — Scheduled Re-Review
All health-related content is scheduled for re-review at least every 12 months from the date of publication or last review. Content is also re-reviewed immediately whenever:
- The Pennsylvania DOH updates the list of qualifying conditions
- Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program regulations change
- New credible clinical evidence emerges that materially affects the accuracy of a page
- A reader or physician identifies a factual error that requires correction
- A correction or retraction is issued for a cited source
Our standard: No health-related content on this website remains published for more than 12 months without being re-reviewed by a licensed physician. If a re-review is overdue, the page will display a notice until the review is completed.
Sources We Use
Our content is written and reviewed with reference to the following types of authoritative sources:
Primary Government Sources
- Pennsylvania Department of Health — Medical Marijuana Program — qualifying conditions, program rules, physician registry
- Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act (Act 16 of 2016) — the governing legislation
- Act 44 of 2021 — telehealth authorization amendments
- U.S. National Library of Medicine — PubMed — peer-reviewed clinical research on medical cannabis
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — FDA guidance on cannabis research and scheduling
- U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) — federal controlled substances scheduling
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — HHS / HIPAA — patient privacy and HIPAA compliance
Medical and Clinical Sources
- Peer-reviewed journals including JAMA, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and cannabis-specific publications
- Clinical guidelines from relevant specialty boards
- Published systematic reviews and meta-analyses on medical cannabis efficacy
We do not use anonymous online sources, patient forums, social media, or commercially motivated content as primary sources for health claims.
Corrections Policy
We are committed to correcting factual errors promptly and transparently. If a reader, physician, or regulatory body identifies an error in our health content, we follow this process:
- Acknowledgment: We acknowledge the reported error within 2 business days
- Review: The relevant content is immediately flagged and sent to our reviewing physician for assessment
- Correction: If the error is confirmed, we correct the content and update the Last Reviewed date on the affected page
- Transparency: For significant factual corrections, we add a correction notice to the page noting what was changed and when
- No silent edits: We do not silently alter health claims without updating the Last Reviewed date and reviewer attribution
To report a factual error or inaccuracy in our content, please contact us at [email protected] with the subject line “Content Correction Request” and include the URL of the page and a description of the issue.
Editorial Independence
Our medical reviewers operate with complete editorial independence. Neither Dr. Johnathon Chance Miller, MD nor Dr. Anshi Thapliyal, MD are employees of Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards. They review content in their capacity as independent licensed physicians and their reviews are based solely on medical accuracy and patient safety — not on commercial or marketing considerations.
No advertiser, affiliate partner, or commercial relationship influences what our physicians approve or reject during the review process. Content that is commercially convenient but medically inaccurate will not be approved. Our affiliate relationship with Heally Telehealth does not affect the independence of our medical review process in any way.
Our editorial standard: If a reviewing physician determines that a health claim cannot be supported by credible evidence, that claim will be removed or revised regardless of its commercial value to the website.
What Our Review Does Not Cover
Our medical review process covers the educational content we publish on this website. It does not extend to:
- The clinical decisions made by certifying physicians during telehealth consultations — those are entirely independent
- Third-party websites linked from our site — we are not responsible for the accuracy of external content
- User-generated content such as testimonials or comments
- Real-time program updates from the Pennsylvania DOH that we have not yet incorporated — always verify current program details directly with the DOH
Always verify: Even reviewed content can become outdated as Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program evolves. Always confirm current qualifying conditions, fees, and program requirements directly with the Pennsylvania Department of Health at pa.gov/agencies/health/programs/medical-marijuana or by calling 1-888-733-5595.
How to Identify Reviewed Content on Our Website
All health-related content that has been through our medical review process will display the following information clearly on the published page:
- Reviewed by: The reviewing physician’s full name and credentials
- NPI: The physician’s NPI number with a link to the CMS NPI Registry for independent verification
- Last Reviewed: The date the content was most recently reviewed or updated
- Next Review Due: The scheduled date for the next physician review (within 12 months)
If you do not see this reviewer attribution on a page, that page has not been classified as health-related content subject to our medical review process — for example, program process pages, legal pages, or general informational pages.
Questions About Our Review Policy
If you have questions about our editorial or medical review process, want to report inaccurate content, or want to verify the credentials of our reviewing physicians, please contact us:
- Business: Pennsylvania Marijuana Cards
- Website: pennsylvaniamarijuanacards.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Subject line for content concerns: “Content Correction Request”
Credentials of both reviewing physicians can be independently verified through the CMS National Provider Identifier Registry: