As we get more of a scientific understanding of how beneficial marijuana can be in a medical context, more and more states are starting to legalize it. If you’re interested in getting a med card in Maryland, there are a number of steps that you’ll need to take, even though the Maryland process is less restrictive than that of some other states. Here’s everything you need to do if you want to get a medical marijuana card in Maryland.
1. Have a Qualifying Diagnosis
The first step to the medical marijuana process in most states is to have a qualifying diagnosis. The list of qualifying diagnoses may vary, but in Maryland, this is the stated list of qualifying diagnoses for medical marijuana:
- Cachexia
- Anorexia
- Wasting Syndrome
- Severe or chronic pain or nausea
- Seizure disorders or severe muscle spasms
- Glaucoma
- PTSD
However, even if you don’t have one of these illnesses, you may still be able to qualify for medical marijuana. The medical marijuana legislation in Maryland states that a doctor can recommend marijuana for “another chronic medical condition which is severe and for which other treatments have been ineffective.”
2. Make an Account With the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission
The next step is to make an account with the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, or MMCC. When you sign up, you’ll receive a profile ID; you don’t need to provide any specifics of your illness or your qualifications for medical marijuana in order to sign up. You simply need an email account, your full Social Security Number, an electronic copy of a government-issued photo ID, and proof that you live in Maryland.
3. Find a Doctor Certified to Provide Recommendations
Next, you’ll find a doctor that is certified to provide medical marijuana recommendations. In Maryland, only certain doctors are allowed to provide recommendations for medical marijuana, but the process is fairly simple. Many doctors in Maryland are certified to provide medical marijuana recommendations, but you need to make sure that yours is.
4. Get Your Recommendation and Submit Your Medical Marijuana Request
Once you find the right doctor, you’ll set up a meeting with them to receive your recommendation. Talk to the doctor to find out the exact process, as well as anything else you need to know about it. The doctor will submit your recommendation directly to the MMCC using your profile ID. Then, you can fill out the rest of your profile and submit your request to be certified for medical marijuana use.
Conclusion
In Maryland, the process to get medical marijuana is simpler than in many other states. This means that you may be able to get medical marijuana certification more easily in Maryland than you would in some states. If you have a serious medical condition that you feel like marijuana would benefit, you can talk to your doctor about getting certified for medical marijuana. This way, you’ll gain access to a new method of potentially managing your symptoms.