What can you expect when applying for a medical marijuana patient card? A few years have passed since the legalization of medical cannabis here in Missouri, but only several months have gone by since the state’s first actual cannabis sale. Officials have commended the speed with which they have gotten the voter-approved cannabis program off the ground. This is great news for patients who wish to use an alternative route for pain management. If you have never been through the process of applying for a medical card, it can seem a bit daunting at first. We’ll explain in a few short easy steps how you can obtain your medical card, and what to expect when applying for a medical marijuana (MMJ) patient card.
Finding a Doctor
You’ll first want to get in contact with an MD or DO that is in good standing with the state of Missouri, and have them assess your situation. While any doctor in Missouri can legally prescribe medical cannabis, you might find better luck searching for doctors who specialize in this. You can expect that some doctors will still be on the fence about prescribing outside of Western medicine. If you have a family physician, but feel uncomfortable asking about cannabis, we have some suggestions.
Elevate Holisitcs offers an easy-to-use platform for people who want care in the privacy of their own home. They provide a full service option, meaning their support team will complete the application to Missouri after the doctor consult. They will set up the account with DHSS, upload the cannabis recommendation, complete the online paperwork, images, health history & prompt you when it’s time to pay the $25 fee. This is a service completely free to Veterans and Medicare patients. By using the link, you can pay $100 for your first exam or $75 for renewals.
Missouri Green Doctors offers excellent medical cannabis exams with knowledgeable staff and doctors who help walk you through every step of the process. We partnered with MGD to offer an affordable exam at $99, normally priced at $150. Missouri Green Doctors offers TeleMed, which allows you to receive expert care from the comfort of your own home. Check out their great Google rating here, and hear what patients have to say about their services. They have three physical locations in St. Louis, Lebanon, and Cape Girardeau. Use discount code ‘GOPRIMO’ at checkout to get your referral price!
Bonnie Friehling, MD is a holistic practitioner who specializes in this type of medicine and will happily walk you through the entire process of obtaining your medical card. She is located in Columbia, MO.
NuggMD provides expert healthcare for potential cannabis users directly from the comfort of their home. You will be evaluated through online interaction.
Green Health Docs is another option that can be done in-person or online that offers a quick turnaround so you can get your medical card even faster.
You’ll want to make sure your doctor fills out the physician’s certification form. You will need this form when applying for your card through the state. If you can’t print the form at home, there’s no need to worry. You can fill out your part of the form directly on your computer, save the changes, and download it. Your doctor will also more than likely already have these forms available for filling out. Applying caregivers will need a Patient Authorization Form and the patient’s license number, which the patient will receive once their application is approved. This number will begin with PAT. Next you will want to register into the State of Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services Complia page.
Register
After you have received the okay from your doctor, and have your physician’s form, you will need to register with the Complia application portal. You will be creating an account for your patient access to your mmj card. This account is where you will start your application to receive your card.
Application
Once you have access to your Complia application portal, you will click “Create New Application” under your name at the top left of the portal. You will be asked to provide general information about yourself, contact information, and physician condition information (which are the answers you will get from the physician form). You will also be asked to provide documentation. You will want to have these items ready for your application process:
A digital photo of yourself. This needs to be a clear, colored photo taken within the last 3 months.
Proof of Missouri residency. This would be very similar to the proof guidelines set at the DMV.
Government Issued Photo ID
Physician Certification Form
Once you have completed the process of applying for your med card, you can expect to receive your response from the state within 30 days. You might hear some people who have received their answer in a matter of two weeks, but it’s fairly normal for this process to take a little longer considering the rise in popularity of medical cannabis. The process of applying for your card must be done online, nothing can be sent through mail.
3Fifteen Primo Cannabis is a locally-owned dispensary in Columbia, MO. 5 locations will be opened for our patients, with our next opening in Valley Park, MO very soon. 3Fifteen Primo Budtenders are very knowledgeable and happy to help with this process. Visit us on our website to get connected with a team member for any cannabis questions and concerns.
