Alaska Medical Marijuana Patients License

Getting an Alaska medical marijuana patients license isn’t all that difficult. Passed in 1999, Ballot Measure 8 removed the state’s criminal penalties for the possession, use and growing of marijuana by patients who have a written authorization from their doctor documenting the necessity of medical marijuana treatment. Approved in June of 1999, the Senate Bill 94 protects legal rights of medical marijuana patients who enroll in the Alaska patient registry. Those patients who do not enroll in the program and are arrested for possession of marijuana will not be able to claim “medical necessity” to the arresting department.

You must keep in mind, just because you may have an Alaska medical marijuana patients license, it does not allow you to possess more than 1 ounce of marijuana or smoke weed in public.

What You Will Need from Your Physician

To get an Alaska medical marijuana license you will need a statement signed by your doctor that you were personally examined and that the examination took place in the context of a true physician/patient relationship and the date that the examination occurred. You doctor must state that you have been diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition; also claiming that he/she has considered other approved treatments and medications which may provide relief, that are reasonably available and tolerable to you (the patient), and lastly, that your doctor has concluded you will benefit from the use of medical marijuana. Your doctor will need to give you a sworn application on a form provided by the Department containing the following information:

• Your name, address, date of birth, and Alaska driver’s license, passport or identification card number
• The doctor’s name, address, and telephone number
• The name, address, date of birth, and Alaska driver’s license or identification card number of your primary or alternate caregiver if either is designated at the time of application, along with the statements required.
• If the patient is a minor, a statement by the minor’s parent or guardian that the patient’s doctor has explained the possible risks and benefits of medical marijuana and that the parent or guardian consents to serve as the primary caregiver for the patient and to control the acquisition, possession, dosage, and frequency of use.

A person may be listed under this section as the primary caregiver or alternate caregiver for a patient if the person submits a sworn statement on a form provided by the department. The primary or alternate caregiver must also be annotated on the form at the time the application is being completed. The primary or alternate caregiver must be:

• At least 21 years of age
• Has never been convicted of a felony offense or a law or ordinance of another jurisdiction with elements similar to an offense under AS 11.71 or AS 11.73
• Is not currently on probation or parole from Alaska or another jurisdiction.

Alaska Medical Marijuana Laws

Section 17.37.040 limits the restrictions on the use of medical marijuana. We have included excerpts below but if you want all of the information you can freely download the Alaska state statute by clicking this link: Alaska Medical Marijuana Law (Adobe PDF reader will be needed) Or, you can read about it on the following page: Alaska Medical Marijuana License Law As a patient (or a primary/alternate caregiver) you may legally possess no more than one ounce of usable marijuana, grow no more than 3 marijuana plants and 3 immature plants at any time. More rules followed below.

You may not do the following with your medical marijuana license or product:

1. You may not openly display your marijuana outside the place where you can lawfully possess it
2. You may not use medical marijuana in plain view of the general public
3. You may not possess more than one (1) ounce of medical marijuana at any given time
4. You may only be allowed to grow (cultivate) 3 mature plants and 3 immature plants at any given time
5. You may not use within 500 feet of a school
6. You may not use on a school bus
7. You may not use within 500 feet of a recreation or youth center
8. You may not use in a corrections facility or medical facility
9. You may not sell or distribute marijuana to any person, except that a patient may deliver marijuana to the patient’s primary caregiver and a primary caregiver may deliver marijuana to the patient for whom the caregiver is listed;

Approved Conditions for an Alaska Medical Marijuana Patients License

• Cancer
• Chronic Pain
• Epilepsy
• Seizures
• Glaucoma
• HIV | AIDS
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Nausea