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Everything You Need to Know About Getting a Medical Marijuanas Card in WV

how to get a medical marijuanas card in wv

With a steadily increasing public understanding of medical marijuana throughout the US, more and more states, including West Virginia, have developed various systems that assist patients who apply for this form of treatment. The process for getting a medical card for people from West Virginia is going to be quite simple for the most part. Here, you will find everything related to how easy it is to get a medical card in WV:

Step 1: Identify if You Are Eligible

The first thing a West Virginia patient must do to apply for a medical marijuana card is to establish his or her eligibility. It is important to note that the state has certain outlined conditions that someone has to meet so as to qualify for the medical card. These conditions include, but are not limited to:

  • Cancer
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Epilepsy
  • Chronic or intractable pain
  • Neuropathies
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Crohn’s Disease

They include patients with a terminal illness, i.e., a condition with a prognosis of 12 months or less to live. For that reason, anyone suffering from one or more of these diseases has the chance to get a medical cannabis card. Again, one should understand that the list of qualifying conditions can change over time, so it will be helpful to consult the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) to see whether that list has been updated or not.

Step 2: Seeking for the Services of Certified Physician

After making this decision, the next step is to find a medical marijuana doctor who is approved to prescribe medical marijuana. It is, however, important to note that not all the doctors within the state are permitted to make such recommendations and this is perhaps why one has to involve a West Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis (OMC)-registered doctor.

In the course of the consultation with the doctor, you will disclose your medical history to the doctor when he decides if certified marijuana will help your condition. Remember, when answering questions, be ready to explain what your symptoms are and how they affect your life. If the physician thinks that you could stand to use this medicine, the doctor will issue you a written certification.

Step 3: Register with the West Virginia Medical Cannabis Program

But in order to get a license to produce medical marijuana, one needs to register with the West Virginia Medical Cannabis Program. The next thing that follows is the registration of the patient with the WVMCP with the approval of the attending physician. For this purpose, you are allowed to do so on their website.

When you register, you will need to provide the following information:

  1. Your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address
  2. A photocopy of the written certification that you got from the certified physician
  3. An affidavit of domicile must be completed by completing the West Virginia driver’s license or state ID.
  4. A passport-sized photograph
  5. Your Social Security number

All these documents have to be submitted, and after applying for the program, the application will be forwarded to the Office of Medical Cannabis.

Step 4: Pay the Application Fee

The candidate has to pay the fee for the application form either through a credit card, debit card, or net banking. Apart from submitting the application, there is an application fee that you will be required to pay. For the moment, there is $50 for the application of the medical cannabis card in West Virginia.

However, there are fee reduction or full waiver options, wherein if one can prove that he or she is financially broke, then he or she can pay a reduced fee or no fee at all. This fee reflects fund processing of your application as well as card issuance.

Step 5: Wait for Approval Finally

The last thing that you have to do is wait for the approval of your write-up by the requester, in the event that the requester requests that you write on his or her behalf. After sending your application and making the payment, the next thing you will have to do is wait for your application to be considered by the authority.

It depends on the speed of the processing, but most of the patients are issued their cards within 30–60 days. If you meet the requirements of the application, you will be issued a medical card to be sent to your mailbox. This card will enable you to buy medical marijuana from a licensed store within West Virginia.

Step 6 – Go to licensed dispensary

After getting your medical cannabis card, you can buy your medication from the authorized store in West Virginia. Currently, the dispensaries in the state offer flowers, oils, tinctures, edibles, concentrates, and topicals. There are usually certain products that can be recommended by your medical doctor, depending on your condition and necessity.

How Easy is it to get a Medical Marijuana Card in WV

The procedure for getting a medical card in West Virginia is streamlined for the better experience of the patients. It is relatively easier to get started as the process can be completed in a few simple steps than in some other states. In this case, it is relatively easy to obtain a card if you can acquire a written certification from a qualified physician due to a qualifying medical condition. However, ease of access can vary depending on a few factors:

Availability of Certified Physicians:

In some of them, it may be a bit harder to locate a certified physician, especially in the rural regions of the state. This can make it difficult for the patients to get the certification they require.

Medical Condition Requirements:

In this case, you have to meet one of the qualifying conditions so that you can apply for the medical cannabis card. If your condition is not on the list below, then you may not apply for a card.

Processing Time:

Though most of the patients get their cards within 30 to 60 days, it could take more time due to other reasons like the influx of applications and so many others. Overall, as long as someone qualifies for the medical marijuana purchase, and there is a certified physician, it is easy for the license to be issued.

How Much Does a Medical Marijuana Card Cost in West Virginia?

The cost of obtaining a medical marijuana card in West Virginia includes a few different components:

Physician Consultation Fee:

It can cost you a different price depending on the certified physician you consult and the nature of your case. The cost of consultation is normally within the range of $200 of the consultant’s fee. Some doctors may also give some discounts on their fees, especially to veterans or those with low incomes.

Application Fee:

The application fee is $50 and belongs to the West Virginia Medical Cannabis Program. It should, however, be noted that this fee can be negotiated down or even waived depending on the financial status of the client, as earlier noted.

Dispensary Costs:

After getting your medical card, the price at which you will have to pay for medical marijuana will be determined by the type of marijuana products that you will buy and the kind of medical dispensary that you will visit. Sometimes marijuana prices can differ, and for the most part, people with a medical marijuana card can get a variety of products at reasonable prices.

One should look at these costs while planning to get a medical card. There are initial costs, which patients mention, but, in general, there are never any problems for people having legal access to medical marijuana.

Conclusion

It is quite easy to get a medical marijuana card in West Virginia if you have a qualifying medical condition and if you have the privilege to see a certified physician. In this guide, the steps to go through for one to be approved for medical cannabis have been detailed so that the process does not have to be stressful.

This shall involve charges for consultation, fees charged for the application for the medical card, as well as the expenses incurred while obtaining the marijuana products from dispensaries. Still, many patients believe that the advantages of owning a medical cannabis card, including legal safeguards and the possibility of getting registered with a broader choice of therapies, outweigh the costs.

If you are thinking of applying for a medical card in West Virginia, it is a good time to begin the process. As long as the application process is not very complicated and state laws are rather favorable, everyone can start the path to a healthier life with the use of medical cannabis.