Cost to Obtain a Medical MJ Card and Low Income

[His_Highness]

The recent updates to the Florida "medical" legalization laws are finally loosening up and it looks like you don't have to have a terminal illness anymore to qualify for products with higher THC. That's the good news......

This is supposed to be about compassionate care (In fact, "compassionate" is included in the legal descriptive name of many options/requirements) but the cost for the average low income patient seems to be out of reach. From what I could gather it will cost $75 to apply for the state registration and the average MJ doctor fee looks to minimally begin at $200. Lets round that up to $300 to get started. I did notice that some of the MJ doctors who advertise had a money back guarantee for their services. If you don't qualify you get your money back but I don't think it applies to the state registration fee.

You also have to "re-qualify" via your MJ doctor every 210 days and the registration is only good for a year. None of the mainstream healthcare companies cover these fees.

I'm thankful I can afford to pursue medical marijuana if I want to but I can't help but wonder what happens to the low income family who's child needs the help that cannabis can provide.

I realize the cost of healthcare in the US is already a problem but without being able to grow your own how the heck is someone living paycheck to paycheck supposed to get this "compassionate care"?

Is this the same in every state?

 

[C No Ego]

I do not even know where to begin with this... They should be mailing cannabis seeds to those in need!! by they I mean everyone pretty much... it's a plant that is therapeutic, any more questions? what a bunch of tight wads controlling the world man.. let loose the reigns for Gods sake

I recently witnessed someone starting their medical marijuana program with their State... they had to pay out 2000$ before even getting any product at all months later... not only that, the 2000 dollar less recipient had to School the doctors and nurses too because they did not even know how to say cannabinoid!

 

[psychonaut]

We spend around $100 a year here for our medical card. The Colorado medical system is fairly well evolved at this point but I don't believe it was ever that expensive!

 

[His_Highness]

We spend around $100 a year here for our medical card. The Colorado medical system is fairly well evolved at this point but I don't believe it was ever that expensive!

The Florida MJ doctor fees for qualification and establishing a "relationship" with a MJ doctor were what initially had me doing a double take. I understand that everyone needs to make a living but fees starting at $200 seems a bit higher than other doctor visits. If medical MJ is being taken seriously why the off the charts fee? Why isn't the cost in line with visiting a doctor for a sore throat?

I guess another way to look at it is that the cost of healthcare in the US is so out of control maybe the fact that medical MJ healthcare costs are as well means we're almost mainstream

 

[psychonaut]

I agree with you @His_Highness. To be more in line with the current medical system, I'd say $200 initial visit to establish yourself with the doctor, since you'll be going over your medical records and getting acquainted thus a longer visit. The following annual visits should be more in the $75-100 range as these are quick visits, getting caught up from last year.

The real problem I think is the cost of the medicine really. Medicine is still very expensive even out here, and by expensive I mean, compared to the cost to actually grow out the plants. The price on cannabis is over-inflated and the bureaucracies are not helping! I've heard in some areas they are modeling everything to do with cannabis economically off of the black market. Seriously.

I have to buy my flower on sale because it's marked down nearly 50%. It limits the strains but it's how those of us on budgets gotta do it. You can grow in some states and that helps, but for a patient to be expected to always grow their medicine is a challenge to say the least, especially with all the restrictions like not being able to grow outdoors in some states.

 

[newVaper420]

$250 for the year here in NYC and vaporizable oils are $100 bucks for 300mg cart. Too expensive. But I’ll get card for legal protections

 

[MinnBobber]

With the "green tide" advancing state by state, the anti-cannabis crowd sees the "writing on the wall" and realizes if they can't stop a medical program, let's at least make it as user-unfriendly as possible, as expensive as possible, as bureaucratic as possible etc.
That's what happened here in Minnesota--- the only "good" element in the law is that they used the word "cannabis" instead of the derogatory IMO term "marijuana". The rest of the law is the opposite of "in the best interests of the patients".

I see it happening all over. Our yearly reg fee is $200 a year plus doctors fees of course to get the forms approved.
Only two vendors so monopoly pricing, concentrate at $206 per gram. As an example, terminal illness is NOT enough to qualify unless less than 1 year to live AND certain symptoms--- WTF, you can't even die with much needed "cannabis helper" here unless you jump thru the hoops
One vendor has 3 choices of medicine, THC > CBD, THC = CBD, and THC < CBD . That makes finding a strain(s) that works best very tough indeed.

The strategy is then, you already HAVE a medical cannabis program so shut the flock up. Getting it changed is a grueling process in playing their game when the cards are 100% stacked against you.

Like @C No Ego said, states should give out seeds so everyone could access nature's best medicine. One patient here reported a $6000/month tab for their needs (gram of conc a day). Many report $1000- $2000 per month.
Allowing home grows is key to affordability.

We need to fight to expand to full legal in all states and not give up/ not settle for 3rd rate medical programs

 

[elykpeace]

There are people in FL who are in limbo. 3 months backed up trying to even get a card. The mmj in FL is a joke.

What happened to the Florida cannabis act?

Time to regulate just like alcohol..

 

[CarolKing]

Some states have lawmakers that have a poor image of cannabis and really doesn't want to support it. Making it almost impossible for patients to have access to medical weed. If a state doesn't have pain as a condition that would be a deal breaker for me. It's $100 to go to a clinic to get a medical cannabis card in my area. They have a sliding scale for low income folks usually. You have to go back yearly and pay another $100 fee. It takes all of 20 min. We bring in any addition testing, X-rays and chart notes from our physicians. It's a racket. I would go to my doctor but the HMO that I belong to doesn't believe in medical cannabis.

The card just allows us to buy cannabis without having to pay the sales tax. I live in a legal state. If you don't buy very much cannabis it would be worthless to get a card. I think about though what if I were in a wreck and had to take a test to see if I was on "drugs" cannabis would show up. I just think I'm safer being a patient. Hopefully that won't ever happen. Anymore the authorities are testing more folks because of legal cannabis.

States such as Florida the patients will just continue to buy from the black market. The system will need to change. It will take patients voicing their opinion and voting those out of office that aren't working for all the citizens in their state. Start protesting.

 

[His_Highness]

@CarolKing - You mention $100 to go to a clinic.... does that include the doctor recommendation (Dr. Fee) and the state registration fee?

 

[CarolKing]

@His_Highness Yes that covers all of the cost except $1 for a card and we get that through the cannabis store. The state just passed a bill to allow patients seeds and clones. I don't even know where to go to buy them? Im not even sure if they are available yet? It was an afterthought because the legislature didn't think about that. Go figure. I believe the state were acting like the blind leading the blind putting things together for cannabis in our state. I'm not sure if they have things right yet?

 

[C No Ego]

@His_Highness Yes that covers all of the cost except $1 for a card and we get that through the cannabis store. The state just passed a bill to allow patients seeds and clones. I don't even know where to go to buy them? Im not even sure if they are available yet? It was an afterthought because the legislature didn't think about that. Go figure. I believe the state were acting like the blind leading the blind putting things together for cannabis in our state. I'm not sure if they have things right yet?

if only Government turned to a few people in the business to emulate their actions?!? I mean, people already know what to do in regards to health offerings... what we do not know yet, how to skirt around the angry controllers that set up road blocks on everyone's door step

 

[His_Highness]

Things are looking up....

I asked the neurologist office to print out my wife's papers so we could pick them up on the next visit. When we went for the appointment I mentioned that we were going to use the packet to quality for medical cannabis.

We met with the nurse practitioner first so she could do the blood pressure and temperature stuff and she recommended another neurologist for cannabis certification because the other neurologist was a pain management specialist that would be able to make a claim with our insurance company! Seems the other neurologist would be able to claim the doctor visit was for pain management and not "just" cannabis certification.

Then the wife's neurologist came in and he said that he will be getting certified himself now that the course is only two hours long. He new a great deal about cannabis already and even before I mentioned it he brought up that he hoped we weren't smoking it because vaporizing was so much healthier for us. When he also mentioned that he thought it was better to use flower than concentrates and oils because it was more natural, safer and full spectrum .... I almost hugged him

The other surprise came when a few days later, without any contact on our part the office for the neurologist they recommended CALLED US to tell us they had received the referral from our neurologist and could fit us in Wednesday of this week.

This is good news to me because up till then I thought we would have to go to one of those places named "Dr. Cannabis" and pay the $200 fee without insurance coverage. Did I mention my wife has met her deductible for the year

 

[Baron23]

@His_Highness - MD is no great example of state government effectiveness, efficiency, or responsiveness......but I have to say that FL takes the cake.

FL citizens passed a constitutional amendment which Corcoran and Rodrigues immediately set about undermining.

Aside from the incredibly onerous regulatory process for becoming a certified patient, the lack of variety in product (to include no herb), high product prices and limited availability of dispensaries are a joke. Patients take it up the arse while the very wealthy individuals and corporations rake in the bucks in a system that will not tolerate any small business presence.

I'm ecstatic that Morgan is suing their asses off and I strongly recommend that ANYBODY in FL who respects democracy work actively to get rid of the yahoos that are running your legislature. You folks need to 86 these mofos.

Just my never humble opinion.

 

[JCat]

Time to regulate just like alcohol..

Careful ... that's what they are doing here (Canada), and Ontario is at least seriously fucking that up! ... we'll see about the other provinces ...

Hopefully it's a first step and things will improve here ... but at the moment it's looking like I'll be glad to have my medical card and not have to go through recreational market as otherwise I think I'd just go back to the black market ...

Edit: my usual costs have been from 150-300 per 11 months or so. Went up last year, and this year again, so cost me about $450 this year. (They've complicated things some more, and I think upcoming legalization has affected it ...)

 

[elykpeace]

Careful ... that's what they are doing here (Canada), and Ontario is at least seriously fucking that up! ... we'll see about the other provinces ...

Hopefully it's a first step and things will improve here ... but at the moment it's looking like I'll be glad to have my medical card and not have to go through recreational market as otherwise I think I'd just go back to the black market ...

Edit: my usual costs have been from 150-300 per 11 months or so. Went up last year, and this year again, so cost me about $450 this year. (They've complicated things some more, and I think upcoming legalization has affected it ...)

Edit: they need to regulate like sunflowers. Everyones God given right to be able to not only plant but benefit from a plant the creator left to us for USE

 

[C No Ego]

@His_Highness Thats awesome news! makes me happy to see common sense docotors not scared to make sensible ( that makes sense ding ding) recommendations that benefit the patient!= the one who matters... here is a few links that docotrs need to know
https://www.marijuanadoctors.com/
http://www.cmcr.ucsd.edu/index.php

 

[His_Highness]

It made me feel good to have a respected neurologist explain to me in great detail the benefits of cannabis along with the healthier ways to use it. He started with the studies done in Israel, expounded on how the human body works with cannabis and concluded with healthy technologies/vaporization. He did seem to lean toward properly grown flowers being the best choice but did say until flowers are legal the oils/concentrates available are better than smoking. After frequenting this site for a few years I knew just about everything he did but I still enjoyed it coming from a mainstream doctor.

The reason the above made me feel good was because the businesses that make their money on getting you certified don't always feel like a "real" healthcare organization and as previously stated cannot or will not attempt to use mainstream health insurance the way the doctor we're scheduled to see does. I also wish the businesses that are selling certification services didn't name their business using terms like "420" and such. I'm sure it helps on the sales and marketing but its not helping to get my heavily republican state past the stoner stereotype.

 

[C No Ego]

WE are looking at you now in High regard Sir like one of the only ones so far to experience a wise doctor! I can sense those vibes spreading out from your High place of existence may the world experience your highness!

 

[His_Highness]

Thanks @C No Ego! I'll keep posting as we move along in the hopes it will help others. It's not a widely known process and in my state still feels a little circumspect.

When the wife had brain surgery I was upfront with the doctors at the hospital who were a completely different group than who we are dealing with now. I'd say it was 50/50 in terms of the doctors who were knowledgeable and open to cannabis. The ones who weren't didn't cut me off or anything but you could tell they weren't taking me seriously. The ones who did take it seriously, including the brain surgeon himself, are the ones who recommended the neurologist who recommended the new neurologist for the certification. This isn't happening by accident.

It was the open and honest discussions we've been having with these doctors that got us to this point. It's still tough for many to be that openly vocal when worrying about what they're putting in your medical records, reporting to your insurance company or even when using company supplied health insurance even though we all know your medical information is private when it comes to employers. And of course there are those who depend on pain management facilities that were told cannabis use will get them removed from further pain management services. Not everyone is going to be comfortable being this vocal with their doctor or others. To be honest I still get the occasional gut check just based on 40 years of under cover use.

 

[C No Ego]

@His_Highness thank you so much for sharing your experience... what was taboo yesterday is th enorm today... hopefully more people can awake to that possibility... i'm sure doctors will sleep better at night knowing they helped their patients amap regardless how they personally feel about the medication the patient is using...