Getting a Medical Marijuana Card in CT

How to get a Medical Marijuana Card in CT

In June 2012, a Senate bill was signed by Governor Dannel Molloy to legalize marijuana for medical use in Connecticut. Medical marijuana is now common in Connecticut as well as 28 other States, including Washington, DC.

The law requires that a patient qualifying to use medical marijuana will not be subject to prosecution or penalties of any manner, or be denied any rights and privileges in regards to using cannabis for health purposes.

While medical marijuana is legalized, there are some rules regarding its use.

• In Connecticut, patients are allowed a maximum of 2.5 ounces a month- unless a physician directs otherwise.
• In order to purchase from a marijuana dispensary, patients are required to have a medical marijuana card.
• Other options for seeking medical marijuana treatment such as planting weed in Connecticut are illegal. Only qualifying and licensed patients are granted access to medical marijuana.
• Qualifying patients cannot be confined in a correctional institution or facility under the supervision of the state’s department of correction.

All the rules regarding the use of medical cannabis were created to curb the chances of people misusing the drugs. Any violation of these laws can attract penalties as high as $100,000.

Applying for a Medical Marijuana Card in Connecticut

To get started in your application for a medical marijuana card in Connecticut, start with making an appointment with a certified medical marijuana prescriber. The purpose of this is determining your qualifying condition and whether you meet the criteria for Connecticut Medical Marijuana certification.

Upon contacting a physician and being considered eligible, patients must register with Connecticut’s Medical Marijuana Program Department of Consumer Protection (DOCP).

The basic tips/ steps of getting a Connecticut Medical marijuana are explained below.

First Step – Make an Appointment

A certified prescribing professional is the only person who can initiate your card’s application. If you get approved based on any of the required medical conditions, the physician will certify and register you in the online application site. You also need to provide:

• An email address – This is meant for communication between the patient and Connecticut’s DCOP.
• A valid telephone number

Creating an account with the state at https://portal.ct.gov/DCP/Medical-Marijuana-Program/Medical-Marijuana-Program will make it easy for you to have access to the registration system and verify that the details you gave your doctor are correct. Here, you also will answer a number of verification questions.

Step 3 – Identification card and making a payment

Once you are done with the online application process, the system will require you to offer proof of residency prior to making a payment. During this phase, you will be required to present:

• Identity: You will present identification such as a driver’s license or passport.
• Residing state proof: You will do this to prove that you are a Connecticut resident if you present a document with your name and residence dated not more than 3 months ago. This could be a Medicare/Medicaid benefit statement, a bank statement, or a utility company’s computer-generated bill.
• A passport photo: The photo needs to have been taken not more than one month before the date of application.

Qualifying conditions

Medical marijuana can only be obtained from a certified dispensary. Other options such as growing cannabis are illegal. One needs to have one of the qualified medical conditions treatable by medical cannabis to be considered a qualified patient and get a card. The medical marijuana card qualifying conditions include:

• A Terminal Illness That Needs An End-Of-Life Care
• Severe Psoriasis And Psoriatic Arthritis
• A Hard-To-Control Intractable Seizure Disorder
• Facial Pain
• Postherpetic Neuralgia (Shingles)
• Trigeminal Neuralgia
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Brittle Bone Disease
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Intractable Headaches
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
• Fibromyalgia
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Cerebral Palsy
• Migraines

Cost and Timeline for Getting a Medical Marijuana Card In Connecticut

Cost

Many Connecticut providers have costs ranging from $175 to $200 for the medical marijuana program evaluation. Our fee for first-time patients is $175 for the general public and $150 for veterans.

Phone communication is included for consultation and establishing eligibility. A face to face meeting happens afterward to discuss the patient’s medical history as well as his or her current symptoms. Things reviewed include the history of a patient’s use of cannabis. All our patient’s questions are fully answered during the consultation process.  

The total cost of a medical marijuana card certificate is typically between $250-$300. The certification is valid for one year and costs $125 for recertification.

Timeline

Once a patient gets a practitioner to certify him or her for a medical marijuana card, it takes approximately 4 weeks to get complete the certification process. The steps followed in this process include:

• Ensuring that the patient has qualifying conditions by reviewing symptoms
• Entering a patient’s information into the medical marijuana program portal
• Receipt of an email from the DCP confirming that a provider recommends the patient into the program
• Patient uploading an ID, own photo, and proof of Connecticut’s residency

Upon doing this, patients typically wait for about 4 weeks before getting a temporary card through an email. The card gives one the privilege to get medication from a cannabis dispensary. A permanent card is mailed to the home address 4 to 6 weeks after getting the temporary card.

After your application for a medical marijuana card in Connecticut is approved, getting a card takes around 30 days. Upon approval, patients receive a temporary certificate through an email from the DOCP. With this certificate, patients can buy medical marijuana products from any Connecticut dispensary.

Medical Marijuana Card Renewal

The validity of medical marijuana cards in Connecticut is one year from the certification date. This means that time starts counting from that date, even if a patient has not yet started using the card.  It is wise to renew it on the 11th month to avoid coverage lapse and having to restart the application process from the beginning.

Physician Obligations:

• Approve that he or she is still in charge of taking care of the patient
• Offer a re-certification examination date
• Make it clear that a strong patient/doctor relationship is in place
• Complete a certifications trio at the form’s end

Patient Obligations:

• Prove that he or she is a resident of Connecticut
• Do all certification and verification steps on the form
• Give his or her updated photo
• Pay the required registration fee
• Give an update of any information that has changed in the past year

The patient’s primary caregiver also needs to complete the verification and certification steps, provide an updated photo, and pay the required registration fee (about $25).

Medical cannabis is undeniably one of the greatest discoveries in the medical industry. If you are a qualifying patient, you should not hesitate to get a card that can help you deal with your medical condition and improve your quality of life.