Legal Marijuana
At least in California that is. The real estate cliche “location, location, location” could just as well describe the state of cannabis right now in the U.S. It’s all about where you live. If you’re in Colorado, Oregon, Washington, or Alaska—all states that have both legal medical and recreational marijuana, you’ve got it easy.
But what about the rest of us? If you live in one of the super backwards states that haven’t legalized medicinal cannabis, you’ve pretty much got to stick with your weed guy.
But if you live in a place where medicinal pot is legal, you need to know how to navigate the system.
California is currently one of the biggest medical marijuana states. For those of you lucky enough to live in the Golden State, the following four steps will teach you the quickest way to get your hands on some bomb ass legal weed.
If you don’t live in California, but will at some point be visiting there, good news—you can still get medicinal pot by following these same steps.
And finally, if you don’t live in Cali, and you won’t be going there anytime soon, knowing how the general medicinal process works is still essential knowledge for any serious stoner. So read on.
1. Visit a Doctor
You can always visit your regular physician to get your medical card, but you can also visit a 420 Doctor who’s specifically focused on helping people get effective, specially tailored cannabis treatments.
This may seem obvious, but it’s worth pointing out: Doctors can only give you a medical card for a medical condition, so be prepared to tell your doctor about whatever’s ailing you. This might be headaches, pain, sleeping problems, loss of appetite, or anything else of concern.
Scheduling an appointment can be helpful, but walk-ins are also generally welcome. This step should cost somewhere around $45 to $80 and should take only about a half hour or so.
2. Find a Dispensary
This shouldn’t be too hard to do. Your doctor will probably point you toward a dispensary or two, and of course, there’s always Google.
The only thing that could be a little tricky is if you’re not a California resident. As we said earlier, you can still get medicinal pot if you have a card, you just need to be sure you find a dispensary that accepts out-of-state patients.
3. Show The Dispensary Your Card
Once you’ve completed steps 1 and 2, show the dispensary your card and gain access to the beautiful city of Oz.
4. Let a Budtender Help You
Once inside, budtenders can answer any questions you may have, and can help you find the perfect strain, edible, oil, tincture, or other pot product. Time to explore!
To make this process even better, you should know that a lot of doctors give new patients coupons for free product. If you’re lucky, you might be able to start your life as a California pot patient with a free joint.
