Medical Marijuana Card Laws Across the States

How the law of reciprocity affects medical marijuana cardholders traveling outside of their state

So, you’ve paid the fee and been approved, and now you’re the proud owner of your very own medical marijuana (MMJ) card in the state of Arizona. You can buy your medicine in the Grand Canyon State without hassle!

Now say you’re planning an out-of-state trip, and you (understandably) don’t want to go without your legal medicine. How and where will your card be accepted, and how much medical marijuana are you legally permitted to buy & keep on your person? We’ve been asking ourselves the same questions, so in order to make your travels easier, we compiled some information on the map below, identifying the states that have passed MMJ card reciprocity legislation. Happy trails!

Hint: Use command+f/control+f to search for your state quickly.

Arizona

Arizona does not allow out of state card holders to buy marijuana from state-licensed dispensaries, but it does recognize out of state authorizations. You can smoke, you can’t buy.

Arkansas

There is currently no reciprocity, but there may be soon. The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment lays out some guidelines as to how out of state patients can receive care, but because the Arkansas medical program is still in its early stages. There hasn’t been a developed reciprocity program yet.

District of Columbia

District of Columbia accepts medical marijuana cards from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. You must provide a valid State-issued ID and proof of medical marijuana certification. However, recreational use is legal in D.C.

Hawaii

Out of state patients can receive a medical card that applies for 60 days as long as the patient has a valid medical card from a U.S. State or territory, and a government-issued ID from the same state, and a qualifying condition in Hawaii. The application can be filled out up to 60 days in advance and takes about 10 minutes to complete. The application costs $49.50 and is valid for 60 consecutive days. Out of state, patients are only allowed to apply two times per the calendar year.

New Hampshire

Out of state, patients can legally possess medical marijuana that they enter the state with but cannot be served by dispensaries within the state.

Oklahoma

Out of state, medical marijuana patients can apply for a temporary medical card that is only valid for 30 days and requires a $100 application fee. This card can be renewed, and an approval letter and medical card will be sent within 14 days if deemed complete and requirements met. Patients who are minors can receive temporary medical cards as well.

Pennsylvania

There is legislation that states there is no Medical card reciprocation, but there is a loophole that allows parents or legal guardians of patients under 18 to buy cannabis products. Although, this law is set to be repealed in the next two years.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island requires two forms of government ID, and you must be in a state database that tracks sales (Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington). Out of state, patients can carry up to 2.5 ounces every 15 days.

States that don’t offer reciprocation

The following states that have legalized medical marijuana have no legislation on Medical Card reciprocity: Utah, Montana, Florida, North Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, New York, and Connecticut

Legal adult use states

Alaska

Cannabis is legal for adults who are 21 years old or above. Consumers can possess up to 1 ounce of usable cannabis, and cultivate up to 6 cannabis plants, with a maximum of 3 mature or flowering.

California

Legal for 21+. Possession limit of 28.5 grams of flour and 5 grams of concentrate for adults with a valid government issued ID.

Colorado

legal for 21+. Possession limit of one ounce for nonresidents with valid government issued ID. Adults may purchase no more than ¼ ounce at a time.

Illinois

As of January 1st, 2020, recreational marijuana is legal for adults 21 and over. Though currently there is no reciprocity offered for medical card holders, once 2020 begins out of state patients will be able to purchase 15 grams (about half an ounce) of flower.

Maine

Possession limits of 2 ½ ounces for visiting patients with a valid registry identification, as well as for adults with a valid government issued ID.

Massachusetts

Possession Limit of 1 ounce of flower and 5 grams of concentrate in public for adults with a valid government issued ID.

Michigan

Possession limit of 2.5 ounces of usable cannabis.

Nevada

Possession limit of 2.5 ounces of usable cannabis in any one 14-day period.

Oregon

Possession limit of 1 ounce of flower, 16 ounces of solid infused edibles, 72 ounces of infused liquid, 5 grams of concentrates, and 4 immature cannabis plants, and 10 cannabis seeds for any adult over the age of 21 with a valid ID.

Vermont

Currently, the five state-sanctioned dispensaries in Vermont can only provide cannabis to Vermont residents, but, recreational cannabis recently became legal to possess (up to 1 oz of flower) and gift.

Washington

possession limits of 1 ounce of flower, 16 ounces of solid infused edibles, 72 ounces of infused liquid, and 7 ounces of cannabis concentrates for adults 21 and over with a valid ID.

References

“Legal Issues”. Norml.Org, 2019, https://norml.org/legal.

“Map Of Marijuana Legality By State”. DISA Global Solutions, 2019, https://disa.com/map-of-marijuana-legality-by-state.

“Vermont Medical Marijuana & Cannabis Info”. Weedmaps, 2019, https://weedmaps.com/learn/laws-and-regulations/vermont/.

“Which U.S. States Accept Out-Of-State Medical Marijuana Authorizations?”. Leafly, 2019, https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/which-us-states-accept-out-of-state-medical-marijuana-authorizati.

Project, Marijuana. “Policy”. MPP, 2019, https://www.mpp.org/policy/.

Wolfer, Macey. “States That Accept Out Of State MMJ Cards”. Wikileaf, 2019, https://www.wikileaf.com/thestash/medical-marijuana-states-accept-out-of-state-licenses/.

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