A number of states are moving forward with marijuana legalization, and depending on the state, some dispensaries require medical marijuana cards. Even in legal states, many marijuana consumers purchase their marijuana from the black market because they don’t want to go through the process to get a medical marijuana card. Some legal states, like California, have a simple process to receive a medical marijuana card though, so there are many positives and negatives to getting a medical marijuana card.
Many marijuana consumers get medical cards because they provide extra protection to patients and marijuana businesses. Marijuana is still illegal on the federal level even though many states provide medical and recreational cannabis, so a medical card affords legal protection for patients under the state’s marijuana laws. A medical marijuana card can also help consumers save money depending on the state, because some have established tax benefits for those with medical cards. Medical patients purchase marijuana for a cheaper price than recreational users, so there are many positives to getting medical marijuana cards. The process to actually get a medical marijuana card isn’t always simple though, so many consumers and patients don’t bother getting cards.
