How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in West Virginia
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The first step to getting a West Virginia medical marijuana card is to get in touch with a physician registered with the West Virginia Department of Human and Health Resources Bureau. The good news is that MMJCardOnline can connect you with a registered physician in West Virginia quickly, saving you valuable time.
Register Online with the OMC
Once you have been certified, go online and create an account on the OMC’s official website. Use the site’s registration portal to apply for your West Virginia medical marijuana card. Pay the $50 patient registry fee (unless you are eligible for a financial hardship fee waiver) and await approval.
Receive Your WV MMJ Card
The OMC will review your application. Please note that it can take between 30-60 days for your application to be approved. If your application is approved, the OMC will send you your West Virginia medical marijuana card. You can then visit a dispensary and legally purchase cannabis products.
How to Apply for a Medical Marijuana Card in West Virginia
- A Step-by-Step Guide
- Check your eligibility
- Schedule an appointment with a registered physician
- Attend your appointment and get certified
- Register online with the OMC using the official website’s registration portal
- Pay the $50 registry fee
- Await a review of your application
- Receive your MMJ card
West Virginia Medical Marijuana Card Qualifying Conditions
To be eligible for a West Virginia MMJ card, you must have been diagnosed by a doctor with one or more of the following qualifying medical conditions:
Patient Qualifying Conditions
- Cancer
- ALS
- Neuropathies
- Multiple sclerosis
- Severe, chronic, or intractable pain, which is neuropathic in origin, or where opiate and conventional therapy have proven ineffective in treating the condition.
- Sickle cell anemia
- Parkinson’s disease
- Terminal illness
- Crohn’s disease
- Huntington’s disease
- PTSD
- HIV/AIDS
- Damage to the spinal cord nervous tissue with an “objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity.”
- Intractable seizures
- Epilepsy
General Guidelines
In the next sections, we will outline how to renew your West Virginia medical marijuana card and provide you with important information regarding caregiver rules.
Medical Marijuana Card Renewal in West Virginia
Your MMJ card is valid for 12 months and must be renewed before it expires if you want to continue legally purchasing cannabis products in West Virginia. To renew your WV medical marijuana card, you need to schedule another consultation with a registered physician. Next, log into your account on the OMC’s website and complete and submit a Patient Renewal application and pay the renewal fee.
Caregiver Rules
MMJ patients in West Virginia can appoint a caregiver to assist them with their medical marijuana needs, such as purchasing cannabis products for them at state-licensed dispensaries.
To be eligible to become a caregiver in Virginia, the applicant must be at least 21 years old. They must also consent to a criminal background check. The applicant must register with the Bureau of Health, fill out the Patient Authorization for Designation of Caregiver form, and include it with their application.
In West Virginia, a caregiver can assist up to a maximum of five medical marijuana patients. An MMJ patient can choose up to two caregivers to help assist them with their needs.
History of Cannabis in West Virginia
West Virginia has taken a long time to legalize medicinal cannabis. Between 2010 and 2015, the state introduced medical marijuana bills each year. However, there were enough opponents to stop the bills from becoming law. Finally, on April 19, 2017, Governor Jim Justice signed Senate Bill 386 into law, breaking the resistance. This authorized marijuana for certain medical illnesses.
Due to a series of setbacks, the first licensed dispensary did not open until November 2021! Attempts in West Virginia to decriminalize marijuana possession have unfortunately stalled.
West Virginia Medical Marijuana Laws and Rules
Possession of any amount of marijuana without an MMJ card is a misdemeanor in West Virginia. If convicted, you could spend 90 days to 6 months in prison. Selling any amount of marijuana is a felony, and you face a one-year mandatory minimum sentence and a five-year maximum sentence if convicted.
Marijuana-growing penalties in West Virginia depend on the total weight of the plants.
However, growing just one plant could result in a six-month prison sentence.
What Types of Cannabis Can I Purchase in West Virginia?
Patients with a medical marijuana card in Virginia have access to the following:
- Tinctures
- Flower
- Liquids
- Oils
- Pills
- Topicals, including dermal patches
Please note that while it is lawful to vaporize dry marijuana flower, it is illegal to smoke marijuana.
How Much Cannabis Can I Buy and Possess?
WV law allows for a 30-day supply of cannabis to be purchased at one time. However, there is no indication of the number of ounces, and it is up to the certifying physician to determine an appropriate amount.
Where can I Legally Purchase MMJ in West Virginia?
West Virginia has the unenviable distinction of having the slowest MMJ rollout of all American states with medical marijuana programs. The first dispensary opened in November 2021, almost four and a half years after the legislation legalizing medical marijuana was passed.
There were only a few MMJ dispensaries in the state at first, but today there are dozens. The OMC published a list of 100 dispensary license holders. Trulieve and the Landing Cannabis Dispensary are two of the companies that have opened facilities in West Virginia.
Can I Take my MMJ to a Different State?
No. Marijuana remains federally illegal under the Controlled Substances Act. It is thus unlawful to travel across state lines with marijuana in your possession.
FAQ About Getting an MMJ Card in West Virginia
According to the West Virginia MMJ Program, the OMC will assess your application 30-60 days after receiving your application and payment. At that point, you will receive an email informing you of the status of your application.
Users of MMJCardOnline have an extremely high approval rate. To increase your chances of success, please read the information in this guide before applying. In the unlikely event you're not approved, you will receive a full refund.
MMJ Card Online has a very high approval rate. However, if you are not approved, you will receive a full refund.
The application fee for a West Virginia medical marijuana card is $50, although the fee is waived if you qualify for a financial hardship waiver. To be eligible for the fee waiver, patients must have a household income at least 200% below the federal poverty threshold. The fee for a doctor's consultation varies greatly. You could pay between $150 and $300. Fee payment must be mailed to the following address: Office of Medical Cannabis 350 Capitol Street, Room 523 Charleston, WV 25301 Please note that the memo line of the check or money order must include the Application ID number and patient name.