Frequently Asked Questions for Medical Marijuana

If the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act passes as submitted, then patients who live in the state and have been diagnosed with a qualifying condition will have the opportunity to get approved for medical marijuana. If you have been diagnosed with one of North Carolina’s qualifying conditions, the next step will be to talk to a marijuana doctor, who has been trained in the use of cannabis to treat symptoms and conditions that can benefit from plant medicine.

A North Carolina Medical Marijuana Card shows that your name has been added to the North Carolina Medical Marijuana Registry by a Licensed North Carolina Physician. With this card, you can: 1. Buy marijuana from dispensaries in the State of North Carolina 2. Possess Marijuana and Marijuana Products in the State of North Carolina 3. Consume Marijuana and Marijuana Products in the State of North Carolina ​ A North Carolina Medical Marijuana Card is a personal identification card that shows the patient is a legal North Carolina registered Medical Marijuana Patient.

To obtain your North Carolina Medical Marijuana card, you need to have a North Carolina medical marijuana doctor confirm that you suffer from one or more of the qualifying conditions and recommend medical marijuana to you. Once the program is fully in place, our staff will be here to simplify the process, connecting you with a certified doctor and filing all your necessary paperwork! You must visit a state-licensed physician (not a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant) to obtain a physician certification. You will then apply for an identification card from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

We can’t guarantee approval for anyone, as the doctor is the only person that makes the determination whether or not a patient qualifies. To make it more likely that you receive approval from the doctor, we recommend that you bring as much information as possible to your appointment regarding your medical condition and past treatments. However, you do not have to worry as the entire cost of an appointment will be a nominal flat fee if you, for whatever reason, are not approved by the doctor.

A “qualifying patient” must have a condition or symptom of, or side effect related to the treatment of: Cancer Epilepsy HIV/AIDS ALS Crohn's disease Sickle cell anemia Parkinson's disease PTSD Multiple sclerosis Cachexia or wasting syndrome Severe or persistent nausea (for hospice patients or the bed-bound)

Some doctors charge an exorbitant amount of money just for an initial examination. We feel strongly that if you qualify for Medical Marijuana, you shouldn't have trouble accessing it due to cost. As such, we offer a variety of payment methods, including discounts for veterans, as well as referral discounts to those who spread the word about our services. After the first appointment, all follow-ups are free for 12 months.

No. When your card expires, the legal protection offered by the North Carolina Medical Marijuana Act is expired. You may still submit your renewal application.

Once you have obtained a recommendation from a certified doctor and received your North Carolina Medical Marijuana card, you'll be able to purchase medical marijuana at any of the licensed dispensaries located throughout the state of North Carolina. Since the program has not yet been established, it is unclear where cannabis dispensaries will be located. However, in most states with an established medical marijuana program, there are several throughout the state.

No. There is not currently a provision in the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act allowing residents to grow their own medical marijuana. However, there is always the opportunity for this to change in the future.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Medical Marijuana Program will set caps on the amount of marijuana that can be purchased by a patient, and those have not yet been established.

We encourage you to contact your insurance provider or Medicaid official for an answer; however, we are not aware of any insurance providers that cover the costs of Medical Marijuana at present.

The cost of Medical Marijuana will be set by each dispensary. At this point, it isn’t clear what those prices will be exactly. With 32 dispensaries located throughout the state of North Carolina, we hope that the competition will keep prices low and affordable.

At this time, reciprocity has not been established for residents of North Carolina.

A designated caregiver is a person who is selected by a qualifying patient as the person authorized, on the qualifying patient’s behalf, to possess, obtain from a certified Medical Marijuana dispensary, dispense and assist in the administration of Medical Marijuana. Caregivers must apply for a registry card. It is not legal for caregivers to consume, by any means, Medical Marijuana that has been dispensed on behalf of a registered qualifying patient.

After the person in your care receives a recommendation for medical marijuana from a certified marijuana doctor, caregivers will submit an application to the Medical Marijuana Control Program to purchase medical marijuana on behalf of the patient.

Yes. Qualified patients under 18 years of age cannot purchase medical marijuana from a dispensary. The legal guardian or parent will be required to register as a caregiver to buy medical marijuana for a minor.

Yes. A caregiver may serve more than one patient. A caregiver must apply for a registry card for each patient.

Yes. A caregiver may be a registered qualifying patient.

Unfortunately, the answer is yes, they can. The North Carolina Compassionate Care Act does not provide protection to medical marijuana patients from employee drug testing. It will be left to the discretion of each employer whether they wish to recognize an employee's medical marijuana approval as an exemption to company drug testing policies. However, employers are prohibited from discriminating against an individual in hiring, termination, or any term or condition of employment based on an individual’s past or present status as a caregiver or a qualifying patient.

The privacy of our patients is a top priority of ours, so we make sure all patient information is kept confidential in our HIPAA compliant file storage system.