A Comprehensive Guide To Applying For a Virginia Medical Marijuana Card in 2023?

A medical marijuana card is the best legal way to purchase marijuana for medical purposes. In Virginia, where weed is legal for recreational and medical use, the government still orders the patients to hold an MMJ card. Thus, it is advisable to claim a medical cannabis card according to Virginia registration guidelines. Here is a guide on VA Medical Marijuana Card.

How To Get an MMJ Card in Virginia?

1. Register and Schedule an appointment

The first step is to contact a Virginia state-approved medical healthcare professional. Individuals must complete an online evaluation form for this. Complete the form and then submit it online.

2. Medical Assessment

The patient and the healthcare professional will meet via video conference when you submit the form. The doctor assesses the patient’s health throughout this session. Additionally, the doctor is now reviewing the patient’s previous medical records. The doctor completes a recommendation form if they are convinced.

3. Acquiring Your Medical Marijuana Card

After receiving the suggestion, people must register with the state. A notice sent to your registered email will contain the details of approval or denial.

Within 48 hours of receiving approval, patients also receive a temporary medical marijuana card. People can utilize it efficiently until they acquire a permanent medical cannabis card they receive a permanent mmj card.

The state has made it easier for patients to register as of 2021. So, a card is no longer required, and the only method to get medicinal marijuana now is with a letter of recommendation. The decision to apply for a card is up to the patient. But to avoid consequences, it is good to possess a VA MMJ card.

How to Qualify?

The following is a list of rudimentary qualifications.

• Having adult supervision or being older than 18 is required.
• Being a Virginian citizen.
• Be determined to have one or more of the state-listed qualifying medical conditions.
• Possess a valid letter of recommendation from a doctor with proper credentials.

Qualifying Medical Conditions

The decision to allow medicinal marijuana use by their patients is entirely up to the doctor. So, the following is a list of some of the ailments that marijuana frequently treats.

• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
• Anxiety
• Autism
• Cachexia and wasting syndrome
• Cancer
• Crohn’s Disease
• Back Pain
• Epilepsy and other seizure disorders
• Fibromyalgia
• Glaucoma
• Hepatitis C
• Huntington’s Disease
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Sickle Cell Anemia
• Tourette’s Syndrome

All About Medical Marijuana in Virginia

The first medical cannabis dispensary opened in August 2020, and a small amount of marijuana for adult recreational use became legal in July 2021.
The 2021 legislation empowered the Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) to undertake initiatives and promulgate regulations on various public safety and health aspects of medical cannabis. CCA is the principal source of government expertise on cannabis and grants it broad authority to develop, issue, and enforce rules related to cannabis in Virginia.

Benefits of Getting a Virginia Medical Card

• Taxation: Virginia patients require a 5.30% sales tax on every purchase of medical marijuana. But, there is no additional excise tax on medical marijuana in Virginia.
• Legal Exemption: For Medical Marijuana cardholders, there is always an invisible shield protecting them from harsh legal penalties. Possession, consumption, and cultivation laws are lenient.
• Quantity: Recreational availability of marijuana is fewer, which is nowhere near sufficient compared to medical recommendations.
• Quality:The potency of marijuana is quality-tested and carefully handled by the processors. Unlike recreational drugs, all medical cannabis forms are subjected to a lab check before they reach the dispensary.
• Employment: When an employee tests positive for THC during a routine drug test and has a Virginia medicinal marijuana card, it is now illegal for most Virginia employers (with some exceptions) to retaliate against them. Governor Northam recently approved this law.

Possession and Cultivation

• Patient – As long as you have a valid prescription and an MMJ card, you can possess up to a 90-day supply of per-visit medical marijuana products.
• Non-patients – If you are under 21, the state can fine you up to $25 or require you to go through a court-approved drug education or treatment program.
• The law states that each household with a member 21 years of age or older can cultivate up to 4 marijuana plants. Growing more than four plants or creating marijuana concentrates from marijuana grown at home is still unlawful.

Caregivers

A patient under 18 or with a disability can have someone as their caregiver. A parent or legal guardian is always the caretaker in this situation. They need to be residents of the state and older than 21. The procedure for registering is similar to that of a patient. A caregiver can register with the state program separately or simultaneously with their patient.

Reciprocity

Virginia doesn’t recognize other states’ mmj cards, certificates, or recommendations. However, there is a probability that the other US states where reciprocity exists may accept a Virginia medical card.