How Much Does a Medical Marijuana Card Cost?

We understand that if you are dealing with a health condition, you may already have medical bills and financial concerns. Taking on the medical marijuana card cost is another expense for you, although it can be a very important and crucial investment in your health and peace of mind.

The first thing you need to know about working with Elevate Holistics is that we guarantee the cost of medical marijuana card telehealth evaluations. If we review your health information and find that we cannot approve your request for an MMJ card referral, we will refund your telehealth appointment cost 100%. That makes a telemedicine appointment with us a no-risk proposition.

Next, when asking “how much does it cost to get a medical card?” you need to consider all the steps and costs involved in pursuing this natural path to health. This will help you plan your path forward and keep you from having any surprise expenses.

Doctor’s Visit

The first part of your cost for a medical marijuana card is establishing that your health condition qualifies you, which requires a visit with a licensed physician.

Not only do you have to pay for the appointment, but if you live in a rural area, you may have to pay the cost of transportation to a doctor who handles cannabis evaluations. And you may have to miss work to complete the appointment or ask others to miss work to provide transportation. This is inconvenient and indirectly increases your medical marijuana card costs.

With Elevate Holistics telehealth doctors, you can schedule at your convenience and be evaluated from your own home. Plus, our doctors are trained specifically in helping patients benefit from cannabis, which makes the process go more smoothly and quickly. 

These benefits save you time and money and make the whole medical marijuana card process as easy as possible for you. And since you can complete the appointment from home, the process is extremely discreet and confidential. We also use HIPPA compliant software, ensuring your privacy from start to finish.

Visits with our telehealth doctors start at as little as $75 for visit. We can also submit your application for you for a small additional fee, or you can download the physician form to complete the application yourself. This gives you even more control over the cost of your medical marijuana card. We also offer discounts for veterans and for Medicare patients.

State Application and Renewal Fees for Patients

How much is a medical marijuana card in your state? That can vary depending on where you live and other details.

Some states offer discounted fees to certain patients, and some states offer a variety of cards. For example, Illinois medical marijuana card costs vary for several reasons. They offer discounts to patients who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI). And they offer one-year, two-year, and three-year med cards and renewals for varying fees. In comparison, nearby Ohio medical marijuana card cost is per year only, and they offer discounts to both veterans and indigent patients. Plus, some states charge a lower rate for a renewal card, while others charge the same fee every year.

Designated Caregiver and Cultivation Costs

If you need someone to help you purchase or pick up your cannabis, then the caregiver fee is an additional medical marijuana card cost. Caregivers must have a card documenting their right to enter dispensaries and purchase for you.

Designating a caregiver at the time you apply is a wise idea even if you don’t anticipate needing help. You never know when an emergency may occur and having someone as a backup can help you avoid delays in getting help. Plus, some states charge more if the caregiver application is submitted separately from your initial application. You can reduce your overall medical marijuana card costs by doing everything at once.

If you live in a state that allows cannabis cultivation for personal medical use, then you most likely will also have to complete another application and pay an additional fee for the certification to grow. In that case, you would need to weight the cost of the additional application fee against the potential cost savings of growing your own supply.

Examples of State Specific Med Card Costs

Here are specific state medical marijuana card fees for some of the states that we serve:

Missouri – Missouri’s medical marijuana card costs are pretty straightforward and inexpensive compared to other states. Cards are good for one year, and the initial application and one-year renewal fees are the same: $25.58. This is scheduled to increase to $25.94 in July 2021. Fee increases are done on an annual basis, so that fee is set until June 2022.

The caregiver medical marijuana card fee is the same as the patient card, with the same increase in July. The cultivator fee is $102.30, with an increase to $103.73 scheduled for July 2021.

You can learn more about your Missouri medical marijuana card costs here.

Oklahoma – The cost of a medical marijuana card in Oklahoma application or renewal is $100, plus a service fee of 4.30. However, if you are a fully disabled veteran or have Medicaid or Medicare, your fee is only $20. You will need to provide proof of your veteran status or your Medicaid/Medicare card during the application process to qualify. And your patient license will be good for two years in Oklahoma, which means your medical marijuana cost is only $50 or less per year.

Oklahoma also offers 30-day temporary medical marijuana patient licenses for visitors to the state who have a medical marijuana card from another state. The temporary medical marijuana card cost is $100, and there are no discounted feeds available. Recent 2021 legislation opened this to all non-residents, even if their state does not offer marijuana medical cards, and extends the temp medical marijuana card to two years. Follow their government site to stay up-to-date on how this affects marijuana medical card fees and processes.

Pennsylvania – In Pennsylvania, the medical marijuana card costs $50. However, patients who receive assistance through other programs, such as Medicaid, PACE/PACENET, CHIP, SNAP, and WIC, may be eligible for discounted fees.

Pennsylvania allows you to appoint two caregivers, and the fee per caregiver card is also $50. You can learn more about the Pennsylvania medical marijuana card process here.

Note: One small part of your marijuana medical card costs is making sure that your state identification is up-to-date. With BMV closures during Covid, keeping IDs up-to-date has been a little more complicated in some states. But be sure that your IDs, and your caregiver IDs, are current before you start the process.

Medical Marijuana Costs

In addition to wondering how much a medical weed card costs, you also need to consider the cost of supply once you can legally possess and purchase cannabis. 

Some patients choose to try to control the cost of medical marijuana and the quality by growing their own supply. Of course, cultivating has expenses too. If you decide to go that route, you’ll need grow lights, soil, fertilizer, water, and planting equipment. You may also want to get your marijuana tested to make sure that it has the right level of THC to meet your needs. Most importantly, you need a green thumb.

A practical, convenient way to get your medical marijuana is through a licensed dispensary. This helps ensure that you are receiving a quality product. Plus, one of the best benefits from your medical marijuana card is being able to purchase openly and legally from a knowledgeable cannabis cultivator or distributor. Elevate Holistics can help you find dispensaries near you.