Most U.S. states have given the green light to medical cannabis. They all regulate medical cannabis differently, with varying levels of control. For instance, state laws differ in relation to how caregivers can obtain medical cannabis on behalf of a patient.
The idea here is that caregivers do not necessarily use medical cannabis themselves. But because their patients are unable to obtain medications on their own, the caregivers do it for them. This does not mean that a caregiver can just walk into a medical cannabis pharmacy and buy vapes. Certain rules need to be followed.
The Medical Cannabis Card
At the heart of this whole discussion is the medical cannabis card. Also known as a medical card, it is a state-issued card that acts as a license to purchase, possess, and consume medical cannabis. There are different cards for different needs. Let’s look at Utah. According to the medical card experts at BeehiveMed, the state issues four types of cards:
Patient Card – For legal adults with a medical provider recommendation and no need of caregiver assistance.
Caregiver Card – For legal adults who provide routine care to individuals with valid Patient cards.
Guardian Card – For adult legal guardians of minor children who have been approved by the Compassionate Use Board for medical cannabis treatment.
Non-Resident Card – For out-of-state visitors with valid medical cannabis cards in their respective states of residence.
Utah’s Caregiver card could be for any qualified caregiver regardless of that person’s relation to the patient. A caregiver could be a family member, a friend, or even a professional employed by a third-party organization.
A License to Purchase
It is important that both patients and caregivers understand what a Caregiver card allows. Let us stick with Utah as our example. State regulations allow caregivers with valid cards to purchase medical cannabis on behalf of their patients. But that’s it.
A caregiver may not consume medical cannabis under the authority of a Caregiver card. If that person wants to use medical cannabis, they must apply for a Patient card. The Caregiver card is only a license to purchase on someone else’s behalf. The patient in question must have a valid Patient card as well.
State law also does not allow applying a Caregiver card to multiple patients. A separate card governs each caregiver-patient relationship. This is because Caregiver and Patient cards are linked.
Who Can Be a Designated Caregiver
The states generally don’t put restrictions on who can be designated as a caregiver for the purposes of obtaining medical cannabis. There are no requirements that a caregiver be a registered nurse, for example. Under the law, a caregiver and a clinician are two different things.
That said, it is in a patient’s best interest to designate a trustworthy person as caregiver. Otherwise, a patient’s medical cannabis card could be put in jeopardy. Caregivers must always obey the law. If they violate the law and the patient goes along with it, both could be in trouble.
One last thing of note is that some states allow patients to designate multiple caregivers. Utah is one of them. This is ideal in situations where family members share caregiving responsibilities equally. Every family member who might have to take a trip to the medical cannabis pharmacy can get a Caregiver card.
States with medical cannabis programs accommodate caregiver needs in different ways. The important thing to remember is that caregivers can legally obtain medical cannabis on behalf of those they care for. It is a simple matter of learning the rules and following them.
