California Medical Marijuana Card Cost

How Much Does the California Medical Marijuana Card Cost?

While the Department of Cannabis Control regulates the California cannabis industry, the Department of Public Health (CDPH) is in charge of the state’s medical marijuana identification card program (MMICP). Therefore, patients and caregivers must apply to the CDPH for their medical marijuana cards. When submitting an MMIC application to a CDPH county office, a patient must include their medical recommendation for cannabis use.

Cost of Physician Consultation

To obtain a recommendation to use cannabis for medical purposes, a patient must visit their attending physician. The physician must determine that the patient has been diagnosed with one of the qualifying conditions recognized for medical marijuana use in California. The physician must also conclude that the patient would benefit from medical cannabis use to issue a recommendation. The cost of this consultation varies from one physician’s office to another. Overall, patients in California should expect to pay $100 - $350 for this physician visit.

Physical California Medical Marijuana Card Cost

The CDPH lets its county offices set their own fees for issuing new and renewing California medical marijuana cards. County programs can charge up to $100 for an MMIC. However, they must give patients eligible for Medi-Cal a 50% reduction in fee and offer a marijuana card for free for indigent patients enrolled in their County Medical Services Program.

Cost of a Caregiver Medical Marijuana Card in California

In California, caregivers cannot apply for their own medical marijuana cards. The patients designating them as primary caregivers must apply for these registry identification cards on their behalf. However, both caregiver and patient must visit a CDPH county office to apply for a caregiver MMIC. The cost of a California caregiver medical cannabis card is set by the county office and varies across different counties in the state.

Cost of Renewing a California Medical Cannabis Card

County CDPH offices also set the renewal costs of California MMICs. This amount may be the same as the cost of a new marijuana card or be a different amount. However, county programs must offer discounted renewal fees for Medi-Cal patients and waive fees for qualified indigent patients.