How To's for Local Legal Medical Marijuana: How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card and do I need ...

How To's for Local Legal Medical Marijuana: How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card and do I need ...: "Hello again, this is George from Kushlocator.com here to offer some insight on Medical Marijuana Cards and the differences between them. Fir..."

How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card and do I need one?

Hello again, this is George from Kushlocator.com here to offer some insight on Medical Marijuana Cards and the differences between them.
First, let me start by stating that there is a difference in Medical Marijuana Cards. Just because someone issues you a card, whether it be laminated or a piece of paper, does not necessarily validate your Medical Marijuana Patient status. You, as a patient must do your due diligence when it comes to this.


Second, there is a difference between a State issued Medical Marijuana ID Card and a Doctor’s recommendation Card which sometimes is referred to as a Medical Marijuana Card as well. Let’s be clear about this, a State Issued Medical Marijuana ID Card is obtained by the Counties Department of Public Health. You can contact them directly and schedule an appointment. Depending on your county, the fees will vary. If you are seeking a Valid Doctors Recommendation (Incorrectly referred to as a Medical Marijuana Card), then you can obtain these through dozens, if not hundreds, of licensed physicians throughout the Legal States. Both methods will work and are valid for obtaining Legal Medical Marijuana from a Legal Dispensary.


Differences: The differences between these two methods are that the State issued ID’s act similar to Drivers License or State Identification Card. They have a magnetic strip and if you are pulled over by law enforcement, they can verify the card on site whereas if you only posses a Doctor’s recommendation sheet or Card, the officer cannot and most likely will not go through the process of calling your Physician to verify the legitimacy of your Doctors issued recommendation. If you are in possession of a State Issued ID during a detainment and are following the rules concerning Medical Marijuana, you will most likely be released once your ID is verified. If you are in possession of the Doctors issued ID or recommendation and not a valid State issued ID then you are at the mercy of the Law Enforcement Agent which means that he or she can let you go or confiscate your Legal Medicine at their discretion. The burden of proof would then be placed upon you as the patient and you would then have go to court and provide the proper documentation to recover your confiscated medicine.


Here is an example of what a State Issued Department of Public Health Identification card should look like:

Here is an example of a Physicians issued Recommendation Card Looks Like:

You’ll notice an obvious difference between the two cards although to the untrained eye this is often mistaken for a Valid State issued ID. It has become more common for doctors to issue their recommendations on cards with their logos and often a photo of the patient as well. This does not change the requirements. The legal dispensary receiving these patients must still verify that the recommendation is valid as well as verify that the Doctor which issued the ID has a valid Medical License. The same applies if the Patient has a State Issued Medical Marijuana Card. These cards must also be verified for validation through the State website.


For Patients: They must also do their part as well. For your safety, you can also check that your issuing Physician has a valid medical license before paying a substantial fee for the recommendation. If the physicians license is not valid or it has been suspended you will not be granted access to dispensaries or be able to obtain your medicine legally. You can check the validity of your physicians licensing at the links provided below.


As an example, below is the California State Medical Boards Link. You will be required to provide your Physicians name and Medical License number. Please refer to the state in which you reside:


http://www.medbd.ca.gov/lookup.html

In some Cases you will have an Osteopathic Physician which can be verified here. You will also be required to provide the Name and License number for the referring Physician:


http://www.ombc.ca.gov/consumers/license_ver.shtml



We hope that our information has been helpful. Please feel free to comment on our blog if you have any addition helpful information, comments or questions. Cheers.


This Blog is brought to you by www.KushLocator.com – Making it easy to find your Local Legal Medical Marijuana.

How can I tell the difference between a good and bad dispensary?

Hello again, this is George from Kushlocator.com here to offer some insight on selecting a good Dispensary, Collective or Delivery Service for your Legal Medical Marijuana.

The first obvious advantage is to find an outlet which is local to you if possible. You may have to travel a bit to find a good fit for your needs.  Unfortunately, this applies to any service industry today. I’m sure everyone has found themselves traveling certain distances to receive superior products or services for thing s that they need. Many patients with debilitating conditions rely on this to obtain their medicine locally as well.  There are several resources out there today to choose from which will help you in your search.  In this instance, personal preference will come into play.  Of course, one reliable method to finding your local dispensary would be the internet and www.Kushlocator.com . There are additional periodicals to choose from, but it does become overwhelming at times with so many ads in front of you at once.  A great method to finding a consistent and reliable dispensary is word of mouth.  One of the great features on Kushlocator.com is the reviews which help to assist you in making choices.  In return, you should also help others by adding your input and reviews as well.

Once you’ve selected a Dispensary to try, you’ll obviously want to make sure that the service and medicine is exceptional as well as having a knowledgeable staff for assistance.  They should be able to walk you through your options accurately to ensure that you are receiving the proper medication for your needs.  For reliability factors, you should inquire whether or not the chosen Dispensary has, not only a business license, but a State Sellers Permit as well.  Not all Dispensaries will be operating under a Non-Profit Corporation, which the State prefers but, it’s good to know if they do.  This is a simple indicator that they are, from operations standpoint, going the extra mile to ensure the longevity of their business and service to you as a patient.  This documentation is generally posted on the wall in the waiting or processing areas.

For your information, most, if not all dispensaries will keep an internal database of their patients.  This not only helps in expedite patient processing, but is legally necessary to allow them to operate properly and within State, County and City guidelines.  You can always ask whether or not your information is kept internal or if it is shared with associated companies.  I recommend inquiring to make sure that your information is as secure as possible. It is also always nice if the staff is professional and polite, of course.  Something that I have noticed with my experience is that some Dispensaries will allow patients which are 18 years of age or older.  Others will only allow patients which are 21 years of age or older. The reason for this is sometimes a liability factor.  Other times this is dictated by the City or County guidelines in which they reside.  It is up to you to decide your comfort level.  You may prefer a facility which is structured more like a doctor’s office and discreet or a facility which more open and alternative.  Either is fine, but I recommend a more discreet experience as it should be with any medical service.

You’re final step after being verified as a member will be to enter the selection room for your medicine.  This is generally kept separately from the main entrance area.  Typically, most Dispensaries are compartmentalized in regards to the layout of the facility.  This is, not only, for security purposes but is for your privacy as well.  Once again, feel free to ask as many questions as needed to ensure that you are comfortable in the choices you are about to make.  If you find that you are not receiving the information that you need, there are many other Dispensaries that will be happy to do so.  Do not feel pressured to make a donation or purchase. 

It may take some time to become more familiar and comfortable with this new alternative medicine and the operations which facilitate your Legal Medical Marijuana.  You may have to try a few different types of medicine before find the correct fit for your medical needs.  This is very common so do not be discouraged.  In many cases such as cancer patients, they cannot consume edible products due to the side effects of chemotherapy.   Others find that this same method will help them to eat instead while others simply prefer the traditional methods of smoking.  With that said, there are numerous products on the market which will help you in administering your medicine, but that is for another Blog. We hope that this information will help to assist you in selecting your Legal Medical Marijuana Dispensary.  Please visit us at www.KushLocator.com and feel free to join us or our forum and post your questions.  Thank you and we look forward to seeing you online.

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As a Patient am I receiving Legal and Non-Legal Medical Marijuana?

During this blog, I will touch on several aspects concerning the differences between Legal and Non-Legal Medical Marijuana and the facilities which dispense this medicine. To begin, let us keep in mind that the semantics of all of this will change.  The legalities of the matter will also change based on their geographical location and ordinances set by the Cities, Counties and States which the facilities operate within.

The term, “Medical Marijuana” or “Cannabis” should be applied to the medicine for those patients whom are in true medical need of it.  I am a former Collective Operator  and have extensive experience on the subject matter which I will be presenting.  This information will be straight and factual.  I will leave my opinions for later in the blog.

Now, legally, according to State and County guidelines you should first receive a doctor’s recommendation before going to your local dispensary to obtain your legal medical marijuana.  First, it is up to you to do your due diligence. You can go online and verify that the doctors’ license is valid through the American Medical Association before paying for your recommendation.  You might be surprised at what you find.  This is the same verification process which the Dispensaries will follow when you arrive.

Here comes the interesting part.  Let’s say that you’ve received a valid recommendation.  Please do not think that you have a valid State Medical Marijuana Card just because the doctor’s office has issued you a plastic ID card with your picture on it.  Technically, if you are pulled over and have Medical Marijuana in your possession, a police officer can confiscate your medicine at his digression which means that you’ll have to show up at court and show your proper documentation to get it back.  To remedy this circumstance you would set an appointment with your County Heath Board and pay the fee to obtain your State ID card which acts similar to your state License or ID card and the police can verify it on site.  Remember, they cannot verify your doctor issued recommendation without calling the doctor and then checking the medical license which they will not do.

Once you’ve received your valid doctor’s recommendation or State ID card you’ll want to find a reputable establishment to get your medicine from. Unfortunately you’ll find that many of these so called Collectives or Dispensaries are very unprofessional.  It feels almost odd when you enter and even more odd when you are let in to choose your medicine.  First, you will be required to fill out a form which is an agreement between you and the collective that states that you agree to be part of their collective and them to act as your caregiver.  They will take a copy of your ID and recommendation and verify that the documentation is valid. This goes back to my previous statement about doing your due diligence. If they find that the doctor’s license is invalid then you will or should, according to law, be turned away.

Finally, let’s say that you’ve come this far and have now selected a medicine which you will try for your condition but you’re still wondering if you are following the rules and guidelines properly.  Please keep in mind that, even though you have followed the rules, others may have not.  The chances are slim that, if you’ve done your part to follow the rules, you’d be at risk if there were some sort of legal matter which arose. An example would be if the police entered the establishment to enforce a violation and you happened to be there. Most likely you’d be asked to vacate the establishment which they conducted their assessment. Based on my numerous phone conversations with the County, City Attorneys and such, the counties simply refer to all Dispensaries, Collectives, Co-Op’s and Delivery Services as “Dispensaries” whether the owners or you like it or not.  No matter how it boils down and no matter if they have a Non-Profit Corporation, State Sellers Permit or Local Business License, the facility is still dispensing Medical Marijuana to its members or patients and the County will classify it as such.  Once again, it comes back to semantics. The dispensaries can call itself a Collective and call their solicitation a donation and not a purchase, but if they end up in court it will be an uphill battle to prove to a jury that it is such. Although, when it comes down to it and a Collective is operating in accordance then it would most likely not be in the interest of the City or County to pursue such an action and ultimately waste tax payers dollars for a case which will be dismissed.

In Conclusion, we’ve asked the question, “Whether or not it is Legal or Non-Legal Medical Marijuana”.  One final thought on this subject is that even though the state has granted you the right, the Federal Government still has not.  The current administration has stepped back in regards to enforcing federal law concerning this matter, except in extreme violations.  Now, how does this affect you?  Unless you are grossly violating the guidelines it does not really affect you. It would not be practical in any sense for a federal officer to seek out a legitimate patient for a misdemeanor violation.  This should affect the Dispensaries before the patients. From the patient’s standpoint, they should follow the state, County and City guidelines to be safe.  As far as for the Dispensaries and Collectives, that is for another blog.

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