Because medical marijuana is illegal under federal law, doctors are not able to write a prescription for medical marijuana. But if state law permits medical marijuana, doctors in those states can recommend marijuana without fear of arrest. There are currently eight states that allow doctors to recommend and patients to use medical marijuana: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.

Patients and primary caregivers are allowed to grow medical marijuana. For more information, contact Green Cross Patient Co-op at (206) 762-0630.

Pharmacies can only dispense medications that are prescribed. Marijuana is currently classified by the federal government as a Schedule I drug, which means it cannot be prescribed by any health care professional. CI-148 only allows doctors to recommend medical marijuana. The Medical Marijuana Act allows patients or their caregivers to grow medical marijuana for the patient’s private use. The Montana Medical Marijuana Act makes no provisions for a supply or source.

No. Federal law prohibits doctors from writing prescriptions for illegal drugs. Marijuana is not considered legal by the federal government, and federal law still provides that use or possession of marijuana is a crime.

You can possess no more than a sixty-day supply of medical marijuana. How much marijuana constitutes a sixty-day was not defined by I-692. This is one of the biggest "problems" with Washington's medical marijuana law. In many cases where a patient is arrested, police and prosecutors accept that they are a patient but claim that they have more than a 60-day supply.

I-692 states that "Nothing in this chapter requires any physician to authorize the use of medical marijuana for a patient." In many cases, doctors will not recommend medical marijuana. They often fear the federal government, which has in the past threatened doctors who recommend medical marijuana. However, a federal appeals court ruled in October of 2002 that the government cannot penalize doctors who recommend medical marijuana to their patients. See Conant v. Walters.

Washington’s medical marijuana law (Chapter 69.51A RCW) was enacted by voters in 1998 as an initiative. It allows doctors to legally recommend medical marijuana to patients for some medical conditions. Under state law, patients may possess a 60-day supply of medical marijuana if it is based on a doctor’s written recommendation. However, a 60-day supply has not yet been defined in law or rule.

Primary caregivers” were renamed “designated providers” and were defined as people: The Medical Quality Assurance Commission (MQAC) added several conditions that lawmakers rolled into the law, including Crohn’s disease, Hepatitis C, and diseases that include nausea and vomiting, like anorexia, when standard care is not effective.

Yes. A “qualifying patient” who is approved and registered by the state may grow medical marijuana--up to a limit of six plants and one ounce of dried marijuana in possession.

Presuming you are registered with the state patient registry and carrying your registry identification card, you may consume medical marijuana on your property or elsewhere.

Yes. The attending physician must have a license in good standing issued by the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, but there are no residency requirements for the physician.

This is up to the employer. Even if you are a registered patient, your employer may still forbid medical marijuana use in the workplace.

Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America (behind only alcohol and tobacco), and has been used by nearly 80 million Americans. According to government surveys, some 20 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 11 million do so regularly despite harsh laws against its use. Our public policies should reflect this reality, not deny it. See About Marijuana.

Probably not. The law specifically excludes government and private insurance entities from being required to cover any costs associated with medical marijuana.

ldquo;Qualifying patients” must register with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Licensure Bureau, 2401 Colonial Drive, P.O. Box 202953, Helena, MT, 59620-2953. Phone: 406-444-2676. To register, the patient must submit (on forms provided by the department) the following information:

Not under Montana state law. A physician may not be arrested, prosecuted, or penalized in any manner, or be denied any right or privilege, including but not limited to civil penalty or disciplinary action by the Board of Medical Examiners or the Department of Labor and Industry, for providing written certification for the medical use of marijuana to qualifying patients.

The Medical Marijuana Act allows a patient or caregiver to grow no more than six plants or possess no more than one ounce of usable marijuana. The state does not give advice or referrals to obtain a supply of marijuana.

The Medical Marijuana Act provides for a system of designated caregivers. The caregiver's name, address, and birth date must be provided to the state at the time of a patient’s registration. The department will issue a registry identification card to the caregiver who is named by a qualifying patient on his/her application. The caregiver must sign a statement agreeing to provide marijuana only to the qualifying patients who have named the individual as their caregiver.