Medical Marijuana ID Cards
What is a Medical Marijuana Identification Card (MMIC)?
Medical marijuana identification card is the way many states and localities that have legalized medicinal cannabis programs, have dealt with ensuring the safety and access to medicinal cannabis of patients who are registered within their system. For example, California which has the largest number of medical cannabis patients in the United States, once you have the letter from your physician, that does not entitle you to go and buy medicinal cannabis. You have to first go to The Health Department in New York City or County, and based on that letter and other information, they will then issue you an identification card. And it is that identification card which allows you to gain access and purchase medicinal cannabis.
How much does it cost to apply for an MMIC card?
The cost for applying for a card varies, from free or nominal to some areas that have been increasing the cost for them, almost in a punitive way. In some areas of California it's been proposed that they double or triple the rates, and then community groups and Americans with Safe Access have sued to try to keep those increases from going in, because they can be considerable. This can be in the hundreds of dollars. I would say most of them are twenty-five, thirty, fifty dollars. I don't believe there's a waiting period in most areas, so as soon as you have the letter of recommendation from your physician, you can go to the health department and in most cases have it issued on the spot, like a driver's license.
Does health insurance pay for an MMIC card?
Most health insurances will not. However there are some health insurance systems, particularly those that are very much involved in states like California, such as the Kaiser Permanente system, that I am not sure if they pay for the card, but many of them will pay for and reimburse you for the purchase of the medicinal cannabis, if it is within a legalized and certified program.
