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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and cannabis in Washington

The state explicitly lists this condition under its medical cannabis program. A certifying physician can pursue state registration for a patient with this diagnosis under the program rules.

Listed qualifying condition
✓ Yes
LEGAL
3 oz flower / 48 oz inf…
POSSESSION
$1/yr
STATE FEE
1–7 d
TIMELINE
Listed qualifying condition. The state explicitly lists this condition under its medical cannabis program. A certifying physician can pursue state registration for a patient with this diagnosis under the program rules.

Washington statute and program

The Washington Medical Marijuana Authorization Database is the operating authority for Washington patient certification. The authoritative legal text is: Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board: Medical Cannabis. The program portal is at Washington Medical Marijuana Authorization Database.

What the evidence says about cannabis and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that can develop after exposure to a traumatic event including combat, sexual assault, serious accident, natural disaster, or violence. Core symptom clusters defined in DSM-5 include:

For the full evidence base, including the NASEM tier, randomized trial summaries, and symptom-domain breakdown, read the mmjnow Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder page.

How to qualify in Washington

The Washington Medical Marijuana Authorization Database requires the following registration steps for a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder patient (or any qualifying diagnosis):

  1. Get authorization from a Washington-licensed healthcare practitioner. Under RCW 69.51A (Washington State Medical Use of Cannabis Act, originally I-692 of 1998), any Washington-licensed MD, DO, advanced registered nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or naturopath may issue an authorization. Qualifying terminal or debilitating conditions include cancer, HIV/AIDS, MS, epilepsy, Crohn’s, hepatitis C, glaucoma, intractable pain, severe nausea, severe muscle spasms, anorexia (cachexia), traumatic brain injury, and PTSD.
  2. Enter the Medical Marijuana Authorization Database at a recognition card-issuing dispensary. Washington moved to a unified retail model in 2016 (under 2SSB 5052) — there are no medical-only dispensaries. A patient takes the practitioner authorization to any state-licensed cannabis retailer with a medical endorsement (about 60% of WA retailers). The retailer’s medically endorsed Consultant enters the patient into the Washington State Department of Health Medical Marijuana Authorization Database (MMAD) and issues a Medical Marijuana Recognition Card.
  3. Pay the $1 recognition card fee. Washington charges a nominal $1 fee for the Medical Marijuana Recognition Card itself (paid to the database vendor). Patients pay only this nominal fee plus the practitioner authorization fee — the practitioner fee is the dominant cost. There is no separate state patient registration fee. Caregivers ("designated providers") are added through the same database without an additional state fee.
  4. Purchase tax-free from a medically endorsed Washington retailer. With the Recognition Card and a Washington driver license or state ID, patients may purchase from any of the medically endorsed Washington licensed cannabis retailers (state-licensed I-502 retailers with the additional medical endorsement). The Recognition Card exempts the patient from Washington’s 37% retail cannabis excise tax — one of the most valuable medical-program benefits in any state. Patients may possess up to 3 ounces of usable cannabis (vs. 1 ounce adult-use) and may cultivate up to 6 plants. Washington does not honor out-of-state medical cards.
State registration fee
$1
Physician visit (typical)
$150–$300
Certification to card
1–7 days
Out-of-state patients
Not eligible
Minors
Eligible with caregiver

For full Washington registration steps, fees, and reciprocity rules, see the Washington cannabis-laws page.

ICD-10 code

A certifying physician documenting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for the Washington medical cannabis program will typically record ICD-10 F43.10 or SNOMED-CT 47505003 in the patient's record. The state registry does not itself collect ICD-10 codes in most programs, but the physician's chart is the audit trail if the certification is later reviewed.

Frequently asked questions

Does Washington list Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis?

Yes. Washington explicitly lists Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a qualifying condition under Washington Medical Marijuana Authorization Database. A patient with a documented Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis can pursue state-program certification with a physician registered in the state. The qualifying-condition list is published by the state at https://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/Marijuana/MedicalMarijuana and may change as regulators add, remove, or refine entries. Inclusion on the list does not guarantee certification — a physician still has to evaluate the patient and decide that medical cannabis is appropriate for that specific case under Washington rules.

How do I get a Washington medical marijuana card for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Step one is finding a physician licensed in Washington who is registered with Washington Medical Marijuana Authorization Database and willing to evaluate Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder cases. Step two is collecting your records (diagnosis documentation, treatment history, and the ICD-10 code your physician will use) and bringing them to the certification visit. Step three is the physician's certification through the state registry, followed by the patient registration application, state fee, and waiting period before the card is issued. Washington does not honor out-of-state cards, so the certification process has to originate inside the state. Verify the patient minimum age with the state program before applying. The authoritative source for the current process is the Washington Medical Marijuana Authorization Database site at https://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/Marijuana/MedicalMarijuana; the state updates fees, forms, and physician registration rules periodically.

What does the evidence say about cannabis for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

For Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, evidence is described as limited (a small number of supportive studies, often underpowered or focused on narrow symptom domains). The mmjnow condition page for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder lays out the current evidence base, including the citations underlying that evidence tier — typically the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus reports, federal agency guidance, and peer-reviewed reviews. Evidence quality is independent of state law: a state can list a condition for which evidence is limited, and a state can decline to list a condition for which evidence is strong. Patients deciding whether to pursue medical cannabis for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder should review the underlying evidence (linked on the condition page) and discuss expected benefit, dosing, and risk with a clinician familiar with both Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and cannabinoid pharmacology. Cannabis is not a substitute for evidence-based first-line treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; the evidence position above describes whether trial data supports its use, not whether it should replace standard care.

Sources

  1. Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board: Medical Cannabisaccessed May 16, 2026
  2. Washington State Department of Health: Medical Cannabisaccessed May 14, 2026
  3. NASEM: The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids (2017)accessed May 14, 2026

    “Limited evidence that nabilone is effective for improving symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.”

  4. VA / DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for PTSDaccessed May 14, 2026