Medical cannabis has been legalized everywhere, and a lot of Americans just want to get their hands on a medical marijuana card, especially in New York. Although getting a card is not easy and the waiting game can take quite some time, people have discovered and paved the way to cut the entire process short. So the question is, how to get a medical marijuana card in New York? A common question people ask is whether or not it’s easy to get your hands on one. Well, let’s find out.
Medical Marijuana Requirements
When the medical marijuana card first started out in New York, the process was quite challenging. Now that conditions have been added to the list of things you need to qualify, it ironically made it quite easier. Before we dive into the process of getting one, let’s take a look at the rest of the qualifications.
If you already had a card before and it’s just about to expire, then you’re pretty familiar with the entire process. For first-timers, it’s not going to be an intimidating list. First, you need to have a qualifying condition. Luckily, Leafly has provided a list of all the qualifying conditions for all the states that have legalized medical marijuana. It’s a really long list so check out if you’re qualified on that part.
You should also be at least 18 years old and have documents that prove you really live in New York. You could either use your state-issued ID or your passport showing your address. If it so happens you don’t have any of those, just bring bank statements or bills with your address on it.
The next thing you need to have before you can even get a card is a doctor’s recommendation. To give a little background on that, doctors can’t really prescribe you medical marijuana because it’s not a drug recognized by the Food and Drug Administration. It’s also a schedule I drug that’s not allowed to be prescribed. With all that, a doctor can only recommend you to become a patient.
You might think that it’s kind of easy, but the challenging part would be looking for a doctor who’s registered in the state’s MMJ program. They don’t really display the names of these doctors because it’s meant to be kept private. You could either ask your friends or ask around to find one.
How to Get A Medical Marijuana Card
Okay, now that we’ve run through that list, time to go into the process of actually getting one. The first step would be to complete an application through the Department’s online system. Go to NY.Gov and submit your application.
From here on, you will be billed about $50 for the application fee. If you can’t really pay for that, you can have it waived; just submit any ID and proof of residency. The rest of the instructions will be given once your application has been filed, through their website. After you’ve been approved, you can just sit and wait for your card to arrive in the mail.
Is There A Faster Way?
The process is relatively easier and simple. If you’re worried about anything leaking about you online, several sites guarantee data privacy. Pay attention to the sensitive information you give to the site as it should be kept confidential.
Getting your card should be relatively fast. You get to talk to a doctor through video chat to wrap up the evaluation. In just about 5 to 10 minutes, you’ll already get approved if ever you’re qualified. For $199, you can already get your recommendation. If ever you won’t get approved, the entire thing is free.
You’ll get the recommendation in your mail and it’ll come with the instructions to guide you to finish your application. Just like what was mentioned in the previous section, prepare for $50 as the application fee. This fee is currently being waved, so you’re in luck.
As stated before, the process is quite easy, especially since the state’s pretty private about the list of medical marijuana doctors. But through an online application, you can just get a legitimate recommendation for $199. The tough part is, you can’t cut your way through the application for the state’s program. At least, you can shorten the process for getting a recommendation.