In 2008, Michigan voters ushered in the Michigan Compassionate Care Initiative. Known as Proposal 1, the act legalized medical marijuana for qualified patients and Michigan became the first Midwestern state to approve a comprehensive medical marijuana program.

When the law first passed, it prohibited the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries. But that didn’t stop dispensaries from opening. Soon there were nearly 100 illegally-operating medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the state.

In 2016, Governor Rick Snyder signed three bills that upgraded the medical marijuana program significantly. Licensed dispensaries were now allowed to sell medical cannabis — including edibles and topicals — to medical marijuana patients. At the same time Michigan initiated a 4% tax on medical marijuana.

Medical Marijuana Patients In Michigan

To become a medical marijuana patient in Michigan, you must first be diagnosed with one of the state’s qualifying medical conditions. They are:

• Cancer
• Glaucoma
• HIV Positive
• AIDs
• Hepatitis C
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
• Crohn’s Disease
• Agitation of Alzheimer’s Disease
• Nail Patella
• Post – Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Arthritis
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Colitis
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Tourette’s Disease
• Autism
• Chronic Pain
• Cerebral Palsy
• A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following:
  • Severe Nausea
  • Severe and Chronic Pain
  • Cachexia or Wasting Syndrome
  • Seizures (Including but not limited to those characteristic of epilepsy)
  • Severe and Persistent Muscle Spasms (Including but not limited to those characteristic of multiple sclerosis)

After seeing a doctor for a diagnosis, medical marijuana patients must obtain their medical records to bring to a medical marijuana certification clinic. Your records will show that you are being treated for one of the qualifying conditions. Once certified, you’ll be approved as a patient – usually within 24 hours.

Purchasing Medical Marijuana In Michigan

There are two ways to buy medical marijuana in Michigan. You can either visit a dispensary, like Nature’s Medicines, or arrange to have a designated caregiver provide medical marijuana for you. You’re allowed to purchase, and have in your possession, up to 2.5 ounces. The limit for in-home cannabis possession is ten ounces.

Caregivers For Medical Marijuana Patients

Medical marijuana caregivers in Michigan can serve as many as five patients. The state won’t certify caregivers who are under 21 years of age, or who have been convicted of a violent felony within the past 10 years. Caregivers are also permitted to grow cannabis for their medical marijuana patients.

Medical Marijuana Home Delivery

As of 2019, medical marijuana patients who are unable to travel to a dispensary for medical marijuana, or who aren’t working with a caregiver, can order medical marijuana for delivery to their home.

Reciprocity For Out-of-State Medical Marijuana Patients

Medical marijuana patients from a state other than Michigan may be allowed to purchase products at a dispensary as long as their home state also offers reciprocity to patients. If you’re from out-of-state, call a medical marijuana dispensary before visiting to make sure that they do honor reciprocity.

Operating A Motor Vehicle Under The Influence Of Medical Marijuana

While most states have a zero-tolerance law for people caught driving under the influence, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the medical marijuana program trumps the zero-tolerance law. The state would need to have proof of impairment, not including a blood test for THC, in order to prosecute.

If you’d like additional information about medical marijuana in Michigan, don’t hesitate to ask a knowledgeable Personal Service Provider at one of our Nature’s Medicines locations.

Visit our recreational and medical marijuana dispensary in Bay City, Michigan
Visit our recreational and medical marijuana dispensary in Wayne, Michigan
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Visit our medical marijuana dispensary in District 7 (Detroit), Michigan