With the continuous march of cannabis legalization across the US, it’s nearly unavoidable to consider the advantages of a medical marijuana card in states where it’s legal.
Indeed, if you use medicinal marijuana, it may feel strange to consider the ease with which you may obtain recreational marijuana if you reside in one of the ten states that have legalized both medical and recreational marijuana. Regardless of whether cannabis is legalized for recreational use, medicinal marijuana users who have a valid medical marijuana card may benefit from some benefits.
Without a doubt, it is only fair that someone whose health and well-being are dependent on cannabis medication is granted sacred rights to obtain cannabis medication as soon as possible, which is precisely what a medical marijuana card in legal states can allow.
1. Higher Possession and Cultivation Limits
Compared to the possession restrictions imposed on recreational cannabis, a state’s medical marijuana program provides patients the legal rights and flexibility to maintain higher cannabis possession limits.
Consider Oregon, where persons who cultivate marijuana for recreational reasons are permitted to have up to four mature plants at a time. Meanwhile, certified medical marijuana patients in Oregon can grow up to six mature plants.
Let’s take another look at the differences in possession restrictions between patients with a valid medical marijuana card and individuals legally allowed to consume marijuana for recreational purposes in legal jurisdictions.
Medical marijuana patients in Colorado are permitted to possess up to two ounces of useable cannabis, while recreational marijuana users can possess one ounce.
In a word, the advantages of having a medical marijuana card in a legal state begin with the ability to possess and produce larger quantities of green medicine.
2. Fewer Restrictions on Purchase Limits
If you’re under 21, it’s impossible to buy recreational marijuana in legal states. This guideline is critical in taking the following stages toward cannabis legalization, including educating users about the benefits and drawbacks of the drug.
Hopefully, the legalization of cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes will make it far more manageable and less contentious to educate minors about the dangers of early marijuana use. Something tha lt has proven difficult to do since marijuana was illegal and easy to get into the hands of teenagers. Although several states that have previously legalized medical marijuana are still working on modifying their laws involving minors and marijuana therapy, there is light at the end of the tunnel. It is only going to get brighter soon. That light, however, is only visible to individuals with a valid medicinal marijuana card.
Without a doubt, and despite the still-uncertain medical marijuana laws affecting minors, scientists worldwide have joined forces to investigate the mind-boggling ways of marijuana on how it can help alleviate conditions affecting the health and well-being of the innocent and vulnerable group of the entire human race. In particular, children have severe epilepsy, autism, and cancer, among other conditions.
When considering the advantages of a medical marijuana card in terms of more significant purchase limits in legal states, it’s important to remember that certified MMJ patients and their authorized caregivers have the legal right to buy, possess, and carry cannabis.
This step is critical for increasing green drug accessibility and is a significant milestone for those who rely on marijuana to maintain their health and well-being.
Last but not least, individuals with a confirmed medical marijuana license may be able to buy the green medicine lawfully in other states as well. Although the practice of accepting other states’ registry ID cards is still limited, with only a few conditions allowing MMJ patients from other states reliable access to purchasing medical marijuana, there is still a lot of room for improvement in the future. Until obtaining medical cannabis by possessing a medical marijuana card in every state becomes a reality rather than a distant dream. A standard state-by-state medical marijuana program that fully recognizes other states’ registry ID cards is a much-needed advantage for MMJ patients, especially given the long road recreational cannabis legalization has to go.
3. Less Jurisdictions for Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
The path to legalizing recreational and medical marijuana is rocky, and many concerns remain unanswered, so it appears that cannabis users will have to learn to exercise and grow patience as part of the process.
However, although waiting isn’t a massive problem for recreational marijuana users, it is significant for those who use marijuana to address medical illnesses.
Getting dependable access to purchasing marijuana from a medicinal dispensary, from putting up a licensing system to creating rules, is considerably better handled by state officials than when it comes to the on-the-rise-pot-for-recreational-use shops.
With this in mind, another advantage of having a medical marijuana card in a legal state is that medical cannabis stores are subject to fewer jurisdictions. Did you know that, notwithstanding legalization, towns and counties in legal states can set a restriction on the number of recreational dispensaries that can operate on their land? Cities can even prohibit dispensaries from using within their borders, as Fresno has done.
To put it another way, a medical marijuana card is still the best (and, in some cases, the only) method to gain consistent access to dispensaries. Indeed, recreational and medicinal marijuana dispensary laws are not created equal, but they do operate in favor of MMJ patients rather than the other way around.
4. Higher Limits in Terms of Cannabis Products’ Potency
There is a narrow but significant boundary between the effectiveness limits imposed on recreational shops vs. medicinal marijuana dispensaries.
Effectiveness restrictions, also known as potency limitations, attempt to establish a standard for the number of active cannabinoids in various cannabis products.
The main objective is to keep the number of active chemicals in marijuana derivatives to a minimum so that consumers may get the advantages of the herb without going overboard. However, there is a significant distinction between using marijuana for recreational purposes and using marijuana as a medication, which efficacy limitations attempt to address.
Let’s look at California’s example to see how effectiveness restrictions might benefit medicinal marijuana users in places where the drug is allowed. Cannabis items containing no more than 1000mg of cannabinoids per bundle/product can be sold in California recreational retailers, including edibles and lotions. Medical marijuana shops in California, on the other hand, have the legal authority to sell cannabis products containing around 2000mg of cannabinoids per bundle/product.
Furthermore, Nevada, Colorado, and Oregon follow California’s lead in allowing certified medical marijuana patients to purchase higher-potency cannabis products than recreational users. As you can see, there is a significant variation in effectiveness constraints. It’s crucial to remember, too, that state-by-state potency restrictions might be somewhat different. It is not uncommon to come into perplexing paradoxes.
Because of Alaska’s absence of medical dispensaries, medical marijuana users in Alaska could not choose products with more significant potency limits, even if they wanted to. But suppose the legalization fever continues across the US (and it seems inevitable that it will).
In that case, those who possess a verified medical marijuana card in legal states will be further happy to enjoy more incredible benefits in the foreseeable future. One of these possible benefits is getting the green medication delivered straight into the comfort of their homes. A much-needed practice that Canada might be the first to gradually turn into reality, especially when witnessing the boom of online recreational cannabis purchase and home deliveries.
5. Reduced Taxes and Costs
Unfortunately, a large percentage of people who use marijuana for medicinal purposes merely seek a medical marijuana recommendation.
Many of them appear to be afraid, timid, or believe that sharing personal information required for getting a medical marijuana identification card, which involves state registration, is not worth the trouble. While the entire process of obtaining a medical marijuana identity card (also known as an MMIC) may appear to some to be a waste of time and effort, it is the reverse. The procedure of renewing an existing MMIC is quite simple once completed. However, while uncomplicated and straightforward, it gives MMJ patients the legal right to benefit from lower taxes and prices.
To be more explicit, the only method to avoid paying sales taxes is to get a medical marijuana identification card. When addressing the advantages of having a medical marijuana card in a legal state, we feel it is only fair to conclude with (perhaps) one of the most significant advantages MMJ patients may enjoy having their green prescription tax-free. Last but not least, getting your MMIC ready as soon as possible may be your best move in enjoying the benefits of a medical marijuana card in legal states.
According to new statistics from medical marijuana shops in Nevada, the number of MMJ patients has dropped by a staggering 32 percent since recreational marijuana was legalized.
Nevada isn’t the only state where medical marijuana shops saw a sharp drop in sales immediately after recreational marijuana was legalized – Nevada’s numbers are pretty comparable to Colorado’s and Oregon’s. With these figures in mind, experts believe that once marijuana for recreational and medicinal reasons is legalized nationwide by the US government, medical marijuana cards may become obsolete.
But, let’s not forget, if it weren’t for the enormous desire for medicinal marijuana legalization, recreational marijuana decriminalization would never have entered the global cannabis scene for an infinite length of time.
Most significantly, the advantages of a medical marijuana card in legal states are here to stay for the time being.
Benefits of Medical Marijuana Card in Legal States: The Takeaway
Medicinal marijuana users’ patience will be tested before legal states can build a well-functioning system that serves all MMJ patients to the greatest extent possible.
On the plus side, a lot of progress has been achieved. However, remember that marijuana legalization for medicinal and recreational uses is still increasing, which means we can’t anticipate quick national and state responses. Great things, as they say, take time.
The benefits of a medical marijuana card in legal states are more than welcome when setting higher potency limits. Higher possession and cultivation limits and further alleviations are of the utmost assistance to the most vulnerable marijuana users – those who rely on the green medication for their well-being.
