How To: Legally Obtain A Medical Marijuana Recommendation

Always wondered how to get a medical marijuana card?

Watch this video, super informative and valid for all states that currently approve marijuana.

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Medical Marijuana Program Goes Forward In D.C.; Feds Watching

Photo: Medicinal DC

​The District of Columbia passed its first milestone in selecting who gets the much-coveted licenses for the city’s medical marijuana program, even as the federal government is taking a second look at its hands-off approach to those who legally grow and sell cannabis under laws allowing its medicinal use.

More than 80 individuals or businesses applied to cultivate or sell medical marijuana through letters of intent submitted to the Department of Health, reports Tom Howell Jr. at The Washington Times. The applicants range from entrepreneurial lawyers and gardeners in D.C., to medical marijuana professionals based in states like Colorado and Montana.

The city is expected to soon kick off its long-awaited program — put on hold by Congress 11 years ago — in earnest, joining 16 states in legalizing the medicinal use of marijuana for qualified patients.

Photo: The Georgetowner

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray has approved final regulations for medical marijuana in the District of Columbia.

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Democratic Mayor Vincent S. Gray and other D.C. officials were particularly worried about federal interference in their medical marijuana plans, because the District’s laws are subject to Congressional approval and marijuana is still illegal for any purpose under federal law.

A 2009 memo, issued by U.S. Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden, reminded federal prosecutors that “no state can authorize violations of federal law” while at the same time advising U.S. Attorneys not to target patients and caregivers acting in compliance “with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana.”

Federal prosecutors for the first two years of the Obama Administration mostly looked the other way in states that had legalized medical marijuana, but a letter from the Department of Justice to U.S. Attorneys across the country last week seemed to signal that law enforcement still plans to go after those who cultivate or sell cannabis, according to a D.C. government source.

The U.S. Attorney for D.C. has not issued any such threatening letters so far, and is “studying the issue to see what input we can provide on the subject,” said Bill Miller, spokesman for U.S. Attorney Ron Machen.

A Congressional rider known as the Barr Amendment had banned D.C. from implementing a medical marijuana program since 1998, when an overwhelming 69 percent of District voters approved legalizing medicinal cannabis there.

The Barr Amendment was finally lifted in 2009, clearing the way for medical marijuana in D.C.

The mayor issued rules in April requiring persons who want to cultivate or sell medical marijuana in the District to send notification by June 17 to the Health Regulation and Licensing Administration, a branch of the city’s health department, ahead of a more formal application.

A host of applicants is vying for the permits for 10 cultivation centers and five dispensaries.

A Freedom Of Information Act request response showed 82 separate applicants for the program, many of them asking for permits to both grow and sell marijuana.

A majority of them — 47 — listed mailing addresses in D.C. in their letters to the health department. Other applicants were from Maryland (18), Virginia (7), New York (3), New Jersey (2), and one each from California, Colorado and Montana.

A few of the out-of-state applicants boasted experience in medical marijuana in states where it is already legal. The health department could not be reached for comment on whether experienced growers and sellers from medical marijuana states would gain preference over applicants originating in D.C.

A panel of five members — one each from the Department of Health, Metropolitan Police Department, Office of the Attorney General, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, and a consumer or patient advocate — will score each of the eventual applications based on a 250-point scale examining criteria such as security and staffing at facilities, overall business plans and the opinions of local Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.

Beyond community approval, marijuana cultivation centers will be tightly regulated on size, a strict 95-plant limit, staffing, lighting and buffer zones between growing centers and schools.

Applicants must be at least 21 years old and may not have been convicted of any felonies or misdemeanor drug crimes.

How To: Get A Medical Marijuana Card In Washington D.C.

Amendment Act B18-622 was approved in a unanimous vote by the Council of the District of Columbia on May 4,2010; the act, which went into effect on July 27, 2010, removed state-level criminal penalties on the use and possession of medical marijuana by qualifying patients. Eligible patients are required to register with the medical marijuana program to obtain a medical marijuana card. The DC law prohibits home cultivation of cannabis and patients are required to obtain their supplies from DC-monitored dispensaries.

However, there has to date been little progress in the establishment of a medical marijuana program in the District of Columbia and it is unlikely that medical marijuana will be available to eligible patients before 2012. We will, of course, keep you updated.

In the meantime, we summarise the important points below.

Washington DC Medical Marijuana – Eligible medical conditions

• HIV/AIDS
• Glaucoma
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Cancer
• Chronic renal failure

Any other condition, as determined by rulemaking, that is:

• Chronic or long-lasting
• Debilitating
• Interferes with basic functions of life
• Is a serious medical condition for which the use of medical marijuana is beneficial
• Cannot be effectively treated by any ordinary medical or surgical measure
• For which there is scientific evidence that the use of medical marijuana is likely to be significantly less addictive than the ordinary medical treatment for that condition

You may also qualify as a medical marijuana patient if you undergo any of the following treatments:

• Chemotherapy
• The use of azidothymidine or protease inhibitors
• Radiotherapy
• Any other treatment, as determined by rulemaking, whose side effects require treatment through the administration of medical marijuana in the same manner as a qualifying medical condition

Washington DC Medical Marijuana – How to Become a Medical Marijuana Patient (Eventually)

• To qualify as a medical marijuana patient in Washington DC, you must:
• Be a resident of Washington DC
• Have been diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition, or
• Be currently undergoing a qualifying medical treatment
• Obtain legitimate medical records or documentation from your primary care physician describing their diagnosis
• Obtain an authenticated written documentation from a Washington DC licensed physician stating that you might benefit from the use of medical marijuana
• Must have a bona fide relationship with the physician
• Register with the Washington DC medical marijuana program
• Obtain a Medical Marijuana card

Washington DC Medical Marijuana – Access to Marijuana and Allowed Amounts

When the program is finally up and running and you have obtained your card you will be required to purchase your cannabis from a District of Columbia registered dispensary. You will be allowed to possess up to two ounces of dried medical grade marijuana.

How To: Get A Medical Marijuana Card in Nevada

The Nevada Medical Marijuana Program was adopted by the Nevada Legislature in 2001; registration for a medical marijuana card in the state is administered by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS), State Health Division.

Registration on the Nevada Medical Marijuana program will afford you legal protection from state level criminal penalties for the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes. Nevada Medical Marijuana Law applies if you suffer from any of the following conditions:

The Nevada Medical Marijuana Program: Qualifying Conditions

• AIDS
• Cancer
• Glaucoma
• Cachexia (wasting disease)
• Persistent muscle spasms, including spasms caused by multiple sclerosis
• Seizures, including seizures caused by epilepsy
• Severe nausea
• Severe pain
• Any other medical condition or treatment for a medical condition that is: (a) Classified as a chronic or debilitating medical condition by regulation of the Division; or (b) Approved as a chronic or debilitating medical condition following an application to the DHSS

The Nevada Medical Marijuana Program: Possession

If you hold a Nevada patient ID card you may legally possess:

• 1oz of usable marijuana
• 3 mature plants
• 4 immature plants

You may designate a primary caregiver to help you cultivate and use your medicine. Patients may legally possess items, such as vaporizers and pipes, that are necessary for using cannabis.

The Nevada Medical Marijuana Program: Application Process

Requests for registration on the Nevada Medical Marijuana Program or changes to your current circumstances must be submitted in writing through the US Postal Service, UPS or FEDEX only. This also applies to changes in your current circumstances. There is no walk in service. Your written request should include the following:

• The address the form should be sent to
• If you have a caregiver, include a request for a caregiver packet
• If you are requesting an application for someone other than yourself, include that persons name and address
• If you are requesting an application for a minor, include a request for a minor release
• You will not be able to obtain a Medical Marijuana Card if you hold a Commercial Drivers License
• A registration fee of $50: your check or money order should be made payable to the Nevada State Health Division
• Mail your request to: Nevada State Health Division, 4150 Technology Way – Suite 104, Carson City, Nevada 89706

You will be sent an application form; to complete it you will need a doctor’s confirmation that you suffer from one of the conditions listed above and recommendation that marijuana will help to relieve that condition. The Division of Health will check the status of the doctor who provided the recommendation; they will also check out whether you have any past convictions for selling a controlled substance.

On approval your registry ID card will be issued at a DMV office in Las Vegas, Henderson, Reno, Elko, or Carson City.
The Nevada Medical Marijuana Program: Doctors

Any Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) licensed in Nevada can recommend a patient for Nevada’s medical marijuana program.
The Nevada Medical Marijuana Program: Caregivers

As a patient, you and your designated primary caregiver are allowed to produce marijuana. You are only allowed one primary caregiver at a time. Your caregiver must be at least 18 years old, have significant responsibility for managing your well-being, and be officially designated as your primary caregiver. If you want a designated caregiver, make sure to request a caregiver packet when you request an application from the Division of Health.
The Nevada Medical Marijuana Program: Important Information

• Nevada medical marijuana law does not protect a patient who uses their medicine while driving or operating a boat. Nor does the law allow you to medicate in any place exposed to public view
• A patient under the age of 18 must have a signed statement from his or her parent or legal guardian saying that the parent will be the patient’s designated primary caregiver and agrees to control the acquisition of medicine, the dosage, and frequency of use
• The list of patients with IDs is confidential and not subject to subpoena, discovery, or inspection by the general public
• Nevada medical marijuana law does not specifically address whether or not you can be evicted because you are a patient with an ID. Nothing in the Nevada law specifically addresses whether or not a person can be a patient and live in subsidized housing. If you live in housing funded by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Nevada law will not protect you and you may be subject to eviction because medical marijuana is not protected under federal law
• Nevada’s medical marijuana law states that no correctional facility, including a county jail, state prison, or juvenile detention center, is required to accommodate a medical marijuana patient
• Nevada does not require employers to accommodate medical marijuana use in the workplace
• Nevada does not require an insurance carrier to reimburse you for the cost of your medicine
• The Nevada Medical Marijuana Program does not offer protection from prosecution to visitors from other states. If you do not have a Nevada patient ID you will not be protected from prosecution under Nevada law
• The Nevada medical necessity defense should still apply to an out of state patient

The Nevada Medical Marijuana Program: Contact Details

• Nevada State Health Division’s medical marijuana website
• Text of Statute
• Administrative Regulations

-from medicalmarijuanablog.com

How To: Get A Medical Marijuana Card In Vermont

Jun 292011

Vermont General Assembly legalized marijuana for medical use in 2004 when they passed S. 76, An Act Relating to Marijuana Use by Persons with Severe Illness. The law calls for the creation of a registry of eligible individuals.

Vermont Medical Marijuana Law: Eligible medical conditions

• Cancer
• Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
• Positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• the treatment of these conditions if the disease or the treatment results in severe, persistent, and intractable symptoms

Or a disease, medical condition, or its treatment that is chronic, debilitating and produces severe, persistent, and one or more of the following intractable symptoms:

• Cachexia (wasting syndrome)
• Severe pain
• Nausea
• Seizures

Vermont Medical Marijuana Law: Registered Caregiver

Registered medical marijuana patients may choose a person, who must be at least 21 years old, to take responsibility for managing their (the patient’s) well being with respect to marijuana use. This Registered Caregiver must not have any history of being convicted of a drug related crime.

A registered caregiver agrees to undertake the responsibility of managing the well-being of a registered patient with respect to the use of “marijuana for symptom relief.” The use of “marijuana for symptom relief” means:

• Acquisition
• Possession
• Cultivation
• Use
• Transfer
• Transportation

of marijuana or paraphernalia relating to the administration of marijuana to alleviate the symptoms or effects of a registered patient’s debilitating medical condition which is in compliance with 18 V.S.A. Chapter 8. The definition of “transfer” is limited to the transfer of marijuana between the registered caregiver and the registered patient.

The nominated caregiver will need to complete and submit the Marijuana Caregiver Application Form, which includes a section authorizing the release of your criminal records. The completed and notarised form should be mailed, together with:

 

• A digital photograph (Make sure that your digital photograph is taken using .jpg format and have it copied to a floppy disk or CD. Label the disk or CD with your name and date of birth)
• A check or money order for $50 (non-refundable) made payable to the Department of Public Safety. The Registry cannot accept cash, credit cards, or instalment payments
• Mail the application package to:
  • Marijuana Registry, Department of Public Safety, 103 South Main Street, Waterbury, Vermont 05671

Vermont Medical Marijuana Law: Medical Marijuana Patient Registration

In order to become a “registered patient” with the Vermont Marijuana Registry you must

• Complete the Registered Patient Application Form
• Ask your doctor to sign and complete the Physicians Medical Verification Form. The doctor must be licensed to practice in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts or New York in order to complete the form
• When all sections of the form are completed you will need to have it notarized.
• Enclose with the form:
  • A digital photograph (Make sure that your digital photograph is taken using .jpg format and have it copied to a floppy disk or CD. Label the disk or CD with your name and date of birth)
    
  • A check or money order for $50 (non-refundable) made payable to the Department of Public Safety. The Registry cannot accept cash, credit cards, or instalment payments
    
• Mail the application package to:
  • Marijuana Registry, Department of Public Safety, 103 South Main Street, Waterbury, Vermont 05671

The Registry will process your application within 30 days after your application is complete. If your application is approved you will be notified in writing and receive a Marijuana Registry Identification Card. If your application is denied you will be notified in writing and be advised of your right to appeal the denial.

Registrations are issued for one year and are renewable. A new application packet (forms, fee and photo) must be submitted for each renewal request. The Registry will notify you when it’s time to renew your registration.

Vermont Medical Marijuana Law: Medical Marijuana Allowable Amounts

The amount of marijuana that may be collectively possessed between the registered caregiver and the registered patient is limited to no more than:

• two mature marijuana plants
• seven immature plants
• two ounces of usable marijuana

A marijuana plant shall be considered mature when male or female flower buds are readily observed on the plant by unaided visual examination. Until this sexual differentiation has taken place, a marijuana plant will be considered immature.

Marijuana may only be grown in a single “secure indoor facility.” This is a building or room equipped with locks or other security devices that permit access only by the registered patient or the caregiver. The location of this secure indoor facility must be specified in your application.

You may only legally use marijuana for purposes of symptom relief within the state of Vermont. You may not use marijuana in public, while operating a motorized vehicle, in a workplace, while operating heavy machinery or handling a dangerous instrumentality or in a manner that endangers the health or well-being of another person.

From the medicalmarijuanablog.com

How To: Get A Medical Marijuana Card in Washington State

You do not need to carry a medical marijuana card to legally use medical marijuana in the state of Washington. If you are a qualifying patient, all you need is a written recommendation from your health provider.  If you have been told by a clinic that you must purchase a card or permit from them – this is not true.  There are groups or clinics in Washington that may charge a fee for you to see a doctor, but you are not required to visit a certain clinic or join an organization to get a medical marijuana recommendation from a health care provider.

Medical Marijuana Use in Washington State: Qualifying medical conditions

• Cancer
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
• Multiple sclerosis
• Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
• Spasticity disorders
• Intractable pain, (that is pain unrelieved by standard medical treatments and medications)
• Glaucoma, either acute or chronic (increased intraocular pressure unrelieved by standard treatments and medications)
• Crohn’s disease with debilitating symptoms unrelieved by standard treatments or medications
• Hepatitis C with debilitating nausea or intractable pain unrelieved by standard treatments or medications
• Diseases, including anorexia, resulting in the following symptoms which are unrelieved by standard treatments or medications:
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Wasting
  • Appetite loss
  • Cramping
  • Seizures
  • Muscle spasms
  • Spasticity
  • Any other medical condition duly approved by the Washington state medical quality assurance commission in consultation with the board of osteopathic medicine and surgery.

Anyone may petition the commission to add a condition to the list. By law, the commission will consult with the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery. For more information about this process, you may contact the commission at: Medical Quality Assurance Commission, PO Box 47866, Olympia WA 98504-7866

Medical Marijuana Use in Washington State: Authorized Health Care Providers

The following providers may recommend marijuana:

• Medical Doctors (MDs)
• Physician Assistants (PAs)
• Osteopathic Physicians (DOs)
• Osteopathic Physician Assistants (OA)
• Naturopathic Physicians (ND)
• Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs)

Health care providers licensed in another state may not recommend marijuana; the law says the health care provider must be licensed in Washington.  The Department of Health does not keep information on health providers who are known to recommend marijuana as a medication.

Medical Marijuana Use in Washington State: Valid Written Recommendation

Beginning June 10, 2010, a recommendation must be written on tamper-resistant paper. It must also include an original signature by the health care provider, a date, and a statement that says in the health care provider’s professional opinion the patient may benefit from the medical use of marijuana. The 2010 law change also prohibits the use of a copy of the patient’s medical records in lieu of a recommendation.

Medical Marijuana Use in Washington State: Obtaining Marijuana

The law does not allow dispensaries, neither does it allow for the buying or selling of cannabis. Washington State law does allow a qualifying patient or designated provider to grow medical marijuana.

• A qualifying patient and a designated provider may possess a total of no more than twenty-four ounces of useable marijuana, and no more than fifteen plants.
• Useable marijuana” means the dried leaves and flowers of the Cannabis plant family Moraceae. Useable marijuana excludes stems, stalks, seeds and roots.
• Plant” means any marijuana plant in any stage of growth
• The given amounts represent the total amount of marijuana that may be held between both patient and designated provider
• A designated provider must be at least 18 years old and must be designated in writing by the qualifying patient
• A designated provider can only be a provider for one patient at any one time
• The law does not say that a patient may or may not also be a designated provider
• It does say that a designated provider may not consume a qualifying patient’s medical marijuana

Medical Marijuana Use in Washington State: Designated Provider

• A designated provider must be at least 18 years old and must be designated in writing by the qualifying patient
• A designated provider can only be a provider for one patient at any one time
• The law does not say that a patient may or may not also be a designated provider
• It does say that a designated provider may not consume a qualifying patient’s medical marijuana

Medical Marijuana Use Outside of Washington State

Some states may allow you to use your recommendation from Washington when traveling. You must comply with the laws in the other state. Doctor recommendations, ID cards, and other documentation from other states are not legal in Washington.

Medical Marijuana Use in Washington State: Useful Contacts

• American Civil Liberties Union
• Human Rights Commission
• All state laws are on the Washington State Legislative Web page

From medicalmarijuanablog.com