State-Licensed Doctors for Your Virginia Medical Marijuana Card

After your doctor approves you, we’ll issue your Written Certification for the Use of Medical Cannabis so you can start purchasing at Virginia dispensaries. Here’s what comes next in the process.

1. Receive your Written Certification for the Use of Medical Cannabis from your registered practitioner (we handle this for you).
2. Optionally, create an account in Virginia’s Medical Cannabis Program portal if you want to register for a state-issued card (this step is optional).
3. If you choose the optional state card, pay the $50 application fee through the portal.

Once we issue your written certification, we’ll notify you right away and you’ll get access to a digital card linked to your certification. Virginia doesn’t mail physical cards, so you’ll use your digital certification or the optional digital card along with your photo ID when you shop at dispensaries throughout Virginia.

Your Virginia medical marijuana certification expires one year from the date your doctor issued it. Renewing takes about 5 minutes with one of our doctors, and you can do it from your couch.

• Schedule your renewal appointment: Book a Virginia MMJ card renewal with our doctors. We recommend scheduling 2 to 4 weeks before your certification expires so you don’t lose dispensary access.
• What you need for your appointment: Your Virginia state ID and your current written certification if you still have it. If you lost your certification, that’s fine. We can still renew you.
• Your new certification is valid immediately: After your renewal appointment, your doctor issues a new written certification that lasts another full year. Your updated digital card links to it automatically.
• The $50 state card renewal is optional: If you registered for Virginia’s state-issued photo ID card, you can renew it through Virginia’s Medical Cannabis Program portal. But remember, that card was always optional. Your written certification from your doctor is what you need to shop at dispensaries.
• What happens if your certification expires: You lose legal access to Virginia dispensaries until you renew. There’s no grace period. That’s why we tell patients to renew early.

The only renewal that matters is the one with your doctor. That certification is what keeps you legal. The state card is extra.

Virginia law protects registered medical marijuana patients from prosecution when they follow state guidelines. Understanding these protections, and their limits, helps you stay legal and confident when using your medicine.

• Your written certification is your legal shield: Virginia Code § 54.1-3408.3 gives patients with valid certifications an affirmative defense against marijuana possession charges. This means if you’re ever questioned by law enforcement, your certification from a registered practitioner proves you’re using cannabis legally under state medical marijuana laws.
• Virginia’s possession limits for patients: Medical marijuana patients can legally possess up to 4 ounces of usable cannabis. You can also possess a 90-day supply of cannabis products from a licensed dispensary. Keep your dispensary receipts as proof of legal purchase if you’re ever asked.
• Where you can and cannot use medical marijuana: Virginia law allows you to use your medicine in private residences. You cannot legally consume cannabis in public spaces, on federal property (including national parks and VA facilities), or while driving. Consuming in your parked car still counts as public use and can result in charges.
• What to do during a law enforcement encounter: Stay calm and inform the officer that you’re a registered medical marijuana patient. Show them your digital card or written certification along with your state ID. You are not required to consent to a search, but cooperation and documentation resolve these situations quickly.
• Employment protections are limited: Virginia does not require employers to accommodate medical marijuana use. Private employers can still enforce drug-free workplace policies, and federal contractors must comply with federal law, which still classifies cannabis as a Schedule I substance. Know your employer’s policy before assuming protection.
• Traveling with your medicine in Virginia: You can transport medical cannabis anywhere within Virginia as long as you stay under possession limits and keep it in a closed container. Crossing state lines with cannabis is a federal crime, even if you’re traveling to another state with a medical program. Your Virginia certification does not protect you outside Virginia.
• Federal law still applies in certain situations: Federal property, including courthouses, post offices, military bases, and airports past TSA checkpoints, falls under federal jurisdiction. Possessing cannabis in these locations can result in federal charges regardless of your Virginia patient status.

Your medical marijuana certification gives you real legal protection in Virginia, but only when you follow state guidelines. When in doubt, keep your certification accessible and your cannabis purchased from licensed dispensaries with receipts to prove it.