FAQs - Rhode Island Medical Marijuana Card

One should be a Rhode Island resident with a qualifying debilitating medical condition. You should set up an in-person consultation with a licensed RI physician, who will fill in a Practitioner Written Certification Form and file your application through the Rhode Island Cannabis Licensing Portal.

The list of the qualifying conditions includes cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, PTSD, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. All the other chronic or debilitating conditions causing pain, nausea, seizures, muscle spasms, cachexia, and agitation associated with Alzheimer’s disease will also qualify.

Post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain are among the conditions accepted by Rhode Island, with post-traumatic stress disorder being included since 2016. Yet, to receive a PTSD certification, one has to be 18 years or older; minors are not eligible for medical marijuana treatment due to this condition. Anxiety does not seem to have a separate classification, but may be considered in case of a connection with PTSD.

The fee charged for physician certification usually starts at $45. It seems there is no additional application fee imposed by the Department of Health, except when replacing a card ($10).

No. The physician’s initial examination has to be performed in person since telemedicine can’t be utilized for this procedure. But you can make your mandatory follow-ups by telemedicine, while the submission of your application is performed via an online portal called Cannabis Licensing Portal.

All patient applications or renewals are approved or denied within 35 days from receipt of all necessary documentation. Expedited applications of those undergoing chemotherapy or eligible for hospice care will be approved within 72 hours.

Your card has to be renewed annually, with email notifications 60 days before the expiration of your license. Get recertified by your physician and fill out the renewal application form together with the necessary documentation via the online portal, Rhode Island Cannabis Licensing Portal.

Benefits include higher possession allowances (2.5 ounces from dispensaries, 10 ounces at home, versus 1 ounce in public for non-medical users), right to grow at home, ability to see a professional healthcare provider, access to dispensaries by minors through designated caregivers, and reciprocal access while visiting other medical cannabis states.

Yes. Patients are allowed to grow cannabis at home, but have to get a Plant Tag Certificate from the Department of Business Regulation, as well as register their growing location, because all plants should be grown in one registered location only.

A patient is allowed to grow up to 12 mature plants and 12 immature ones at home in a registered place.

Yes. Licensed caregivers can grow marijuana, buy from compassion clubs, and care for five patients. The caregiver is required to have a certificate if he or she grows marijuana and has to pass the National Criminal Information Center background check.

Compassion Centers are Rhode Island’s licensed medical marijuana dispensaries – there are seven currently operating, including Thomas C. Slater Compassion Center, Mother Earth Wellness, and Solar Therapeutics. Only patients, caregivers, or authorized purchasers with valid medical marijuana licenses and proof of identity can purchase from these centers.

Yes. Rhode Island has full medical marijuana reciprocity with all U.S. states. Out-of-state patients must present their valid medical marijuana card along with government-issued identification to purchase at any licensed compassion center.

Yes. Licensed compassion centers are authorized to dispense medical marijuana to out-of-state patient cardholders, as long as they present a valid medical marijuana card from their home state’s program, along with proper government ID

The medical program in Rhode Island provides benefits mostly in terms of increased possession and growing allowances without any direct tax exemption. Patients using marijuana for medical reasons typically do not pay the extra excise taxes charged on adult-use purchases.

Your certification will expire after one year from the issuance date, and your authorization for purchasing medical patient limits from compassion centers will expire along with it. You will need to be recertified and renew your application in the licensing portal.

The Medical Marijuana Act of Rhode Island offers specific safeguards for registered patients; however, employers are free to implement drug-free workplace programs for safety-sensitive jobs. Federal employers and federally regulated positions are excluded from state laws concerning marijuana usage.

The act of shipping marijuana between states is illegal federally, irrespective of whether you have a card or not. Nonetheless, your Rhode Island card can be used to visit patient programs in reciprocity states such as Oklahoma, Nevada, and New Jersey.

Yes, but minors who have the qualifying condition will have to be registered with an adult caregiver acting as the designated purchaser and completing a Minor Form in addition to the patient’s application form. The PTSD certification will not apply to minors because the age requirement is 18 years and above.