Though Marijuana (Cannabis) has exponentially increased in popularity in the last decade, it is still illegal to consume in the United States. Federal laws don’t allow you to ingest this botanical anywhere within the country’s premises. However, taking a look at the medical benefits of Marijuana, some states have legalized its medical use with some restrictions.
A medical marijuana card is a state-approved tool to use Marijuana for various medicinal purposes. Are you wondering whether or not you can use this card across the country to benefit from medical Marijuana? Keep reading this guide.
Why Apply for a Medical Marijuana Card?
Do you live in a state with a medical Marijuana program that doesn’t allow you to use weed for recreational purposes? If yes, getting your medical marijuana card is beneficial in various ways. First, this card provides legal protection and allows you to purchase lab-tested weed from nearby dispensaries. Certified medical dispensaries always offer Marijuana free from pesticides, mold, or other harmful substances.
With the medical card, you get access to a huge assortment of Marijuana products that come with proper labeling, mentioning the amount of CBD, THC, or other cannabinoids utilized. The product labels help measure the amount you should take to eliminate medical discomforts like cancer, hepatitis C, chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, or others.
How about the states that allow the recreational use of Marijuana? Should you get a medical weed card in such regions? There are a couple of debates in this regard.
Are you suffering from a disease that can be healed with Marijuana? In that case, if you are above 21 years of age and live in a state where you can use Cannabis for recreational purposes, you can directly go to a Marijuana store to purchase the desired amount of this botanical without a medical card.
Apart from that, some more benefits of getting a medical marijuana card are listed below.
- You can purchase strains with higher potency.
- As a patient, you can get advice from different medical dispensaries.
- You can buy high-quality Marijuana at affordable prices.
- As a weed card holder, you get access to delivery services.
How Can I Get a Medical Marijuana Card?
The requirements for getting this card may vary from state to state, so make sure you are well aware of the state laws you live in. However, most states have similar protocols when you apply for a medical marijuana card.
What Should I Consider Before Applying for This Weed Card?
The first thing you should remember when applying for a medical Marijuana card is the qualifying conditions list issued by the state authority. Every state lists specific medical diseases. As a patient, you must be diagnosed with state-approved medical conditions to qualify for the Cannabis card.
As soon as you become a qualified patient, make an appointment with a certified doctor to get a letter of recommendation. Got the letter? Great! Next, you should apply for the weed card by contacting the relevant state’s body. The procedure could be email-based or online. Remember, you have to pay the registration fee to activate your card.
Got the Card? How Much Marijuana Can You Buy Now?
Do you have an activated medical Marijuana card? Perfect! Now, the question coming to your mind would be: how much Cannabis can I buy with this card? Right?
The amount of weed you can legally purchase with a medical marijuana card varies from state to state. Even if you are a medical patient, you need to be careful about the amount of Marijuana you take. Some states have restricted their patients to purchase not more than a certain amount at one time.
For example, if you are a resident of Montana, you can only purchase 28.4 grams or one ounce of Marijuana at one time. In contrast, registered patients in Delaware can buy up to 170 grams or 6 ounces of weed flowers.
Similarly, some states have allowed their patients to grow a limited amount of Marijuana in their homes to meet their medical needs. At the same time, other states like New Jersey and New York don’t support the home cultivation of this botanical. So, the safest way to apply for a medical Marijuana card or grow weed at home is to go through your state laws carefully.
Medical Marijuana Reciprocity: What Is It?
Well, reciprocity is a concept that recognizes your medical marijuana card (issued by one state) in other states of the country. For instance, if you have a medical weed card issued by the state of Arkansas and use it in Montana, this is what reciprocity is. In simple words, you can say that you can use your medical Marijuana card in other states.
States that Allow Reciprocity
Below is a list of the states that recognize out-of-state medical marijuana cards.
- Washington
- Oklahoma
- New Hampshire
- Michigan
- Arkansas
- Montana
- Utah
- New Jersey
- Missouri
- Nevada
- Massachusetts
A Few States that Don’t Recognize Out-of-State Weed Cards
The states where you can’t use out-of-state medical cards include; Rhode Island, Virginia, Oregon, Mississippi, Ohio, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, New York, Hawaii, and Vermont. Some other states include; Washington, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Alaska, Colorado, and California.
States Where You Can Legally Consume Marijuana
The states where you don’t usually need to apply for a medical weed card are:
- Wyoming
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
- Indiana
- Wisconsin
- Idaho
- Nebraska
- Kansas
- South Carolina
Takeaway
The laws vary from one state to the next when it comes to applying for a medical Marijuana card. This guide has presented an in-depth discussion in this regard. Don’t forget to give it a read.
