How to get a medical card for my child
How to Get a MMJ Card for Your Child
Article written by
Dr. Lewis JasseyMedical Director - Pediatric Medicine
Table of contents
- Can Children and Teens Get Medical Cards?
- What is a Caregiver?
- How Do I Become a Caregiver?
- Do I Have to Be a Caregiver for My Child to Get an MMJ Card for Them?
- Does My Child Have to Be On the Physician’s Call for Medical Marijuana?
- Steps to Getting an MMJ Card for Your Child
- Medical Card Costs for Children
- Necessary Identification and Documents
- Will My Child’s Primary Care Physician Be Informed of Their Medical Cannabis Qualification?
- Finding the Right Medical Marijuana Doctor
- Finding the Right Dispensary
- Is Medical Marijuana Safe for Children? Finding the Right Product for My Child
- Can Caregivers Grow Cannabis?
- The Bottom Line
Everybody’s heard about adults getting medical marijuana cards for themselves. Yet, kids with cancer, epilepsy, and other conditions are often given highly addictive pharmaceuticals. Why should we refuse something that could help them and is far less dangerous? That’s why our physicians see minors too.
Plus, anyone who’s heard stories like that of Jayden David (of Jayden’s Journey) will realize that there is serious medical potential in medical cannabis and CBD. Medical marijuana is not just a “stepping stone” to legalized recreational use; the medical applications are very real. For some people, getting access to medical marijuana is life and death.
Parents looking to get their children medical marijuana can follow this guide. While not a comprehensive, state-by-state breakdown, it will give you a general idea of how to get a medical marijuana card for your child regardless of your home state.
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Can Children and Teens Get Medical Cards?
Simply put, yes. If your child fulfills the qualifying criteria in the appropriate state, they can apply to use medical cannabis.
They will need to have a qualified Caregiver, who (in most states) must be at least 21 years of age and has significant responsibilities in caring for the child. Caregivers often will need to fulfill additional criteria to qualify for the role.
As minors can be susceptible to THC, the qualifying criteria for medical cannabis are often stricter in many states. Some require two physicians’ certificates/recommendations and/or a pediatric specialist to qualify the patient. Other states will only allow cannabis qualifications for children if they are suffering from a particularly severe condition, such as epilepsy, cancer, and terminal illnesses, are some examples.
What is a Caregiver?
A caregiver is responsible for managing the well-being and use of cannabis of a person diagnosed with a chronic or debilitating medical condition. You do not need to be related to a person to be their caregiver, and an attending physician is not a caregiver.
How Do I Become a Caregiver?
This depends on the state.
You will need to answer questions about you and the designated patient in your care. In some cases, forms will inquire into any past medical training.
Some states require you to complete a Caregiver Core Certification Course, including about 12 or more hours of basic training on the foundations for beginning work as a caregiver. Becoming a caregiver for conditions like dementia may require you to complete more training. You must also prove that you have been the primary designated caregiver for the child throughout their life, usually as a parent or lawful guardian. Again, this depends on the state, but there are some similarities.
In most states, patients can have a maximum of one caregiver who must be at least 21. There are usually several other rules for caregivers, such as not being convicted for a felony offense (particularly involving violence or drug crimes) and not being medical marijuana patients themselves.
Leafwell can help provide more specific state information for caregivers during the certification process.
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Do I Have to Be a Caregiver for My Child to Get an MMJ Card for Them?
Yes. Unless the child is legally emancipated, they will need a qualified caregiver to get a physician’s certificate or a medical marijuana card recommendation.
Does My Child Have to Be On the Physician’s Call for Medical Marijuana?
Yes. The physician will need to see your child speak to you and examine them if necessary.
Steps to Getting an MMJ Card for Your Child
As a caregiver, you will be applying for medical cannabis on behalf of someone else, and the process is much the same. You will need to fill out your child’s application form (often a specific application form for minors), a caregiver form, and, where allowed, an application form indicating if you wish to grow medical cannabis. You must provide identification and proof of residency for yourself and your child. You may need two physicians’ certificates or the opinion of a pediatric specialist.
Here are general steps for getting a medical marijuana card via telemedicine, whether it’s for you or your child:
- Register online and speak to a licensed physician. Please have an appropriate ID for you and your child and a working camera, speakers, and microphone on your smartphone, tablet, or computer so you can speak and see the doctor.
- Following examination, get approved and receive your physician’s medical cannabis certificate or recommendation. Your certificate/recommendation will be emailed to you.
- Register with the state Department of Health’s medical marijuana program. You must fill out a minor’s medical marijuana card form for your child and a caregiver’s application for yourself. Sometimes, the caregiver form will be attached to the original application form; in other instances, a caregiver application form is separate. The patient application will then list their caregiver/s on the application form.
- Receive your child’s medical marijuana card and your caregiver’s card.
- You can now shop at a dispensary in your state for appropriate cannabinoid-based medication for your child. You may need to take a photographic ID with you, and your child will not be able to enter the dispensary with you.
Medical Card Costs for Children
This varies by state and the number of years the state allows qualification (Illinois allows for up to three years’ qualification, for example). There are also usually some extra things that are needed that can increase costs compared to an adult’s medical marijuana card, including the caregiver’s medical cannabis identification card and the need for a second physician’s opinion. For more general information, you can visit our Ultimate Guide to Getting a Medical Marijuana Card.
A medical marijuana card for a child can be between approximately $100 and $500 for an annual certificate and medical marijuana card, depending on the state. We try to keep medical cannabis cards for children relatively affordable at Leafwell.
Prices are subject to change.
Necessary Identification and Documents
You will need ID both for yourself and your child. There are some differences from state to state, but as a general rule of thumb, you will need:
- Photo ID of yourself – a state-issued ID card, passport, or driver’s license is usually acceptable.
- Your child’s birth certificate.
- Proof of address from the last two to three months. This can include a rental or mortgage agreement, utility bill (gas, electric, water, broadband bill – not cell phone), or correspondence with a state department (e.g., the DMV).
- In some states, a criminal background check.
- Two passport-style photographs of you and your child.
- Any relevant medical history, including progress notes, medication lists, or medical images.
As the recommendation will be noted on your child’s medical records, your child’s primary care physician will be informed. It is also appropriate to tell your primary care physician if you intend to use medical cannabis for your child to prevent any contraindicated drug prescriptions or treatments.
If you need a primary care physician for your child, Leafwell is here to help.
Finding the Right Medical Marijuana Doctor
Some doctors may be reluctant to recommend medical marijuana for a child. However, any parent coming to medical marijuana is usually at their wit’s end, looking for anything that could help or save their child, especially when so many prescription medications have nasty side effects or fail to help.
Fortunately, Leafwell can see patients through telemedicine. Our doctors can recommend cannabis for patients online through telehealth and reach those struggling to find a recommending physician. We are very sensitive and aware of the needs of parents providing MMJ for their children.
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Finding the Right Dispensary
You can have a valid medical marijuana card for a child and everything, but some dispensaries may be reluctant to hand over medical marijuana to parents treating their kids.
However, most well-run dispensaries will have no problems helping you find an appropriate cannabis medicine for your child.
Finding the right dispensary may require some trial and error, but you can make things easier for yourself by doing plenty of research and asking others you might know for advice. If you are active on social media, several parent groups across the US provide their children MMJ, and these support networks can greatly help.
Is Medical Marijuana Safe for Children? Finding the Right Product for My Child
Seriously sick children can be prescribed harsh and addictive medications, including opioids and benzodiazepines, which have several short- and long-term adverse effects. Medical marijuana is comparatively well-tolerated by the human body, and there is no risk of deadly overdose, even for children.
That said, parents must still take care of giving any medicine to children, including cannabinoid-based ones. We know that, as THC affects CB1 receptors, it is psychoactive, and THC can harm the developing brain, especially if regular large doses are used.
If THC is required, it is wise to use smaller doses in consultation with a physician.
However, one needn’t use psychoactive amounts of THC to obtain its medical benefits. Even low doses of THC (1 – 3 milligrams), which have little psychoactive effect, can deliver anti-nausea, anti-tumor, painkilling, and sleep-promoting properties. Some children with cancer may need higher doses of THC. THC is still far safer and more tolerable than many medications, even if this is not ideal.
For children, other cannabinoids like CBD, CBDV, THCA, and CBC may be more helpful, as they do not have the same level of psychoactivity as THC and are unlikely to cause any long-term changes to the brain, as they are not affecting CB1 receptors in the brain in the same way as THC.
Can Caregivers Grow Cannabis?
Essentially, being a caregiver gives a person similar rights to patients regarding their ability to grow cannabis. In some states, caregivers can cultivate small amounts of medical cannabis within certain requirements.
Caregivers also have limits on how many patients for whom they can cultivate. A specific license is required to grow medical marijuana legally in some states.
In California, caregivers can grow up to 12 mature plants, depending on their proximity to a dispensary. Specific strains of cannabis not grown by the local dispensary can be grown by the caregiver. Caregivers cannot use cannabis unless they are registered medical marijuana patients.
The Bottom Line
For those completing a medical marijuana card application for someone else, it is the same process as completing it for themselves – they have to confirm that they’re applying for someone else and give their Caregiver ID number on the form. Getting a medical marijuana card for a minor shouldn’t be too difficult, as children suffering from conditions requiring medical marijuana tend to have vast, detailed medical records proving their illness and lists of medications given to them.
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Registration for Minor Patients
Minor patients (under the age of 18) are required to have at least one caregiver at all times, who is a parent or guardian of the minor. A minor patient may have up to four caregivers, two of whom are a parent/guardian, and two additional adults over the age of 21 designated by a parent or guardian. A minor patient’s caregiver must register with the Commission prior to registering the minor patient.
Follow the process listed below, as well as in the Process Overview and Quick Reference Card documents, to register a minor patient.
(All documents must be dated within the past 90 days)
Accepted forms of identification:
- Driver’s license
- State issued photo Identification card
- Military ID (both front and back)
- US Passport
If the identification you provide is not a Maryland driver’s license or MVA ID Card OR does not identify your current address, you must also provide two of the following documents as proof of your current Maryland address:
Note: Documents must include the applicant's name and address.
Documents may not be from the same two agencies. (i.e. Two documents issued by MVA).
- MVA registration card or title
- Utility, telephone or cable/satellite TV bill
- Bank account statement
- Property tax bill
- Mortgage statement or proof of home ownership (Deed, Title, Bill of Sale)
- Major credit card bill (Visa, MasterCard, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.)
- Residential rental contract (lease or rental contract between landlord and tenant which includes all signatures).
- Selective Service Card
- Federal, state or local government mail issued by the state of Maryland (ie. Social Security, social services)
- Car insurance policy
All documents must be dated within the past 90 days.
An electronic copy of a clear, recent photograph. We strongly recommend using a free, highly-rated passport photo app widely available for download via the App Store, Google Play Store or anywhere apps are available.
Generally, the photo should look like a driver’s license or passport photo. Specifically, it must be a clear, color photo of the patient’s unobscured face taken within the last six months to reflect the patient’s current appearance and feature a plain white or off-white background. The patient must be clothed, directly facing the camera with both eyes open and should have either a neutral facial expression or a natural smile.The patient must not be wearing a hat, head covering, sunglasses or dark glasses.
The file must be an image file (.jpg) no larger than 3 MB in size and may not be digitally enhanced or altered in a way that changes the patient’s appearance.
Examples of acceptable photos
If your photo does not meet the stated guidelines, your application will be returned.
For more examples of acceptable and unacceptable photos, visit the Passport Photos page of the US Department of State website.
NOTE: Please do not use the photo cropping tool on the Passport Photos page; simply view the photos provided as samples of what is and is not acceptable.
Patients in hospice care may elect to submit a letter from the attending hospice physician in lieu of a recent photo. The letter must be from the Attending of Hospice Record (AOHR) physician on hospice letterhead stating that the patient is a hospice patient under his or her care. It may be uploaded in either .jpg or .pdf format.
An electronic copy of official proof of the caregiver’s guardianship of the minor patient
Acceptable documents include the patient’s birth certificate, adoption certificate or a court order awarding guardianship.
An electronic copy of the completed and notarized Minor Patient Form
Please download and complete the Minor Patient Form in its entirety, have it notarized, then scan or take a clear picture of the completed form.
The MMCC Caregiver ID Number for the caregiver to be identified during the registration process
In order to obtain an ID Number, the caregiver must submit an application and receive MMCC approval. For more information, please visit the Caregivers page.
- Complete and submit the minor patient’s online application. Visit the MMCC registry (OneStop Portal) and click Create Account under the Patients heading.
- Verify the caregiver’s email address. As part of the minor patient’s application, the caregiver will need to submit a valid, accessible email address. Once the minor patient’s application has been completed and submitted, a verification email will be sent to the caregiver’s email address. You mustclick the verification link in the email message to verify the email account. Without performing this step, the application is not complete and will not be reviewed by the Commission.
Completed applications will be reviewed by MMCC and you will receive a follow up email advising whether or not the application has been approved. Please retain the approval email for your records. It contains the Username, which you will need to log in to the Patient registry (OneStop Portal), as well as the MMCC Patient ID Number, which your physician will need to issue a written certification for medical cannabis. Once the patient has a written certification, you will also need to provide both the Patient ID Number and Caregiver ID Number to a licensed dispensary when purchasing medical cannabis.
Next Steps
Once the minor patient’s application has been approved, the patient is ready to visit a provider registered with MMCC to obtain a valid certification.
After registration has been completed and a valid certification acquired, the caregiver can visit a licensed Maryland dispensary to purchase medical cannabis for the minor patient. Once the patient has a certification, you will also need to provide the Patient ID Number, along with the Caregiver ID ID Card when purchasing medical cannabis from a licensed dispensary.
Additional Caregivers for Minor Patients
Minor patients are permitted to have a maximum of two registered, designated caregivers assigned to their accounts at one time. One caregiver is identified and automatically assigned through the Minor Patient registration process.
Likewise, a caregiver may not remove a minor patient from his or her registry (OneStop Portal) account. To cancel a designation between a minor patient and a caregiver, the minor patient may remove the caregiver from his or her registry (OneStop Portal) account or the caregiver can contact MMCC at 1-844-421-2571 to request that the designation be removed.
**For new submitted applications and renewals, the $25 fee is non-refundable.**
Registration of a medical card for admission to kindergarten
How to start issuing a medical card f. No. 26 \ y for admission to kindergarten
To apply for a medical card, you need to contact your local pediatrician at the children's polyclinic at your place of residence.
In form No. 026 / o , the pediatrician will fill in the following data:
- surname, name and patronymic of the child;
- date of birth;
- home address;
- information about parents;
- family history;
- the presence of allergic reactions;
- hospitalization data;
- growth;
- weight;
- general condition of the child.
After that, the medical card is issued to the parents in order to be examined by narrow specialists with the child and pass the necessary blood, urine and stool tests.
Examinations and analyzes
In addition to the passport part and general medical history data, the medical record has a special section "In-depth medical examination data", where the results of the examination by narrow specialists are recorded.
To fill in the data of the medical card, visit the following doctors:
- otolaryngologist
- optometrist
- dentist
- neurologist
- orthopedist.
- gynecologist
- surgeon
Each specialist leaves his opinion in the medical record, puts a signature, seal and indicates the date of the examination.
Depending on your child's health or preschool requirements, you may need additional medical advice.
Did you bypass all the necessary specialists? Then you can take the tests.
To obtain a medical card, a child needs to pass a general blood test, a general urinalysis, a stool test (coprogram) and a scraping for enterobiosis (eggworm).
An important nuance, if you can start bypassing doctors in advance, since their conclusions are correct for a year, then the "shelf life" of scraping for enterobiosis is only 10 days, so it is better to do this analysis immediately before entering kindergarten.
Based on the received recommendations of doctors and the results of tests, the pediatrician forms a complete diagnosis of the child, determines the health group and gives a medical and pedagogical conclusion about his readiness to be in the children's team.
The section "Prophylactic vaccinations", where it is necessary to indicate all the vaccinations carried out by the child at that moment, is highlighted in the medical card as a separate item.
Traditionally, by the age of three, according to the National Immunization Schedule, a child must be vaccinated against tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus, poliomyelitis, Haemophilus influenzae, measles, rubella, mumps, hepatitis B, Mantoux test is done annually from 12 months of age.
Make sure you get your vaccinations on time.
If the child does not have any necessary vaccinations due to the lack of a vaccine, the district pediatrician issues the necessary certificate, which is the reason for changing the vaccination schedule and is valid until the vaccine becomes available.
If the vaccination schedule is disrupted due to the health of the baby, for example, the child had a medical exemption from vaccinations due to allergies, problems with the nervous system, or the baby is often sick for a long time, the pediatrician will also make a note on the vaccination card. The term of the medical exemption and the individual vaccination schedule depend on the specific diagnosis-contraindication and the recommendations of the doctor who gave the child the medical exemption.
Children who did not undergo r. Mantoux are admitted to the children's organization if there is a conclusion of a phthisiatrician about the absence of the disease.
If your child does not have any vaccinations at all, then the issue of filling out the appropriate column in the medical record, as well as placing the child in a kindergarten, is decided on an individual basis.
Child's medical record for school. Reference 026/у
After the happy moment of confirming your child's admission to school, the agonizing paperwork phase begins, which includes the preparation of medical records. As a rule, if the child attended a kindergarten, then the medical card required for admission to grade 1 was entered by an employee of the medical office there.
If the child did not go to kindergarten, then the care of getting a medical card for school falls on the shoulders of the parents.
CHILD'S MEDICAL CARD FOR SCHOOL 026/U AVAILABLE IN BRANCHES:
Child's medical card for school 026/u in Primorsky district
Address: St. Petersburg , Primorsky district, Repishcheva, 13
Child's medical card for school 026 / y in the Petrogradsky district
Address: St. Petersburg , Petrogradsky district, st. Lenina, 5
Child's medical card for school 026 / y in Vsevolozhsk
Address: Vsevolozhsk , Oktyabrsky pr-t, 96
The medical record includes the child's personal data:
- Surname, name, patronymic (in full)
- Date of birth
- Home address and phone number
- Names and patronymics of parents, their work phones
- Past infectious diseases and dates of illness
The required tests for the medical card for the first grader are as follows:
- CBC
- Urinalysis
- Glucose
- Feces on helminth eggs
- Scraping for enterobiasis
- Abdominal ultrasound
- Thyroid ultrasound
- Ultrasound of the reproductive system (for girls)
- Echocardiogram
The list of medical specialists for reference 026/y to the school includes:
- General practitioner consultation
- Dental consultation
- Gynecological consultation
- Urologist's consultation
- Neurologist's consultation
- Ophthalmological consultation
- Otolaryngologist consultation
In addition, you must have a vaccination card (form f-63). If the vaccinations were not done according to the schedule or were not done for medical reasons, then the reason and the conclusion of the specialist who gave the honey / branch should be indicated. Parents currently have the option to opt out of vaccination. In this case, a written refusal of the parents to be vaccinated must be attached.
Preventive vaccinations include:
- Poliomyelitis
- Measles
- Mumps
- Mantoux test
- Tuberculosis
- Meningitis
- Rubella
- Hepatitis
It should be noted that there are centers that offer to buy a medical card for school. Of course, from the point of view of saving time, it is convenient to use such a service. However, it should be understood that the design of a medical document is aimed at the benefit of children. Based on the examinations, the therapist determines the child's health group. This will affect, for example, the choice of a place (desk) for a future student, and the degree of load in physical education classes. There are 5 groups of children's health. By simply purchasing a 026/y certificate, parents run the risk of missing information about any dysfunctions in the child’s body that do not manifest themselves outwardly, since many of the listed specialists examine children only once, immediately after birth.
You can avoid a number of difficulties with making appointments with doctors and undergo all the necessary examinations for obtaining a medical card for a school (in the Primorsky district) in one place and as quickly as possible (in 1-3 days) in our multidisciplinary medical center "Dynasty". In addition to the necessary documentary part, you will receive a full examination of the child and confidence in the future.
For the fastest issuance (in 1 day) of a medical card for the school, it is necessary to take tests before 11 am and sign up for consultations with specialists in the evening.
Call, sign up - we will be happy to help you!
