As long as your home state has legalized medical marijuana, you may be eligible for receiving a medical marijuana card if you suffer from certain conditions.
Here’s your primer for how to go about getting your card.
Qualifying Conditions
Before going through the process, it’s important to be aware of which conditions are typically permittable for medical cannabis. Although it varies from state to state, here are some typical conditions that are considered eligible for medicinal marijuana across the country:
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease
- Anorexia
- Cancer
- Chronic pain
- Crohn’s disease
- Epilepsy and seizures
- Fibromyalgia
- Glaucoma
- HIV and AIDS
- Migraines
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Parkinson’s disease
- Severe nausea
Depending on your state, your primary care physician might recommend trying medical marijuana if you have chronic symptoms that impact your quality of life.
Getting your card
After doing your own research about if medical marijuana is the right option for you, the next step involves talking with your primary care physician. He or she will determine if the best option for you is medicinal marijuana. Once you have received your doctor’s written approval, it’s time to move into your state’s medical marijuana registry.
This process varies state to state, but many of these registries can be completed online. A major piece of the process includes providing proof that your primary care physician has approved medical marijuana to help with your condition’s treatment.
For the states that ask for you to register online, you will likely create an account within the state government’s website and the process will all be completed virtually, including submitting your application and doctor’s approval online. If a caregiver is helping you with the registry process, that person will also need to add their information within your application.
There’s typically a minimal fee for receiving your medicinal marijuana card. Most states allow for payment online. Once your card arrives in the mail or digitally, you can now visit a dispensary in your area.
For Missouri residents
Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services division outlines the application process, how to submit, what forms you will need, and any other tutorial guides you may need at health.mo.gov.
For Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority features their process and all application information at Oklahoma.gov/omma.html. This includes a quick links section that provides all information needed for the application process