FAQs - West Virginia Medical Marijuana Card

West Virginia residents aged 18 years or more with at least one of the 15 listed by the state of WV qualifying conditions and certified by a licensed WV physician can apply. Minor patients with parental/guardian consent can also get a card. They should act as the designated caregiver for minors. Proof of residency is a driver’s license or a WV state ID and proof of WV residence, like a utility bill or voting records.

The following 15 diseases/conditions are considered qualifying in West Virginia: Cancer; HIV or AIDS; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; Epilepsy; Multiple Sclerosis; Post-traumatic Stress Disorder; Parkinson’s disease; Crohn’s Disease; severe chronic or intractable pain (including neuropathic pain); terminal illness with a life expectancy of 1 year or less; damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with intractable spasticity; etc.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is one of the explicitly listed qualifying conditions in West Virginia. Neither anxiety itself nor any other similar condition is included in the list of conditions, which makes it ineligible and thus cannot be certified by a doctor. If your anxiety comes along with PTSD, then you are eligible for getting medical marijuana certification under the condition of PTSD. You can ask the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board of West Virginia to include additional conditions in the list.

In West Virginia, it costs $50 per year. The patient pays the fee by mail to the Office of Medical Cannabis. The cost of the physician’s evaluation varies between $75-$400 depending on the provider. So, the first-year expenses will amount to about $125-$450. Patients whose household income is less than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level can receive a waiver of the fee.

Yes. Telemedicine evaluations can be performed both for initial certifications and renewals. The doctor performs the evaluation either in person, by means of video call, or by telephone. If you are certified, he/she provides you with the Patient Certification Form online. Once certified, you sign up for the card at the WV Medical Cannabis Portal and send $50 for your application to the OMC.

You will need a filled out Patient Certification Form, a valid West Virginia driver’s license or an ID issued by the state, a document showing that you are a resident of WV (utility bill, voter registration, etc.) and a check or money order in the amount of $50, made payable to the Treasurer, State of West Virginia, mailed to the Office of Medical Cannabis in Charleston.

Many patients manage to visit dispensaries on the very same day or within 24-48 hours after getting their digital physician certification. Your physical West Virginia card will arrive in about 7-15 business days after processing your application and payment.

Cardholders should renew their cards every year. Arrange for an appointment with a WV-registered physician using telehealth or in-person services. You will get the new Patient Certification Form and complete your application using the WV Medical Cannabis portal and pay the $50 renewal fee, which you will mail to OMC.

Patients can purchase medical cannabis from state-licensed dispensaries that are under the regulation of the Office of Medical Cannabis. These dispensaries can be found in cities such as Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Parkersburg, Wheeling, Martinsburg, Beckley, and Clarksburg. Patients should show their valid ID card and registry identification each time at the dispensary.

The authorized dispensaries will sell the dried cannabis flower (only for vaporizing; smoking is not allowed), concentrates, extracts, vaporizer products, topical products, capsules, tinctures, and oils. The infused edibles, like cookies and candies, are not legal in West Virginia right now. All of these products can be bought only from state-authorized dispensaries and used in their residences.

Yes. You need to be at least 21 years old; you need to be a resident of West Virginia; you should fill out an application through the WV Medical Cannabis Portal; you have to pay the caregiver registration fee (it is $50); and finally, you should pass a criminal history background check.

Yes. If the patient is under 18 years of age and suffers from one of the qualifying conditions, he/she can take part in the program, but his/her parent, legal guardian, or another person approved by the Bureau of Public Health should act as his/her caregiver. All dispensing duties will belong to this caregiver.

Usually, no – West Virginia does not provide medical marijuana reciprocity with other states and accepts out-of-state cards at its dispensaries. However, there is a special provision for terminally ill cancer patients in states with similar programs. They can get a Safe Harbor Letter to use dispensary products in West Virginia.

No. Home cultivation is strictly prohibited in West Virginia for both patients and caregivers. Growing cannabis without a valid cultivation license is a criminal offense under state law. All medical cannabis must be purchased exclusively from state-licensed dispensaries – there are no exceptions for personal or caregiver cultivation.

Patients may purchase and possess up to a 30-day supply at a time, generally not exceeding 4 ounces of dry usable cannabis or its equivalent in other approved forms such as concentrates, oils, or tinctures over a rolling 30-day period. During the last 7 days of any 30-day supply period, a patient may obtain an additional 30-day supply in advance.

Your legal authorization to purchase and possess medical cannabis lapses immediately on the expiration date. Since recreational marijuana is entirely illegal in West Virginia, there is no alternative legal pathway. Schedule a physician recertification appointment promptly – telehealth is accepted – and submit your renewal application and $50 fee to regain dispensary access as quickly as possible.

Yes. There are no such employment rights of any kind for patients of medical marijuana in West Virginia. The employers can have their workplaces free from drugs policy, reject employment because of the presence of the drug in a body, and fire those employees who are found to possess the drug despite having the card.

The transportation of cannabis to another state is prohibited federally, irrespective of the presence of a card. The states that have a program for reciprocity in their states are Nevada, Maine, and Oklahoma. In all these states, the cardholder might be able to get his/her treatment done using the card. However, purchasing cannabis should always be done locally. Never attempt to transport cannabis across states; it will land you in trouble federally.

Having a medical card issued by West Virginia gives a legal right to the individual to access cannabis. The card gives the following benefits: access to regulated, lab-tested cannabis, freedom from being arrested for lawful possession and use, legal medical treatment of various conditions with a physician’s advice, carrying up to 30 days’ worth of possession of cannabis, and protection under HIPAA of medical cannabis records.