Pros and Cons of Getting a Medical Marijuana Card!!!

If you’re on the fence about obtaining your medical marijuana card, or simply want to learn more about the pros and cons, we’ve got you covered. Below you will find an outline of the positive and negative aspects that come with being a medical marijuana patient. Regulations also tend to vary by location, so we’ve compiled informative details for each state which currently has an approved medical marijuana program.

Pros of a Medical Marijuana Card

Being a medical marijuana cardholder can come with a number of financial, legal, cultivation, health, and wellness benefits.

Marijuana is More Affordable

Since recreational marijuana is taxed at a higher rate, medical marijuana patients often pay less, or in some cases, incur no tax on their plant medicine. Currently, Washington state has the highest recreational marijuana tax in the country at 35%. Financially speaking, medical marijuana patients pay less overall for their cannabis products

Higher Possession Limits

In the majority of states with medical marijuana programs, patients are generally allotted a larger possession/purchase/consumption limit when compared to recreational users. In some states, recreational use remains illegal entirely, and getting caught with cannabis could result in a fine or incarceration (jail time).

  • Alaska
    • Recreational purchase/possession – up to 1 ounce per day
    • Medical purchase/possession – up to 1 ounce per day
  • Arizona
    • Medical possession – up to 2.5 ounces of usable marijuana
    • Recreational possession – up to 1 ounce
  • Arkansas
    • Medical possession/purchasing – 2.5 ounces every 14 days
    • Recreational adult-use not permitted
  • California
    • Medical possession – up to 8 ounces of dried cannabis
    • Recreational possession – up to 28.5 grams
  • Colorado
    • Medical purchase/possession – 2 ounces per day total, up to 8g for concentrates, and up to 20,000 milligrams per day for edibles
    • Recreational possession – up to 1 ounce total, 800 milligrams for edibles
  • Connecticut
    • Recreational possession – can carry up to 1.5 ounces, and have up to 5 ounces in a sealed container at a private residence
    • Medical purchase/possession – 2.5 ounces per month (unless the patient has a pre-approved increase from their practitioner)
  • Delaware
    • Medical purchase/possession – 3 ounces of usable marijuana every 14 days, with up to 6 ounces per month
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • Florida
    • Medical purchase/possession – 4 ounce possession limit, and up to 2.5 ounces of smokable marijuana can be purchased within a 35-day period
    • Recreational use remains illegal
    • Regulate Florida legalization initiative to legalize recreational use available here
  • Georgia
    • Medical purchase/possession – 20 fluid ounces of “low THC oil”
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • Guam
    • Medical purchase/possession – 2.5 ounces
    • Recreational possession – up to 1 ounce
  • Hawaii
    • Medical purchase/possession – up to 4 ounces
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • Illinois
    • Recreational use for Illinois residents – up to 30 grams of cannabis, 500 milligrams of THC infused products, 5 grams of cannabis concentrates
    • Recreational use for non-residents – up to 15 grams of cannabis, 250 milligrams of THC infused products, 2.5 grams of cannabis concentrates
    • Medical purchase/possession – 2.5 ounces every 14 days
  • Iowa
    • Medical purchase/possession – up to 4.5 grams of THC every 90 days, practitioners can also petition for an increased limit
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • Louisiana
    • Medical purchase/possession – 30-day supply of medical marijuana
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • Maine
    • Recreational possession – 2.5 ounces of marijuana, concentrates, or infused products combined, no more than 5 grams of concentrates
    • Medical purchase/possession – 2.5 ounces of marijuana once a day
    • Medical purchase/possession for visiting patients – 2.5 ounces of marijuana every 15 days
  • Maryland
    • Medical purchase/possession – a 30-day supply of up to 120 grams (4 ounces)
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • Massachusetts
    • Medical purchase/possession – a 60-day supply of up to 10 ounces
    • Recreational purchase/possession – up to one ounce of flower + 5 grams of concentrates
  • Michigan
    • Recreational purchase/possession – up to 2.5 ounces (71 grams) of marijuana + up to 15 grams of concentrates
    • Medical purchase/possession – up to 10 ounces
  • Minnesota
    • Medical purchase/possession – up to a 90-day supply
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • Missouri
    • Medical purchase/possession – up to 4 ounces of dried flower during a 30-day period (petitioning for increased allotment permitted)
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • Montana
    • Medical possession – up to 1 ounce of marijuana (or the equivalent in concentrates/edibles), purchase limit of up to 5 ounces per month
    • Recreational purchase/possession – up to 1 ounce starting from January 1st, 2022
  • Nevada
    • Medical possession – up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana
    • Recreational possession – up to 1 ounce of marijuana
  • New Hampshire
    • Medical possession – up to 2 ounces during a 10-day period
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • New Jersey
    • Medical purchase/possession – 3 ounces every 30 days (terminally ill patients have an unlimited amount)
    • Recreational possession – up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and 8 grams of concentrates
  • New Mexico
    • Recreational possession – up to 2 ounces of marijuana (56 grams)
    • Medical purchase/possession – up to 230 patient units or 8 ounces of dried flower during a 90-day period, 1 patient unit equals 1 gram of dried flower or 200 milligrams of THC in infused products
  • New York
    • Medical purchase/possession – up to a 60-day supply
    • Recreational possession – up to 3 ounces of marijuana + 24 grams of concentrates
  • North Dakota
    • Medical purchase limit – up to 2.5 ounces (70.87 grams) of dried flower every 30 days
    • Medical possession limit – up to 3 ounces (85.05 grams) of dried flowers/leaves
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • Ohio
    • Medical possession limit – up to a 90-day supply
    • Recreational use remains illegal – petition for legalization currently in progress
  • Oklahoma
    • Medical possession limit – up to 3 ounces in public or 8 ounces at a private residence, 1 ounce of concentrates, 72 ounces of edibles
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • Oregon
    • Medical possession limit – up to 24 ounces of usable marijuana
    • Recreational possession – up to 1 ounce in public or 8 ounces in a private residence
  • Pennsylvania
    • Medical purchase/possession limit – up to a 30-day supply
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • Puerto Rico
    • Medical purchase/possession limit – up to a 30-day supply
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • Rhode Island
    • Medical purchase/possession limit – up to 2.5 ounces
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • South Dakota
    • Medical purchase/possession limit – up to 3 ounces
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • US Virgin Islands
    • Medical purchase/possession limit – up to 4 ounces
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • Utah
    • Medical purchase/possession limit – up to a 30-day supply or 113 grams of unprocessed cannabis flower, up to 20 grams of composite THC in infused products
    • Recreational use remains illegal
  • Vermont
    • Recreational possession – up to 1 ounce (28 grams)
    • Medical possession limit – up to 2 ounces ((57 grams)
  • Virginia
    • Recreational possession – up to 1 ounce
    • Medical purchase/possession limit – up to 4 ounces every 30-days
  • Washington
    • Recreational purchase/possession – up to 1 ounce of usable marijuana, 16 ounces of infused products in solid form, 72 ounces of infused product in liquid form, 7 grams of concentrates
    • Medical purchase/possession – up to 3 ounces of usable marijuana, 48 ounces of infused product in solid form, 216 ounces of infused products in liquid form, 21 grams of concentrates
  • Washington, DC
    • Recreational possession – up to 2 ounces
    • Medical possession – up to 2 ounces
    • Medical purchase limit – up to 8 ounces during a rolling 30-day period
  • West Virginia
    • Recreational use remains illegal
    • Medical possession – up to a 30-day supply

Higher Growing Limits

Depending on where you live, if you’re a medical marijuana patient located in select US states, you are legally permitted to exercise your green thumb by cultivating your own marijuana plants in a private residence (or through the assistance of a caregiver).

Currently marijuana home grow is permitted in: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, US Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, DC.

Some states strictly only offer marijuana home cultivation to medical marijuana card holders. Make sure to double check by reading your state’s cultivation laws for more specifics on how you can grow within legal guidelines:

Cons of a Medical Marijuana Card

3.1. You Can’t Purchase a Firearm Legally

Under federal law, users of Schedule I substances such as cannabis, heroin, LSD, peyote, ecstasy, and meth, are prohibited from owning, possessing, purchasing, shipping, or receiving firearms + ammunition.

The Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibits drug users, felons, minors, and “mentally incompetent” individuals from having access to firearms. Violating this act can incur a fine or imprisonment of up to 10 years.

Before obtaining a firearm, individuals must complete a federal background check and fill out a form (ATF Form 4473) which asks for the applicant’s status on controlled substance usage.

Unfortunately, regardless of recreational or medical use status, marijuana users are federally prohibited from owning firearms + ammunition.

Driving Restrictions

Impaired driving while under the influence of marijuana is illegal in all US states. Anyone under the influence of cannabis is also restricted from using a Commercial Driving License (CDL). Disobeying these laws could result in a fine, a DUI (driving under the influence), jail time, or a revoked license. Drugged driving is treated as equal to drunk driving.

Some states have outright banned any amount of marijuana to be detected in the blood for drivers, but other states such as Nevada, have defined the legal limit of allowable marijuana in the blood.

Employment

Unfortunately, in some states, medical marijuana patients are not protected from discrimination in the workplace. Organizations often have the right to dictate their own drug policies. For state specific laws, find more details below.

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About the Author: naturalgreenhealing