If you’ve been, or are being charged with possession of medical marijuana and are wondering why since you have a license, keep reading. You may probably be intrigued by the title of this article; wondering in what way a medical marijuana card may be, other than legally, issued to a patient? Well, you have to be aware that with many states where medical marijuana legalization has been adopted, many people will want to make a living out of offering services of selling marijuana. As a result of this hype, you may have been issued a fake patient ID card.. therefore you may not be in legal possession of medical marijuana.
The laws in this respect are very strict, even in those states where marijuana has been legalized. You could be legally punished if you are in the possession of medical marijuana with a fake patient ID card. Knowingly using a fake ID card to buy medical marijuana, regardless how much you buy, could be a felony in your state. If you think you were suffering before, just wait.
While it is true that many medical conditions can benefit from using weed, you must be sure you are entitled to use it as referred by a doctor. You might also want to make sure that this doctor is authorized to write such a prescription. Example; we don’t believe your chiropractor (depending on the state in which you live) can issue you a medical marijuana prescription.
Possession of Medical Marijuana May Be Illegal If:
Let’s imagine the following scenario. You are diagnosed with a condition that can be at a large extent, helped by medical marijuana and for this reason you want to have this drug administered in order to get rid of pain or any other issue you suffer from that requires the use of medical marijuana.
At this point you will want to go into your local dispensary where you know they provide a certain strain of weed that will provide relief to your suffering. You will be in there believing that the card you present to the clerk is original and authentic. You buy your weed and out the door you go.
Now let’s suppose that very evening while you are driving home from your friends house, a sudden pain crosses your body with such fierceness that it leaves you unable to drive. You pull over and call a cab to come and pick you up because you plan to toke up a dose of your medical marijuana that your doctor prescribed. So, you believe you’ve done the right thing. But, before the cab arrives, a police car pulls up behind your car and as the officer approaches can smell weed coming from your car. He knows you are using, but you don’t worry because you have your patient ID card on you.
Of course, you pull out your patient ID card which you believe allows you to be in possession of medical marijuana. You show the officer the ID card and explain that you are in pain and simply taking your meds. You inform the officer that you knew you wouldn’t be fit to drive anymore and for this reason you have called a cab. But, does the officer believe you?
Keep in mind that no matter whether you are in a state where possession of medical marijuana is legal, being caught possessing this drug is still consider illegal until proven otherwise.
More likely than not, you may be brought into the police station because the officer may not understand the laws, or, you did not understand the medical marijuana use laws. Your best bet here is to remain quiet and let your lawyer talk for you. In the meantime, it is discovered that your ID card is a fake and issued by an unauthorized doctor. At this moment there is nothing that you can do about this except remain calm and be quiet. While your lawyer may get you off the hook , your info will be placed within an online file and you may have to resubmit all of your paperwork to the department of health or whomever issues a medical marijuana patient ID card.
Check Your Doctor or Caregivers Medical Marijuana License
Always assume that before you get your patient ID card that you should have to do some research on the doctor who is issuing the card. This will save you from getting arrested and your name and mugshot blasted across countless web sites.
So, the very first thing that you need to do prior to get your medical marijuana patient ID card: Check all your local services and ask for their license number. Then check their number with the state registration to verify the authenticity of the information. If the doctors office won’t give you a license number, this could mean that it is not an office which is allowed to write prescriptions for weed.
At the same time, it’s important to check with your local Health Department and find out what papers you need to be issued a patient ID card to be in legal possession of medical marijuana. Any local service that can help you get an appointment with a licensed doctor is a trustworthy service. Don’t take advice from your friends unless they are licensed caregivers or medical doctors, or, work for the department of health. Better yet, avoid your friends and always seek proper legal and medical guidance with professionals outside of your peer group.
Once attending the appointment to a doctor licensed to write medical marijuana prescriptions, they should examine you to assess your condition and needs in order to determine if medical marijuana is proper treatment. You’ll only be issued a patient ID card according to the doctors written recommendation. That and after they complete the state application form with your local health Department. This is the process with which to be in legal possession of medical marijuana.
