What Are Marijuana Medical Cards and What Do They Do?
With all of this news streaming around mainstream media about medical marijuana and marijuana medical cards, it can be tough to actually disseminate just what they are about, what they do, and how they may actually apply to you. Some people think that a marijuana medical card is just an easy ticket for people who are looking to use the drug recreational, when they are, in fact, a very strictly regulated part of a legitimate medical industry. Let’s explore just what they are, what basic rights and legal protections that they afford to card holders and how you can get one if you qualify medical cannabis.
Defining Marijuana Medical Cards
Think of these cards as state issued IDs that are very closely monitored and regulated by the Health Department in all 15 states and in DC where medical marijuana cards have been legally approved by voters. States have a need to closely track the patients, doctors and dispensaries that are a part of these “medical marijuana programs.” In order to effectively do so, they have created an ID card system, where patients who have been approved by doctors for the programs are issued state IDs that allow them to legally use the medicine and access dispensaries where they can purchase it. This helps to regulate the industry.
What Legal Protections Do Marijuana Medical Cards Offer Holders?
Provided that the card holder is holding a valid card and abiding by the medical marijuana laws in their state – which vary from state to state slightly – they are afforded protection from legal prosecution for possessing medical marijuana. Most states have even created an electronic system for law enforcement to verify that a card is valid, so that they don’t arrest a lawfully biding patient who is within their legal rights to use this natural medicine. Patients who are marijuana medical card holders can possess, transport and use – and in many cases also grow – medical cannabis for personal usage; or their caregivers who possess a card are afforded similar legal rights and protections, too.
Getting a Marijuana Medical Card & Why It’s Important
How can I get a medical marijuana card-If you are suffering from an illness that has associated chronic symptoms, medical cannabis may offer the relief that you seek. The only way to know for sure if it is an option is by seeing a qualified doctor and being evaluated today. Only a doctor who is licensed in your state can recommend you for marijuana medical cards. The only way to legally use this medicine is by holding a valid card in your state.