Thousands Have Applied for Medical Marijuana Card in Virginia

Virginia farms have been cultivating hemp since the 1600s. This legalization, along with other reasons, has increased the demand for medical marijuana card applications in Virginia. According to a report by CBS 6 WTVR-TV, the number of registered patients in Virginia has climbed to 33,000 since September 9, 2021.

With this number of patients, there are currently 1,000 to 1,200 people recorded who are applying for a medical marijuana card each week. This is according to a report by the same source from a spokesperson of the Board of Pharmacy.

Obtaining Medical Marijuana Legally in Virginia

Virginia became the first Southern state to legalize marijuana as of July 1, 2021. There was lengthy legislation before it came to this point. To this date, a qualified medical marijuana patient can obtain medical marijuana by:

Home cultivation

You can grow the cannabis flowers yourself at home. Those 21 or older are allowed to cultivate up to four plants per household.

State-Licensed Dispensaries

You can purchase medical marijuana products from a Virginia-licensed facility. But you will need to get a medical marijuana card first.

How to Obtain a Medical Marijuana Card in Virginia

A medical marijuana card will allow you to purchase medical marijuana products from registered dispensaries across the state.

Here are the steps to medical marijuana card application in VA:

Find a registered practitioner

The Department of Health Professions is the assigned organization that gives licenses and regulates practitioners by their professional type. Look for a practitioner who maintains current registration with the Board of Pharmacy. This is a prerequisite before the practitioner can issue written certifications for medical marijuana use.

Obtain a valid written certification

The Board of Pharmacy-registered practitioner should be able to give you a valid certification that you can possess and use medical marijuana products.

Register as a Patient, Parent, or Legal Guardian

1. Go to https: //www.license.dhp.virginia.gov/apply/. Begin the registration process. You will be asked to enter your User ID and Password of your license issued by a board of the Department of Health Professions. If you do not have another type of license, click the “Register a Person” tab and do the following:

• Enter your last name and social security number.
• Complete the login registration if you are not in the licensing system. Follow directions, including entering a User ID and Password that you will need to complete the registration as a patient, parent, or legal guardian.
• Log in

2. When you see the Welcome screen, select “Initial Application” from the left menu.

3. Follow these directions once you are on the Application for Licensure screen:

• Select “Pharmaceutical Processing-Cannabis Oil” from the “Profession” dropdown.
• If you are a patient, select “Cannabis Oil-Patient” from the License Type dropdown.
• If you are a parent or legal guardian of a patient who is a minor or incapacitated adult, select “Cannabis Oil-Parent/Guardian”
• Complete the “Registered Patient For Cannabis Oil” application if you are the patient. If you are not the patient, a parent or legal guardian should complete this form.
• Select “Initial Application”
• Click “Start Application”

4. Complete the registration process. Pay the fee: $50 for patients and $25 for parents or legal guardians.

5. Scan and email the following documents to the board as plain PDF files or as pictures at: cbd@dhp.virginia.gov:

• Written certification by a registered practitioner
• Proof of residency (government-issued ID or tax receipt) of the qualifying patient and the parent or legal guardian, when applicable
• Proof of identity of the patient or parent or legal guardian (government-issued ID)
• Proof of the patient’s age (birth certificate or government-issued ID)
• A valid Virginia Driver’s License

You may also fax or mail the above documents to the following address:

Virginia Board of Pharmacy
9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 300 Henrico, VA 23233
Fax: (804) 527-4472

Wait for Your Medical Marijuana Card

Processing your medical marijuana registration application will take 30 business days. If additional information is needed to process your application, you will receive an email regarding the details.

You will receive an email when your application is approved, and you will receive the registration card through mail at the address of record that you wrote on the application form.

It is estimated that it takes about 6 weeks for the state to review applications before they approve and send the medical marijuana card in Virginia.

The reason for the longer time for approval is because of the surge of interest, hence many applications that need to be reviewed.

Renew Annually

The Virginia Department of Health Professions mentioned that the online registration application must be renewed annually.

The Status of Medical Marijuana in Virginia

Erica Leone, the clinical director of VirginiaMarijuanaCard.com talked about how the legalization of medical marijuana has impacted their business. She said that the interest in the cannabis flower has skyrocketed and continues to do so.

She mentioned, “We see probably around 250 to 300 patients a week depending on the time of year. Over the course of our opening, we’ve seen 10,000 patients.”

According to the Board of Pharmacy, as reported by CBS 6 WTVR-TV, medical marijuana patients in Virginia were able to apply for a medical marijuana card beginning in August 2020.

Cannabis extracts began to be sold on October 14, 2020. In September 2020, a record of 4,727 medical marijuana patients was registered.

As of September 9, 2021, the number of registered medical marijuana patients has increased to 33,000.

It may be easier to get a medical marijuana card in Virginia because of the more lenient requirements in terms of qualifying.

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