In 2016, California passed Proposition 64, or The Adult Use of Marijuana Act. This act legalized owning small quantities of legal weed, but that doesn’t mean you can rush right out and buy it. The legalization doesn’t take place until 2018, so unless you have a California medical marijuana card, it’s still illegal for you to buy weed, but oddly enough, not to possess it.
Luckily, getting your hands on that card is a lot easier than you might think, and once you have it, you’ll be able to legally buy marijuana at dispensaries across the great state of California. Here’s everything you need to know about legally buying medical marijuana in California.
Thanks to the internet and more medical professionals offering their services, you can now get an MMJ card online.
How Do I Get a California MMJ Card?
California was the first state to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, and the practice dates back to 1975. A lot has changed since then, and getting your hands on a medical marijuana card is a lot easier than you think.
What you need to get a medical weed card is essentially a note from a doctor. Since marijuana is still illegal under federal law, this doctor’s letter isn’t a prescription, but rather a recommendation. Marijuana is used to treat literally thousands of ailments, so finding one that can help treat you is simple.
The best news is that you can now even get this all done online, saving you the time and hassle of going through the process of visiting a specialized weed doctor! Technically, you don’t need the card, and all you need is a letter given to you by your weed doctor. But the card fits right in your wallet, so it’s worth getting and it saves you the hassle of carrying around the letter (which would inevitably become damaged). With this card, you’ll be able to legally buy weed at dispensaries all across California.
What Are the Restrictions to Buying Cannabis with a Medical Weed Card?
In California, you need to be 18 years old and own a medical marijuana card to legally buy weed. That is, unless you have a registered carer who is legally able to buy it for you. Without a medical marijuana card, you’ll need to be 21 years of age when you’ll be able to legally buy weed.
It’s also important to remember that you need to be an official resident of California to get your medical marijuana card. You’ll need either a birth certificate or a California ID, with proof of residency. Without this, you won’t be able to legally buy weed in California.
Where Can I Legally Buy MMJ in California?
Instead of feeling weird or scared to buy medical marijuana in a secret place, you can now purchase it at dispensaries across the state of California.
Gone are the days when you’d have to resort to finding shady dealers on street corners, never knowing what kind of weed you were going to get. You can now legally buy weed with your cannabis card at thousands of dispensaries across California.
A simple Google search will tell you where the closest dispensary to you is. You can even read reviews about them online to make up your mind if there are a couple in your location.
How Much Medical Marijuana in California Can I Legally Buy?
Without a medical marijuana card, you’ll only be allowed to carry one ounce of marijuana on yourself, or purchase it from a dispensary when it becomes legal. With a weed card, you’re entitled to have 8 ounces of marijuana on you at any time and can buy weed from your local dispensary in quantities up to 8 ounces.
How Many Marijuana Plants in California Can I Have with an MMJ Card?
If you are growing medical marijuana in California, the best place to do it is in your back yard.
You can grow 6 marijuana plants with your registered cannabis card. Without a card, you’ll only be able to grow one plant. It’s important to remember that this doesn’t mean you can start growing weed in your front lawn. All weed plants will need to be out of public sight.
We’d recommend growing them in your back yard, and if you don’t have the option of doing this, then use a tarp to hide them from the general public. As an extra bonus, it will also stop them from being stolen.
The great thing about California is that it’s one of the most fertile places on earth. You won’t need special equipment or expensive lights to get started. Literally, just a couple seeds, soil and regular watering and you’ll have some beautiful marijuana plants in no time!
Where Can I Legally Consume My Medical Marijuana in California?
If you’re a California native, you’ll be used to smelling faint aromas of marijuana in public spaces. This is just part of our culture. However, this is technically illegal, and with or without a medical marijuana card you’re only supposed to be able to smoke weed in your own private residence.
While state authorities don’t enforce this with an iron fist, we recommend being safe rather than sorry when it comes to your public consumption. While there won’t be prison time, there may be some pretty sizable fines.
Just use your own judgment and don’t do anything that puts you or any members of the public in danger. Especially don’t smoke near children – this is where fines can quickly become far more severe and possibly even lead to jail time!