• First, you must get a medical cannabis authorization

To be a medical cannabis patient in the state of Washington, you must get a Medical Cannabis Authorization from a healthcare practitioner allowed to authorize cannabis for medical purposes. This allows you to grow four plants.

• Second, you may join the database and get a medical cannabis card

Medical cannabis patients with a valid Medical Cannabis Authorization may join the medical cannabis authorization database and get a medical cannabis card from a medically endorsed cannabis retail store (PDF). This allows you to purchase cannabis products sales and use-tax free.

A valid authorization is completely filled out by the patient’s authorizing healthcare practitioner (doctor) and must:

• Be on the Department of Health form number DOH 630-123. Any other form of recommendation, prescription or authorization is invalid;
• Be printed on tamper-resistant paper (see below);
• Include an original signature by the healthcare practitioner, along with the authorization date and expiration date no more than 1 year from date of authorization; or six months for patients under the age of 18.

Yes. The authorizing practitioner is ultimately responsible for the form. In addition, the healthcare practitioner’s office is responsible for verifying that the patient is a Washington state resident, and the authorizing practitioner:

• Must personally fill out and sign the “Attestation of Healthcare Practitioner” and the optional section regarding additional plants, if that section is used.
• May have staff members fill out the “Patient and Designated Provider and Authorizing Healthcare Practitioner Information” sections.
• May pre-print the information in the “Authorizing Healthcare Practitioner Information” section.

Neither the patient nor the designated provider may fill out any portion of the form other than signing under the attestation.

Medical cards are issues Monday-Friday, 10am-3pm. We issue cards onsite at the time of visit and the paperwork from the doctor must be completed properly or the card cannot be issued. Plan for about 15-20 min for your card to be issued. You may then immediately begin to use it at the shop.