If you remember when this was pretty much the only (legal) way to get weed, getting a medical card was a pretty big deal: you could now enter the literal forbidden garden of dispensaries on your way to your favorite fast food joint to refill your ‘prescription’.
How do you apply for a medical card?
Having a medical condition is, after all, in the name. Depending on your condition, you may be automatically qualified for a card after your evaluation. If you do not meet any of your state’s requirements, you can still obtain a medical card in a couple of ways.
It truly depends on the individual, but these variables can range from a lack of medical history due to costs or side effects to your day-to-day life is severely disrupted by whatever symptom medical marijuana can treat.
Who else is eligible for a medical card?
It’s difficult to say because marijuana laws vary from state to state, but in states like California, you probably don’t need a specific condition to get a medical card. While not technically a medical condition, general allergies or severe reactions to standard medications can still qualify for a medical marijuana card.
No condition, no issue
A handful of states ultimately leave it up to the doctor to decide whether or not the patients receive the card. As a result, it is technically possible to obtain the card without having a medical condition.
However, because those screenings are unavoidable, you must know why you require the medical card before you obtain it.
Inadequate healthcare access
What is the most common reason why people do not go to the hospital even when they are clearly sick or injured in the United States? Because healthcare is prohibitively expensive. It is an unfortunate but true reality for many people who have no medical history or evidence of the condition they may currently have.
In other words, if your doctor does not have previous medical records to confirm your illness, he or she will be in an awkward position with few options other than issuing you the card. The ethics of this approach may appear dubious, but you do not have to be embarrassed to tell your doctor that you grew up with holistic medicine, or that you could not afford health insurance for most of your life, which is a very real scenario for far more people than you will ever meet.
Side effects of conventional medicine
You can make the case that having severe reactions to traditional medications is similar to a general lack of healthcare access. Some of the side effects of opiates and other medications can be so severe that some patients will refuse treatment entirely.
But you can’t just refuse treatment, can you? You may have serious pain or ailment that requires medical attention, and if it can be treated with medicinal marijuana, this could be your path to obtaining a medical card.
In any case, it is always best to consult with a marijuana doctor, or at the very least one who is familiar enough with the medicine to know how it would specifically benefit you.
Doctors of Cannabis is an organization that provides medical cards for patients with no prescription. The procedure is straightforward and can be completed online. All you need to do is fill out an application and provide a photo ID. Once you are approved, you will be sent a medical card that you can use to obtain cannabis from a dispensary.