Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
As the medical marijuana industry booms in Nevada so does the demand for patient cards.
Medical cannabis was legalized in Nevada in 2000, but it took 15 years for storefronts to open, with the first Nevada dispensary opening in Sparks in July. Now, with more dispensaries open in Reno and Las Vegas, the Division of Public and Behavioral Health has seen a spike in the number of applications throughout the state.
In October 2014, Nevada had 6,541 active patient cards. As of last month, that number has nearly doubled to 12,091, with 549 additional applications pending.
The application process for a card in Nevada is completely on paper, so potential patients have to request an application either via mail or in person in Carson City. It requires extensive information about the applicant, including a physician’s statement about why medical marijuana is recommended as a treatment, and it must be notarized. Once the packet is returned to the DPBH, the state will conduct a background check on the individual, eventually culminating in either approval or denial of a card.
The application request costs $25, then $75 to process, with additional costs incurred from a doctor’s visit to get a physician’s statement and for notarization of the application. If a patient is approved, it will then cost $13.25 for a card at the Department of Motor Vehicles. The entire process can take weeks or even months to complete.
It may be an arduous process for some, but upon receiving a card, a patient can then purchase marijuana legally at a licensed dispensary, where rigorous testing guarantees quality and potency.
Prior to the opening of dispensaries, patients had to resort to either growing their own medicine or rely on illegal methods of obtaining it, such as purchasing it from sellers across state lines or buying it on the black market. Using this method of obtaining marijuana means that safety and quality might be compromised due to a lack of testing and regulation.
One local business, NV Elements, wants to simplify the application process by putting the whole process under one roof.
The business has a full-time doctor on site to provide recommendations to qualifying patients for a flat fee of $150. Also on-site is a notary and someone who can walk patients through the application paperwork. NV Elements charges all of the paperwork processing at-cost, making money only on doctor’s visits and notary services, and even then, office manager Susan Stickel said, they try to keep the cost affordable. If a patient arrives with a physician’s statement already in hand, they won’t be charged anything additional.
The appeal for a streamlined process means NV Elements assists between 3,000 and 4,000 patients a month, according to Stickel. She said that many of the patients have mobility issues or disabilities, so having everything in one location can make the process easier to manage.
“We can also supersede problems from happening by looking over their packets before they’re sent out,” Stickel said.
Joetta Macillus, a former client of NV Elements, has breast cancer and is currently facing a terminal diagnosis. Though she went through a period of remission, her cancer came back in 2012. Throughout her fight with cancer, Macillus had tried traditional forms of medicine, including two rounds of chemotherapy.
“It’s hell,” she said. “I can’t describe it any other way. They throw a lot of chemicals your way.”
She initially tried to keep her symptoms at bay through the use of doctor-prescribed pain and anti-seizure medications, many of which left her feeling even worse.
“Not only did I want to survive, I wanted a good quality of life,” Macillus said.
Running out of viable options, she turned to medical marijuana as a last resort, receiving a card not long after her cancer returned. She said she couldn’t believe the improvement in how she felt and how she was able to manage her pain.
In opposition to Nevada’s legalization of medical marijuana, federal law states that marijuana is an illegal substance. This leaves some cardholders, including Macillus, anxious about being part of a card registry. But she chose to speak out to help normalize medical marijuana as a legitimate treatment.
“You need to put yourself out there,” she said, “but you do worry about whether it’s going to come back to you.”
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: The Demand For Medical Marijuana Cards Is Steadily Rising
Author: Chanelle Bessette
Contact: Email The Author
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Reno Gazette Journal
Medical cannabis was legalized in Nevada in 2000, but it took 15 years for storefronts to open, with the first Nevada dispensary opening in Sparks in July. Now, with more dispensaries open in Reno and Las Vegas, the Division of Public and Behavioral Health has seen a spike in the number of applications throughout the state.
In October 2014, Nevada had 6,541 active patient cards. As of last month, that number has nearly doubled to 12,091, with 549 additional applications pending.
The application process for a card in Nevada is completely on paper, so potential patients have to request an application either via mail or in person in Carson City. It requires extensive information about the applicant, including a physician’s statement about why medical marijuana is recommended as a treatment, and it must be notarized. Once the packet is returned to the DPBH, the state will conduct a background check on the individual, eventually culminating in either approval or denial of a card.
The application request costs $25, then $75 to process, with additional costs incurred from a doctor’s visit to get a physician’s statement and for notarization of the application. If a patient is approved, it will then cost $13.25 for a card at the Department of Motor Vehicles. The entire process can take weeks or even months to complete.
It may be an arduous process for some, but upon receiving a card, a patient can then purchase marijuana legally at a licensed dispensary, where rigorous testing guarantees quality and potency.
Prior to the opening of dispensaries, patients had to resort to either growing their own medicine or rely on illegal methods of obtaining it, such as purchasing it from sellers across state lines or buying it on the black market. Using this method of obtaining marijuana means that safety and quality might be compromised due to a lack of testing and regulation.
One local business, NV Elements, wants to simplify the application process by putting the whole process under one roof.
The business has a full-time doctor on site to provide recommendations to qualifying patients for a flat fee of $150. Also on-site is a notary and someone who can walk patients through the application paperwork. NV Elements charges all of the paperwork processing at-cost, making money only on doctor’s visits and notary services, and even then, office manager Susan Stickel said, they try to keep the cost affordable. If a patient arrives with a physician’s statement already in hand, they won’t be charged anything additional.
The appeal for a streamlined process means NV Elements assists between 3,000 and 4,000 patients a month, according to Stickel. She said that many of the patients have mobility issues or disabilities, so having everything in one location can make the process easier to manage.
“We can also supersede problems from happening by looking over their packets before they’re sent out,” Stickel said.
Joetta Macillus, a former client of NV Elements, has breast cancer and is currently facing a terminal diagnosis. Though she went through a period of remission, her cancer came back in 2012. Throughout her fight with cancer, Macillus had tried traditional forms of medicine, including two rounds of chemotherapy.
“It’s hell,” she said. “I can’t describe it any other way. They throw a lot of chemicals your way.”
She initially tried to keep her symptoms at bay through the use of doctor-prescribed pain and anti-seizure medications, many of which left her feeling even worse.
“Not only did I want to survive, I wanted a good quality of life,” Macillus said.
Running out of viable options, she turned to medical marijuana as a last resort, receiving a card not long after her cancer returned. She said she couldn’t believe the improvement in how she felt and how she was able to manage her pain.
In opposition to Nevada’s legalization of medical marijuana, federal law states that marijuana is an illegal substance. This leaves some cardholders, including Macillus, anxious about being part of a card registry. But she chose to speak out to help normalize medical marijuana as a legitimate treatment.
“You need to put yourself out there,” she said, “but you do worry about whether it’s going to come back to you.”
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: The Demand For Medical Marijuana Cards Is Steadily Rising
Author: Chanelle Bessette
Contact: Email The Author
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Reno Gazette Journal