“I am helping care for my mother who has cancer but is in remission at the moment. My brother suggested that medical marijuana might help her. So I was wondering if it is a good idea to get medical marijuana cards here in Pennsylvania?”
Angie
That’s a tough diagnosis. Your mother is lucky to have you as a caregiver. One of the main benefits of getting a card is that it gives you access to legal supply of quality-controlled medical cannabis.
The good news is, your mother can designate up to two caregivers who can buy medical weed on her behalf. This could be you and, say, your brother.
The Pennsylvania state government lays out the process of how to register as a caregiver for a patient. You’d submit your information to the Patient and Caregiver Registry, complete a background check, and once approved by the Department of Health, you’d pay your card fees.
When you’ve received your card, you could go to a licensed dispensary and buy medical marijuana on your mother’s behalf.
Gabe F.
The idea of having access to legal supply of weed is important. Although this may change with maneuvering for the 2022 Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race, rec weed is not legal yet in the state. And if you are caught with illegal cannabis, you may find yourself fined or arrested.
One local law firm points out: “Possession of marijuana for recreational purposes is still illegal in this state, and failure to comply with the medical marijuana laws can be considered ‘recreational’ use, even when you intended to follow the law and use it for medical purposes.”
So it’s important to follow the right steps to get your medical marijuana card and buy your weed from a state-licensed dispensary.
To become a medical marijuana user in Pennsylvania, you have to register on the Department of Health website, with a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license or state-issued ID. Then you can see a doctor approved by the state to see if you can be certified for a card because you have one of the approved conditions for medical marijuana use.
More and more Pennsylvania residents are going through HelloMD to get their medical marijuana cards. The process is all done online, including a consultation with a certified medical practitioner who will answer all your questions and then recommend you for certification in the live telehealth interview.
Once your application is approved by the state government, you’ll receive a printed card in the mail that you can take to a dispensary to buy the products you need.
Doug G.
The dispensary you choose can play an important role in helping you decide on the right cannabis products for your mother. For example, the Verilife chain of dispensaries in Pennsylvania go out of their way to help you select the products, in a very welcoming environment.
They can go over a variety of factors that impact the effects of weed. These would include the dosage you take, different types of consumption (inhalation, oral, edibles and topicals), as well as providing recommendations for specific products.
Good luck to you and your mother.
James M.
