Whether or not you have a qualifying condition, there are plenty of advantages to having a medical marijuana card. Even in states with legal recreational cannabis, getting a card still makes sense for many reasons.
Patients with a medical marijuana certificate can get cannabis products to reduce symptoms and enhance their quality of life. There are several steps to obtain a card: health evaluation, physician recommendation, registration, application, and fees.
If you have a medical marijuana card, you can visit dispensaries that offer high-quality, medical-grade cannabis. In addition, you’ll be able to grow your plants at home for your use. Again, the specific rules vary by state, but most allow for a maximum of one or two plants per patient.
Medical marijuana is available to patients with 15 qualifying conditions. Medical cannabis is a prescription drug that can only be consumed in capsules, gels, oils, tinctures, and suppositories.
Medical Evaluation
Alabama has not yet made medical marijuana products available for sale. When it does, approved patients can purchase cannabis tablets, capsules, tinctures, and gel cubes for oral use; oils, topical creams, transdermal patches, nebulizers, and liquids for a vaporizer; and medical marijuana flower. A patient’s daily dosage will be limited to 75 milligrams of THC.
To qualify for a medical marijuana card in Alabama, a medical professional must approve your symptoms. This appointment will include a consultation, examination, and discussion of your medical history. It will not last more than 15 minutes.
Medical marijuana can treat pain and reduce muscle spasms and spasticity from conditions like multiple sclerosis. It also helps improve appetite, often affected by cancer treatments, AIDS, and other diseases. In addition, it can help reduce anxiety and depression symptoms resulting from PTSD.
Physician Recommendation
A patient who wants to consume medicinal marijuana must be a resident of the state in which they are applying for the card and must also meet one or more criteria. They must have a doctor who can write a physician recommendation for cannabis.
According to the present law, the doctor must confirm that the patient has a qualifying disease and that traditional therapy and therapies have failed. Additionally, the doctor must have an ongoing relationship with the patient.
Unlike most states, Alabama will not allow doctors to prescribe marijuana itself but rather only a cannabidiol derivative of the plant that has no psychoactive properties, such as THC. Also, a physician can only recommend that a patient use up to 75 milligrams daily.
Patients may be able to schedule a physician appointment via telemedicine, but only if the provider is certified as a qualified practitioner by the state.
Registration
The state’s authorized shops sell marijuana goods if you are granted a medicinal marijuana card.
The law says that a doctor who evaluates you must verify that you have one of the 16 qualifying conditions and determine that conventional treatment has failed to help you. It also states that you can have a caregiver who assists you with your therapy. The law doesn’t say whether the caregiver must be a family member, but most patients choose friends.
Medical marijuana isn’t legal in all workplaces, so be prepared to face some challenges at work. It’s essential to know your rights and ask a lawyer about the laws in your area.
Application
One of the qualifying conditions must be present, and an appointment with a doctor is required before a patient may be given a medicinal marijuana card. The doctor must verify the medical condition and determine that traditional therapies have failed to help.
The law states that patients must recertify annually with their physician and pay a renewal fee.
Renewal
With the state’s medical marijuana program still in development, many details of how residents will get cards aren’t known. However, the qualifying patients must be 19 or older and have a registered physician who recommends cannabis treatment. They must also provide a written “attestation” from their physician that they’ve received risks and benefits education, tried other therapies, and will comply with the Alabama Medical Cannabis Act.
Caregivers must also submit a government-issued ID, a recent color photograph, and a written “attestation” from their registered certifying physician that they’ve received risks and benefits training, obtained the patient’s consent for treatment, and agree to comply with state requirements. Once registered, patients will receive a physical or digital card via mail or online.
Fees
A medical marijuana cardholder can buy up to a 60-day supply of cannabis from a dispensary. The daily dosage isn’t supposed to exceed 50 milligrams of THC. Patients can also access cannabis-infused pills, capsules, tinctures, and oils. However, smokable marijuana will be off-limits.
Physicians must certify that a patient has tried other pain management treatments before prescribing cannabis. Those under 19 can receive cannabis treatment but must have a registered caregiver with them. Caregivers must submit written attestations and a government ID before being granted a card by the Commission.
The doctor’s payment is due at the time of the consultation, while the state fees are owed when applying for a patient or caregiver card. Both physicians and patients will have to pay registration and card renewal fees.