As Missouri residents eagerly await recreational weed laws to pass, many MMJ patients in the Show-Me State wonder if renewing their medical card is really worth it.
Why renew your Missouri MMJ card if rec weed is legal?
As it turns out, MMJ patients in Missouri actually have the upper hand when it comes to legal weed, even if MO recreational weed does indeed become a thing. If your MMJ card is poised to expire, there are a few reasons renewing your medical marijuana card makes the most sense.
We want Missourians to make the most of their legal marijuana experience. If you’re a current card holder, making sure you renew your Missouri MMJ card means you’ll continue to have the best legal cannabis experience possible.
Here’s how.
Why Renew Your Missouri MMJ Card (Even If Rec Weed Is Legal)
We’re all for legal weed.
But we’re also all for individuals getting the best legal weed experience possible.
For Missouri MMJ card holders, this means maintaining your medical cannabis status. While legal rec use may soon be a real thing, there are some big differences when it comes to medical vs. recreational marijuana in Missouri.
Here we’ll take a look at why renewing your medical card is the way to go.
5 Reasons to Renew Your Missouri MMJ Card
Having your Missouri medical card is the way to go if you want to take advantage of all things legal weed in the Show-Me State.
Following, you’ll find the top five reasons to renew your medical marijuanas card in Missouri (even if recreational weed becomes legal).
1. Continued Access To Cannabis Products
While it sounds wonderful, recreational weed sales don’t begin the day the state legalizes cannabis. There are countless fine details that lawmakers must address before recreational sales can start.
That said, it’s not uncommon for residents to wait…and wait…and wait some more for legal cannabis sales to commence.
Take Virginia, for example. The state legalized recreational cannabis in 2021, but adult-use laws won’t go into effect until 2024. How much do you want to bet that Virginia MMJ patients are diligent about keeping up on their cannabis card renewal up to date?
If you want continued access to legal cannabis products in Missouri, renewing your medical marijuana card is key. The last thing you want is for your card to expire as you wait for adult-use laws to go into effect.
While recreational sales of marijuana in Missouri might not take four years, it could be a while before adults are able to walk into a dispensary and buy an ounce of their favorite flower.
Bottom line: If you want continued access to legal cannabis products in the state of Missouri, make sure you renew your MO medical marijuanas card.
2. Continued Legal Security in Possessing Cannabis Products
When you renew your Missouri MMJ card, you ensure that you maintain continued legal safety when possessing cannabis products.
Current Missouri marijuana laws permit MMJ patients to possess up to a 60-day supply of dried cannabis (or its equivalent) at one time. In Missouri, a 60-day supply is eight ounces or 226 grams.
Although the state decriminalized cannabis and Missouri marijuana laws aren’t the most restrictive in the country, there’s no reason to risk legal trouble when you can avoid it.
Consider this:
If you don’t have a current medical card in Missouri, the state considers possession of 10-35 grams a misdemeanor crime that costs you up to $2,000 in fines and a year in jail. Possession of over 35 grams is a felony, with a punishment of up to seven years of incarceration and a possible $10,000 fine. Historically, possession of more than 35 grams of weed in Missouri has been charged as intent to distribute.
Why get in trouble for possession when you can simply renew your medical marijuanas card in Missouri?
If you want to continue to legally possess up to 226 grams of weed in the Show-Me State and avoid any legal repercussions, you need to renew your Missouri MMJ card.
3. Possession Limits
It’s clear that renewing your medical marijuana card in Missouri will keep you out of legal trouble when possessing weed. Did you know that if Missouri passes recreational laws, medical marijuana possession limits will increase?
True story.
If Missouri passes the initiative to legalize recreational marijuana, medical marijuana patients will be able to possess more weed than they already do. Registered current MMJ cardholders will be able to possess up to six ounces instead of four.
That means the legal possession limit for Missouri medical card patients will jump from a 60-day supply of 226 grams to a 60-day supply of 340 grams.
If there was ever a reason to renew a medical marijuanas card in Missouri, this is definitely it. If you’re an MMJ patient in Missouri, make sure cannabis card renewal is on your list of priorities.
By renewing your medical marijuana card, you maintain MMJ card holder status if recreational laws are passed…and get to possess more weed in the process.
How’s that for a win-win?
4. Priority Service
Why renew my medical marijuana card if Missouri is going to legalize weed anyway?
Let’s say recreational weed is legal in Missouri. While this would undoubtedly be something to celebrate, Missouri MMJ cardholders still have the upper hand when it comes to priority service.
With several medical dispensaries that offer home delivery in Missouri, medical patients can get their weed delivered right to their door. Talk about convenience. Especially during those cold, harsh winter months.
If you opt-out of MO medical card renewal, delivery to your doorstep is no longer an option. Renew your Missouri MMJ card and you still have access to weed, even if your car breaks down or something else happens that keeps you from physically being able to get to the dispensary.
5. Lower Prices
MO medical card renewal also means you pay lower prices on cannabis products.
Even if the Show-Me state passes recreational laws, Missouri MMJ cardholders will pay less than recreational cannabis consumers.
Under current Missouri medical marijuana laws, MMJ patients pay a 4% sales tax on every MMJ purchase. There is no additional excise tax on medical cannabis purchases.
Taxes on recreational weed in MO will be much different. If the state passes rec laws, there will be a 6% tax on every marijuana purchase. The legislation will also allow local governments to add a 3% tax on top of that.
In some places, Missouri could tax recreational marijuana up to 9%. Keep up with your current MMJ card and you continue to pay 4%. Who knew a simple cannabis card renewal could prove to be so lucrative?
Seriously, sign me up! How exactly do I renew my medical marijuana card in Missouri?
We’re glad you asked.
How To Renew Your Medical Marijuanas Card In Missouri
If I want to renew my medical marijuana card, how do I do it?
If your MMJ card is set to expire in the next 60 days, it’s time to think about setting up an appointment to start the renewal process.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) currently requires Missouri medical marijuana patients to renew their MMJ card annually. Renewal will cost you $25, and you must get recertified by a doctor.
You complete the whole process is online and it should only take about 20 minutes to complete. Once you submit everything, you’ll receive your cannabis card renewal within 30 days.
Note: Complete the process to renew your Missouri MMJ card at least 30 days before it is set to expire. This ensures DHHS has plenty of time to process your application.
Now that you know how to renew your medical marijuanas card in Missouri, allow us to make the process even easier.
How Can Elevate Holistics Help Me Renew My Medical Marijuana Card?
As much as we want to see recreational weed legalized in Missouri, we also know that there are some real benefits to renewing your MMJ card. If you’re wondering how to renew your medical marijuanas card in Missouri, we’ve got you covered.
At Elevate Holistics, we want your Missouri medical marijuana card renewal to be as quick and easy as possible. We’re here to help with MMJ card renewal services, simplifying the process so you don’t have to worry about a thing.
From putting you in touch with a qualified cannabis physician to helping you with the renewal process itself, we make cannabis card renewal as stress-free as possible.
Contact us today to see how we can help ensure your MMJ card stays current so you can continue to enjoy legal cannabis consumption in Missouri to the fullest.
