Becoming a Medical Cannabis Patient | Medical Cannabis Authorization Form | Medical Cannabis Recognition Card | Medical Cannabis Products and Plants | Medical Cannabis Registry
Becoming a Medical Cannabis Patient
- How do I become a medical cannabis patient?
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Find this information on the Patient Information webpage.
- Is my healthcare practitioner required to authorize medical cannabis if I have a qualifying condition?
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No. The law permits certain health practitioners to authorize the use of cannabis but does not require them to. See RCW 69.51A.060(3).
- Are there age restrictions to becoming a medical cannabis patient?
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No. A health care practitioner may authorize the use of cannabis for any patient, regardless of age, if it is medically appropriate under the law and the profession's standard of care. See RCW 69.51A.030.
Minors (under age 18) must have a parent or legal guardian act as a designated provider and agree to the minor’s use of medical cannabis. See RCW 69.51A.220.
- How much does it cost to become a patient?
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Insurance companies are not required to cover medical cannabis, so patients are responsible for healthcare visit costs, whether or not the clinic is able to bill insurance.
Patients registered in the Medical Cannabis Registry are required to pay a minimum $1 fee for the recognition card. The law does not restrict retail stores from charging more than the $1 fee. See RCW 69.51A.230(10).
Registered patients with a recognition card must pay for products but will receive excise and sales tax exemptions if they purchase DOH medical cannabis products from a medically-endorse retailer.
- Are there programs available for patients with limited income?
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Unfortunately, there are no formal programs to assist with medical cannabis costs. However, a medically-endorsed cannabis retailer may provide cannabis at no charge at their discretion in accordance with WAC 314-55-080. Consider asking your retail store if they can assist patients with limited income.
- What is a designated provider and what are their requirements?
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A designated provider (DP) is someone 21 years or older who has agreed to be your DP or, for patients under age 18, is the patient’s parent or legal guardian. The DP may assist you with purchasing cannabis products, growing cannabis plants on your behalf, and renewing a patient card if you have a compassionate care renewal indicated on your authorization form.
DPs must have an authorization form (PDF) issued by the patient’s healthcare provider. At your appointment, please let your healthcare provider know you have a DP, as the practitioner will need to issue identical authorizations for each of you. If your DP can’t join you at your appointment, see if your healthcare provider can coordinate with your DP to provide them their authorization.
- How do I know if I am eligible to have my designated provider renew my card at the retail store on my behalf (compassionate care renewal)?
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Your health care practitioner will determine and indicate eligibility on your medical cannabis authorization form. Please note, if eligible for compassionate care renewal and you were previously registered in the patient registry, your designated provider may renew your registration and card for you, without you being physically present at the store.
- What if my health condition is so severe, I am unable to travel to a clinic or medical cannabis retailer to access medical cannabis?
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Unfortunately, the law requires you to be physical present for your first doctor visit and to get your initial recognition card from a medically endorsed cannabis store.
“Compassionate care renewal” allows your designated provider to obtain your renewal card at a medically endorsed retail store if your healthcare practitioner determines that renewing your card in person would cause you severe hardship.
After the initial in-person appointment, they may also indicate in your health record that you can renew your authorization with them using telemedicine.
- May I have a lifetime authorization if I have a terminal condition?
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Unfortunately, Washington law does not allow this. All adult patients must renew their authorization and card each year. Patients under the age of 18 must renew every six months.
- Where do I find a medical cannabis store?
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Patients may use the medically-endorsed retail store list to locate a nearby store in their area. Medically-endorsed retail stores must have a certified consultant on staff to register you and create your recognition card. They can also assist with product selection. Call the retailer ahead of time to schedule an appointment with a certified consultant.
Note: Any licensed retail store may sell medical cannabis other than products in the high-THC classification. These products may only be sold by a medically-endorsed retail store and must be purchased by a qualifying patient or designated provider who is entered in the patient registry.
- Am I required to be entered into the patient registry?
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It depends. Registration is voluntary for adult patients (age 18 and older); however, unregistered patients will not receive registration benefits, such as tax exemptions.
Patients aged 18 to 20 must register and have a recognition card to purchase products from a medically-endorsed store. These patients may not purchase cannabis from a store without a medical endorsement.
Registration is required for minor patients (under age 18) and their designated provider (parent/legal guardian).
- If I move to Washington, can I transfer my patient status?
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No. Each state has different medical cannabis regulations. When you move to Washington, you will need to follow the steps outlined on the Patient Information webpage.
Medical Cannabis Authorization Form
- What is an authorization form?
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A medical authorization form (PDF) is issued by a healthcare practitioner who is allowed to authorize the use of medical cannabis. You must have a valid authorization form to be entered into the patient registry and receive the full benefits of being a registered patient.
- What should I do with my authorization form?
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Keep your form in a safe place at home. Do not mail or fax it to the Department of Health. We don’t request, receive or retain authorization forms. With a valid authorization, an adult patient may grow up to four cannabis plants within their domicile (pending no further restrictions). If you want to enter into the patient registry, bring your authorization to the store when you are registered and get your recognition card.
- When does my authorization expire?
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Depending on your treatment plan, a medical cannabis authorization may be good for up to a year after issuance for an adult patient and up to six months after issuance for a minor qualifying patient (under age 18) - RCW 69.51A.030.
- What should I do if I lose my authorization form?
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If you lose your authorization form (authorization), you’ll need to call your issuing health care practitioner for a replacement.
Copies of an authorization are not valid. You must request another original authorization, signed by the issuing provider and printed on the required tamper-resistant paper. The practitioner may require an appointment to replace the authorization with a new one or may issue a replacement authorization with the same expiration date as the misplaced one.
Medical Cannabis Recognition Card
- What should I expect when getting a medical cannabis card?
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Once you receive a medical cannabis authorization from your health care practitioner, call a nearby medically-endorsed store and schedule an appointment with a certified consultant who will:
- Review the authorization for completeness and accuracy.
- Compare the information to your state identification.
- Take a photo of your face and designated provider (if any).
- Enter authorization form information and upload the photo into the patient registry.
- Generate, print and laminate the medical cannabis card.
- Return the authorization, identification, and medical cannabis card.
- How do I renew my medical cannabis recognition card?
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Your recognition card will have the same expiration date as your medical cannabis authorization form. To renew your card, first renew your authorization by scheduling an appointment with the issuing healthcare provider. Find your practitioner's contact information under the "Healthcare Practitioner Information" section of your form.
Once you have a renewed authorization, schedule an appointment with a certified consultant at a medically-endorsed store to get a new card.
- How do I get a replacement card if my card is lost or stolen?
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Only a certified medical cannabis consultant can issue you a new card. Make sure a consultant is available at your cannabis retailer. The consultant will verify your identity, find you in the patient registry, and issue you a new card. A minimum $1 fee will apply, but the retailer may charge a higher fee to cover administrative costs.
Medical Cannabis Products and Plants
- What is the difference between medical and recreational cannabis?
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Medical cannabis products meet the Department of Health standards and have passed more stringent testing standards and may be more beneficial to patients. Medical cannabis products fall into three categories (General Use, High-CBD and High-THC) and can be identified by one of three logos on the packaging (see our Medical Cannabis Product Compliance page.)
- Where do I buy plants, clones or seeds if I want to grow my own cannabis for medical use?
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Qualifying patients and designated providers who are entered into the medical cannabis database and hold a medical cannabis recognition card, may purchase immature plants, clones, or seeds from a licensed producer under RCW 69.50.325.
The Department of Health does not maintain a list of licensed producers who sell plants, clones, or seeds to patients. The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board can provide a list by submitting a request for public records.
Alternately, you may be able to research producers to contact directly using the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR):
Step 1: Go to the DOR website and select “Business Lookup” under Reports and Tools.
Step 2: Above the Search button, under the dropdown named “Endorsement type” select “Cannabis.”
Step 3: Under “Narrow your search” select “Cannabis Producer Tier 1,” “…Tier 2,” and “…Tier 3,” check the box to confirm you’re not a robot and click “Search.”
This will result in multiple pages that list cannabis producers in the state. You can sort this list alphabetically or enter a city in the filter field to find nearby growers. Phone numbers are no longer disclosed on this list, but you will likely be able to get contact information through a web search.
Consider calling the producer first, as not all producers provide clones to medical patients. Be sure to bring your patient recognition card to present to the producer. If the producer has questions, they can contact us at 360-236-4819 or by email.
- How many plants may I grow?
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Find this information on the Patient Information webpage under the Possession Amounts heading.
Medical Cannabis Registry (Patient Registry)
- What are the benefits of registering in the state database?
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- Possess up to three times the limits for recreational users and grow your own plants. See the Patient Information page for information on possession limits.
- Excise and sales tax-free medical cannabis products purchased from a medically endorsed retail store.
- Access high-THC medical cannabis products, when available at a medically endorsed retail store.
- Purchase immature plants, clones and seeds from a licensed cannabis producer.
- Participate in a medical cannabis cooperative. See the Patient Information page for information on cooperatives.
- If I am in the patient registry, can I create an account to manage my recognition card?
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Yes! This is a new feature of our upgraded patient registry. Visit our Medical Cannabis Registry page and under MCR Training and Videos, select Patient/Designated Provider for a guide to create an account. An account in the registry allows you to:
- create an account to manage recognition card activities, including removing yourself or your Designated Provider from the registry, if desired.
- use an electronic recognition card.
- view a report of your account activity (card use history, who accessed your account).
- receive recognition card expiration notifications.
- Who can access information in the registry and how is it used?
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The medical cannabis registry is a secure system. Records in the medical cannabis registry containing names and other personally identifiable information of qualifying patients and designated providers (DPs) are exempt from disclosure. RCW 42.56.625.
State law strictly limits who can view database information and how the information can be used. Only the following people can see information from the registry for the following purposes:
- A patient or DP can access their health care information and actions completed by a person or entity that has queried their name or information.
- Healthcare Practitioners who authorize medical cannabis can see their patients' health care information. Practitioners authorized to prescribe or dispense controlled substances can look up patients in the registry for the purpose of providing medical or pharmaceutical care for their patients
- Certified medical cannabis consultants working in a medically endorsed cannabis store can add patient information from the authorization form.
- Employees who work for a medically-endorsed cannabis retailer to confirm the validity of the recognition card of a qualifying patient or designated provider.
- Designated law enforcement or prosecutorial officials engaged in a specific investigation of suspected cannabis-related activity that may be illegal can confirm the validity of the recognition card of a qualifying patient or DP.
- The patient registry vendor can do data maintenance and provide store support.
- The Department of Health and the health care practitioner's disciplining authority can monitor authorizations and ensure compliance with this chapter and chapter 18.130 RCW by their licensees.
- The Department of Revenue can view aggregate, non-patient identifying information to verify sales tax exemptions under chapters 82.08 and 82.12 RCW.
- The Liquor and Cannabis Board can view aggregate, non-patient identifying information to verify excise tax exemptions under RCW 69.50.535.