In a matter of weeks, on July 1st, cannabis will be legal in the state of Virginia, with some stipulations, of course. And while Virginia embraced medical cannabis months ago, there are many people who are looking to go the medical route so they may visit designated dispensaries around the state of Virginia and they have no way to go about it. I know because I once was once of those people. And I'm happy to report it's not as hard as you'd think. I'll explain.
Though medical cannabis will be legal in Virginia, it's time to talk about those parameters I mentioned. Virginia residents can hold up to an ounce of cannabis legally and are able to grow up to (how many?) plants. However, if you are looking for medical grade cannabis that is only in a dispensary, you will need to go through a few steps.
In order to go to a Virginian dispensary, you will need to do two things:
- Earn a diagnosis of a qualifying illness from a licensed Virginian physician who is registered with the Board of Pharmacy.
- Register with the Board of Pharmacy yourself.
After you receive your evaluation and your doctor decides you would be a good candidate for medical cannabis, you'll need to pay $50 dollars to submit an application as a potential medical marijuana patient to the Board of Pharmacy.
Fortunately, due to the internet, this process can be done from the comfort of your home using services like Green Health Docs. The appointment costs around $200 (the price I was given) and you will need to make sure to bring any supporting documentation of your condition to the appointment. It'll only speed everything along.
You can complete the application here after you receive your certification.
If you're concerned whether your medical condition will be elegible for medical cannabis, try not to worry too much. Virginia has made it clear their list of covered ailments is open-ended, and a doctor can make the evaluation.
A few common covered treatments include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Cancer
- Glaucoma
If you are a caregiver of a patient would benefit from treatment, you will be able to register on behalf of your patient, but understand you will also need to register for yourself as a caregiver.
It takes about two weeks (thirteen days for me) to receive your card, and once you do, you're ready to go!
Now the big question is: where are the dispensaries in Virginia? Unfortunately, there are none currently in Virginia Beach. The first dispensary in the state only opened last year (2020) on October 17, so honestly, we're just lucky to have a few available.
There are five medical marijuana dispensaries in Virginia---one in each of the state's Health Service Area. For Virginia Beach patients, the closest "pharmaceutical processor" would be Columbia Care in Portsmouth.
The four other locations are:
- Dalitso in Manassas
- Dharma Pharmaceuticals in Bristol
- Green Leaf in Richmond
- PharmaCann in Staunton
You cannot purchase cannabis anywhere else, but I think we should all just be happy Virginiai is moving in this direction, because cannabis helps so many people.
What do you think about Virginia's new stance on cannabis? Will you be getting your card?
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https://greenhealthdocs.com/virginia-medical-cannabis-program/
https://www.nbc12.com/2020/10/15/first-medical-cannabis-dispensary-open-virginia/
https://www.mpp.org/states/virginia/
https://depositphotos.com/8694709/stock-photo-cannabis-background.html