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.
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.