Medical Cannabis Information for Patients and Consumers

Information for Patients and Consumers

The decision to use cannabis for medical purposes is best made between the patient and their health care practitioner. Current regulations define a qualifying patient as someone who is a Washington resident, who has been diagnosed with a qualifying condition and has a medical cannabis authorization and has a Medical Cannabis Authorization Form (PDF) from their health care practitioner. RCW 69.51A.010.

The general process to becoming a medical cannabis patient in Washington is outlined below:

Step 1: Schedule an appointment with your health care practitioner.
Step 2: Obtain a medical cannabis authorization from your practitioner.
Step 3: Visit a medically-endorsed store to get a medical cannabis card.
Step 4: Use the card to purchase products sales tax free.
Step 5: Repeat steps 1 - 4 to renew both the medical cannabis authorization and card before expiration.

For additional information and resources, see the program's Frequently Asked Questions webpage.

Cooperatives

Medical cannabis cooperatives allow up to four medical cannabis patients or their designated provider to join together to grow cannabis for the patients' personal use.
Every member must be entered into the medical cannabis authorization database and have a medical cannabis recognition card. The total number of plants authorized for the participants may not exceed 60 plants.

Cooperatives must register with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) and follow all regulations.

Cooperative members may ONLY:

be in a cooperative if they have a valid medical cannabis recognition card.
form a four-member cooperative.
participate in a cooperative if they are at least 21 years of age.
grow up to the total number of plants authorized, with a maximum of 60 plants.
belong to one cooperative.
grow plants in the cooperative and not anywhere else.
use the cannabis and its products, and not sell or give away cannabis or cannabis products to anyone who is not in the cooperative.

A cooperative must be:

located at one of the member's homes.
limited to one cooperative per tax parcel.
enclosed by an eight-foot fence, if outdoors, and cannot easily be seen or smelled.

No cooperative may be located in any of the following areas:

Within one mile of a cannabis retailer;
Within the smaller of either:
1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds, recreation centers, daycare centers, or any facility restricted to people 21 years or older, or
The area restricted by ordinances; or
Where prohibited by city, town, or county zoning laws.

Designated Providers

A designated provider isn't a doctor. Medical cannabis patients may designate on their medical cannabis authorization form someone to purchase their cannabis product and/or grow the cannabis for them. The designated provider will also receive an exact copy of the form printed on tamper-proof paper.

To be a designated provider for a qualifying medical cannabis patient, the person must be:

twenty-one years of age or older;
named on the patient's medical cannabis authorization form.
have a fully completed form also printed on tamper-resistant paper. The patient signs his or her copy of the authorization form, and the designated provider signs his or her own copy; and
entered into the medical cannabis database and have a designated provider recognition card, if the patient chooses to be entered into the database.

Minor Patients

Patients under the age of 18 are required by law to have a designated provider and to be entered into the medical cannabis database. The designated provider of a minor patient must be:

twenty-one years of age or older;
the parent or legal guardian of the minor patient;
named on the minor patient's medical cannabis authorization form and have a fully completed form also printed on tamper-resistant paper; and
entered into the medical cannabis database and have a designated provider recognition card.

Restrictions

The designated provider is prohibited from consuming cannabis obtained for the personal, medical use of the qualifying patient for whom the individual is acting as designated provider, and must:

provide cannabis only to the qualifying patient who has designated him or her;
comply with the terms and conditions of RCW 69.51A; and
serve as the designated provider to only one patient at any one time.

A patient may have only one designated provider at any one time. If entered into the database, patients may remove their designated provider by completing the Revocation Request form (Word) and mailing it to the address at the top of the form.

Patients who would like to designate a new provider must return to their health care practitioner to get a new authorization form for themselves and the new designated provider.

Possession Amounts

Any adult aged 21 or older can purchase any combination of the following from a licensed retail cannabis store:

One ounce of usable cannabis
Sixteen ounces of cannabis-infused product in solid form
Seventy-two ounces of cannabis-infused product in liquid form, or
Seven grams of cannabis concentrate

Recognition card holders

Qualified patients and designated providers who are entered into the medical cannabis database may legally purchase sales-tax free any combination of the following from a licensed cannabis store with a medical endorsement:

Three ounces of usable cannabis
Forty-eight ounces of cannabis-infused product in solid form
Two hundred sixteen ounces of cannabis-infused product in liquid form or
Twenty-one grams of cannabis concentrate

Recognition card holders may also grow in their home or as a member of a cooperative:

Six plants for personal medical use, and
Possess up to eight ounces of usable cannabis produced from their plants.

If the patient's health care practitioner determines the patient requires more than the presumptive amount, they may authorize:

Up to 15 plants for personal medical use, and
May possess 16 ounces of usable cannabis produced from their plants.

Note: No more than 15 plants may be grown or located in any one housing unit even if multiple qualifying patients or designated providers reside in the housing unit. The only exception will be for registered cooperatives defined under RCW 69.51A.250.

Qualified patients and designated providers with a valid authorization form who choose not to be entered into the database may:

Purchase only the amounts allowed for non-patients.
Grow in their home:
• Four plants for personal medical use, and
• Possess up to six ounces of usable cannabis produced from their plants.

Note: No more than 15 plants may be grown or located in any one housing unit even if multiple qualifying patients or designated providers reside in the housing unit. The only exception will be for cooperatives.

Non-Recognition Card Holders

Qualified patients and designated providers with a valid authorization form who choose not to be entered into the database may:

purchase only the amounts allowed for non-patients, 21 and older as listed above.
grow in their home:
- four plants for personal medical use, and
- possess up to six ounces of usable cannabis produced from their plants.

Patients and designated providers who aren't entered into the database are limited to four plants and six ounces of usable cannabis even if a higher number of plants is indicated on their authorization. Patients and designated providers who aren't entered into the database have only an affirmative defense to criminal prosecution.

Qualifying Conditions

Patients with terminal or debilitating medical conditions may, under their health care practitioner's, benefit from the medical use of cannabis.

Terminal or debilitating medical condition means a condition severe enough to significantly interfere with the patient's activities of daily living and ability to function, which can be objectively assessed and evaluated and limited to the following:

Cancer, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), multiple sclerosis, epilepsy or other seizure disorder, or spasticity disorders.
Intractable pain, limited for the purpose of this chapter to mean pain unrelieved by standard medical treatments and medications.
Glaucoma, either acute or chronic, limited for the purpose of this chapter to mean increased intraocular pressure unrelieved by standard treatments and medications.
Crohn's disease with debilitating symptoms unrelieved by standard treatments or medications.
Hepatitis C with debilitating nausea or intractable pain unrelieved by standard treatments or medications.
Diseases, including anorexia, which result in nausea, vomiting, wasting, appetite loss, cramping, seizures, muscle spasms, or spasticity, when these symptoms are unrelieved by standard treatments or medications.
Chronic renal failure requiring hemodialysis.
Posttraumatic stress disorder.
Traumatic brain injury.

Humanitarian compassion necessitates that the decision to use cannabis by patients with terminal or debilitating medical conditions is a personal, individual decision, based upon their healthcare practitioner's professional medical judgment and discretion.

Mental health conditions don't qualify

Due to a lack of scientific evidence supporting improved health outcomes from the use of medical cannabis for mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety, the Medical Quality Assurance Commission denied requests to add to the list of qualifying conditions. You may read the commission's and board's decision on the latest petition in the final order (PDF).

How to add qualifying conditions

Prior to July 24, 2015, the Medical Quality Assurance Commission, in consultation with the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, considered petitions requesting to add conditions for which medical cannabis may be recommended under state law. In 2015, the law changed and petitions are no longer allowed. To add a qualifying condition to the list would require an act of legislation to change the law.

Contact and Connect

Email: MedicalCannabis@doh.wa.gov | Phone: 360-236-4819

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