Last week marked the three month anniversary of legalized cannabis consumption and possession in the state of Virginia.
Thousands of Virginians are trying to connect with a physician in order to apply for a medical marijuana card through the state’s Board of Pharmacy.
Erica Leone, who serves as clinical director at VirginiaMarijuanaCard.com, has said to CBS 6, “It needs to be from a Virginia licensed facility and in order to get into those dispensaries right now you do need a card.”
“You just talk to the practitioner, tell them what’s going on and what medications are or aren’t working for you,” she said. “After the appointment, we will go ahead and get you your physician certification form which needs to be active for the year.”
A medical marijuana card is active for a year once it is approved and then must be renewed. You also must be 21 years and older and a Virginia resident to qualify.
“We see probably around 250 to 300 patients a week depending on the time of year,” Leone remarked. “Over the course of us opening we’ve seen 10,000 patients.”
Virginians were able to apply for a medical marijuana card on August 2020 when the first sales of cannabis extracts began on October 14, 2020.
The Board of Pharmacy spokesperson has said to CBS 6 that currently 1,000 to 1,200 people apply for a medical marijuana card every week.
The website’s operations director, Cassandra Brooks, has said, “In Virginia, I think the process of obtaining your card is easier in terms of qualifying because you don’t need records necessarily.”
“In a state like Ohio, there’s 25 qualifying conditions that can get you a card. You have to have records to verify that qualifying condition but your card is instantaneous you get it immediately at that appointment,” she added.
Brooks says it takes about six weeks for the state to review the applications and send the card in the mail due to the surge in interest.
