California Medical Cannabis Practitioner Certificate Course

PASADENA MEDICAL CANNABIS CAREGIVERS (MCC)

MCCDirectory.org 

California Medical Cannabis Practitioner Certificate Course

Course Syllabus and Requirements

Instructor:  Liz McDuffie

Medical Cannabis Practitioner Certificate Course

About the Medical Cannabis Caregivers (MCC) 

The MCC, located at 52 N. Mentor Avenue in Pasadena,  has served as an educational and clinical training resource for California’s medical cannabis industry since 2006.

In 2016 the MCC began the clinical training of health care providers in providing services and products for patients with a physician’s approval for medicinal use.

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has approved the MCC to teach California’s Medicinal and Adult Use of Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) under the CDSS Continuing Education Program for state residential care facility licensees.

Since 2016, the MCC has worked with California residential care facility licensees to provide information and products for residential care facility patients with a physician’s approval for the medicinal use of cannabis.

Course Information

Title:  California Medical Cannabis Practitioner Certificate Course

Course length:  Fifteen (15) hours of course taught one-on-one, LIVE, on-line.

Course Format:  The Course consists of five (5) Sessions.  Each Session is three (3) hours.

Method of Instruction:  Course participants schedule their training on-line sessions with the Lead Instructor.  Participants are required to complete the 15-hour Course within two (2) weeks after registration.

Prerequisites:  No prerequisites.  All participants must be 21 yar of age at the time of enrollment.  The Course is designed for health care providers (nurses, physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, pharmacists, caregivers) who want to learn the knowledge and services needed to guide patients in the safe, effective, and informed use of cannabis as a medicinal treatment option.

Instructor Information

Instructor:  The Course is taught by Liz McDuffie, founder of the Medical Cannabis Caregivers, Liz has over 15 years of experience as a Medical Cannabis Practitioner.  Liz serves on the Advisory Board for the first federally funded study on cannabis, titled “Cannabis Health Among Young Adults in Los Angeles County”, and teaches California’s medical cannabis regulations under the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Continuing Education Program for residential care facility licensees.

Course purpose and objectives:

The purpose of the Course is to train health care providers to provide the information and support services a patient needs to know before using cannabis to treat a medical condition.

 Learning Outcomes

A.  Participants will gain the knowledge and experience that is needed to assist patients in the effective use of cannabis to           treat a medical condition.

B.  Participants will learn the regulatory limits on services provided by a Medical Cannabis Practitioner

C.  Participants will understand how

D.  Participants will have hands-on experience in patient consultation and the collection of data on patient outcomes.

E.  Participants will learn how to start and expand their Practitioner services for medical cannabis patients

Module overview:

MODULE I

I.  Cannabis as a Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)  —  The National Institute of Health (NIH) recognizes cannabis as a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) / California state SB 577 regulations recognize individuals who provide CAM products and services as “complementary and alternative medicine Practitioners” 

II.  State Regulations for Medicinal Use of Cannabis  —  Possession / workplace / DUI / federal law / product sources / tax exemption

III.  Physician Approval for the Medicinal Use of Cannabis  —  DPH Approval Form / renewal / online approval / benefits

MODULE II

VI.  Department of Public Health (DPH) Medical Marijuana Patient ID Card Program  —  Benefits

V.  Liability Protection: SB 577 Disclosure Statement  —  Review and discussion

VI.  Patient Intake Questionnaire  —  Review and discussion, HIPAA Compliance

MODULE III

VII.  Endo-cannabinoid System (ECS)  —  Role of the ECS / ECS receptors for cannabinoids in cannabis 

VIII.  Therapeutic Properties and Differences between THC and CBD  —  Discussion of the differences between THC and CBD in treating a medical condition   

IX.  Determining the Optimum Formula  —  CBD to THC ratios / the carrier / other active ingredients / co-morbidity

MODULE IV

X.  Form of Ingestion  —  Discussion of forms of ingestion / onset / duration / bioavailability / Nano products / inhalation (smoking, vaping) / oral (edible, capsule, tincture) / sublingual, transdermal, suppository and topical

XI.  Dosage  —  Titration / treating an overdose / common side effects / drug interactions / storage

XII.  Product Evaluation  —  Labeling / full-spectrum vs isolate products / extraction methods / testing information / chemovars and cannabinoid profile / sources of product / licensed vs. legacy product market 

MODULE V

XIII.  Clinical Training  —  Four (4) hours of supervised clinical training in providing services as a Medical Cannabis Practitioner

XIV.Collecting Patient Data on Outcomes  —  Use of Survey Monkey, or SquareUp and JotForm for on-line collection of patient data and outcomes, HIPAA Compliance

XV.  Establishing a Medical Cannabis Patient Base  —  Demonstration on how to build a patient base through License Residential Care Facilities and Cancer Support Groups 

Grading policy:  In order to pass this Course, each participant must score at least 175 of the possible 250 points to pass this Course.  Assignments, test your knowledge quizzes and end of module quizzes all make up grading points.  Students are evaluated by overall points scored.

Required texts, supplemental readings, and materials:  All required reading material are included, digitally linked and require no additional investment.

Learning Resources: Subject matter is drawn from a wide variety of private, government and private foundation research and is indexed in Bibliography

Course Fee:   $499  —  Participants may elect to pay Course fee in two (2) payments, $250 at registration and $249 in 30 days.

Refund:   —  Full refund on request

Certification  —  A Practitioner Course Certification is issued to participants who complete the Course.

To Register  —  Please complete the Registration Form shown below the Course description.  You will be contacted within 24-hours to confirm and complete the registration.

Bibliography

Foundational Texts

• Bordowitz, J., & Wilson, M. (2008). Dying to Get High: Marijuana as Medicine. New York University Press.A compelling ethnographic account of the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana, exploring social justice, patient care, and community healing within the medical cannabis movement.

• Russo, E. B. (2018). Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutic Potential.A comprehensive scientific reference by neurologist and cannabinoid researcher Dr. Ethan B. Russo, offering key insights into the endocannabinoid system and therapeutic applications of cannabis.

• Herer, J. (1990). The Emperor Wears No Clothes: The Authoritative Historical Record of Cannabis and the Conspiracy Against Marijuana. AH HA Publishing. The classic historical and political work documenting hemp’s industrial uses and the prohibition movement, essential for understanding the evolution of cannabis laws and policy.

• Short, D. J. (2004). Cultivating Exceptional Cannabis: An Expert Breeder Shares His Secrets. Quick American Archives.  A foundational cultivation guide explaining genetic selection, breeding techniques, and sustainable growing practices.
• Jeffrey’s Journey: A Father’s Story of His Son’s Struggle with Autism and the Miraculous Power of Medical Marijuana. (2015). Mind Books.  A personal case study illustrating compassionate use of medical cannabis for autism spectrum disorder and highlighting family-centered care.

Current Scientific Studies & Institutional Resources

• Ageze, D., et al. (2025). Medicinal and combined medicinal/recreational cannabis use patterns in California post-Prop 64. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-025-00285-9.  A 2025 study of over 4,000 current cannabis users in California, identifying differences between medicinal-only and dual-use populations; pain management was the predominant reason for use.

• Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California, San Diego. (n.d.). Current Studies. Retrieved October 11, 2025, from https://clinicaltrials.ucsd.edu/cannabis. The UC San Diego CMCR maintains one of the nation’s most advanced cannabis research programs, studying cannabinoid pharmacology, cognition, inflammation, and therapeutic outcomes.

• Mayo Clinic. (2024, September). Marijuana – What the Research Says. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/marijuana/art-20364974. Mayo Clinic’s balanced overview summarizing the current state of evidence regarding the medical benefits and risks of cannabis and cannabinoid products.

Legal and Regulatory References

• Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA). Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 26000–26231 (2017). Retrieved from https://cannabis.ca.gov/cannabis-laws/laws-and-regulations/.  California’s unified framework for the cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, sale, and testing of medicinal and adult-use cannabis, implemented January 1, 2018.