What is the process for legally obtaining medical cannabis in the State of Maryland?
Maryland Residents:
Step 1: Register as a patient with MCA
- Adult Patients (18+ years of age):
- To prepare for registration, please review the Process Overview for registering as a patient.
- Minor Patients (Under 18 years of age):
- Minor patients are required to have at least one caregiver assigned to their accounts at all times. Only parents or legal guardians 21 years of age and older are eligible to serve as caregivers for minor patients.
- Caregivers must register with the MCA prior to registering the minor patient. Registering a minor patient requires additional forms, one of which must be notarized, so please review carefully the requirements in the Process Overview and Quick Reference Card documents for registering a minor patient.
Step 2: Obtain a written certification from a provider registered with the MCA.
Once registered, patients must obtain a valid written certification from a provider registered with the Maryland Cannabis Administration. The patient is required by law to have a bona fide provider-patient relationship with the provider and the provider must approve medical cannabis as a treatment option for the patient for a qualifying medical condition. Qualifying medical conditions include cachexia, anorexia, wasting syndrome, severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, severe or persistent muscle spasms, glaucoma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or another chronic medical condition which is severe and for which other treatments have been ineffective.
The
Provider Registry is open and the Commission encourages providers to register. Any provider with an active, unrestricted license in good standing with their corresponding board and actively registered to prescribe controlled substances in Maryland is eligible to register with MCA.
When both the patient and provider are registered with MCA, the provider will need the patient’s MCA-issued Patient ID Number to issue the certification for medical cannabis through the Commission’s secure online application.
Step 3: Visit a licensed Maryland dispensary
After registering, obtaining a valid written certification from a registered provider, and printing a temporary MCA Patient ID card, patients are able to visit licensed Maryland dispensaries to purchase medical cannabis.
When purchasing medical cannabis at a licensed dispensary, patients will be required to present their MCA ID card. The dispensary agent will verify the patient’s certification in the MCA's database before conducting any transaction.
Patients may only purchase and obtain a maximum of a thirty-day supply of medical cannabis at one time.
Please note: A certification that is not used to purchase medical cannabis, at a licensed dispensary in the state of Maryland, within 120 days of issuance becomes null and void.
