Get Your Maine Medical Marijuana Card

2 documents needed to apply for a Maine medical marijuana card

You’ll need to provide the following to apply for a Maine marijuana card:

1. Medical Marijuana Recommendation
   Once approved, your licensed physician will register you with the state and upload a digital image of your certification to Leafwell within 48 business hours (you will receive an email notification when it is available to download).You may use that digital image to legally purchase cannabis until your physical certification arrives by mail within five to seven business days.
2. Proof of Identity
   You will need a government-issued photo ID, such as a valid driver’s license from the state of Maine or a state ID card. For minor patients, a birth certificate is an acceptable form of identification.
3. Medical Records (Minors Only)
   Medical records are optional for adult patients but required for minor patients.

Next steps after approval

Being A Medical Marijuana Patient in Maine:

1. The provider will register you with the state, print your physical certification on tamper-proof paper, and mail it to you. In addition, they will upload a digital image of your certification to Leafwell within 48 hours.
2. You will receive an email notification when the digital image is available for download.
3. The digital image should be sufficient proof of your certification at most dispensaries, allowing you to legally purchase cannabis until your physical certification arrives by mail within 5-7 days.
4. Please remember that you must bring either the digital image or the hard copy of your certificate and some ID with you in order to make a purchase at the dispensary.

How to renew your Maine marijuana card

Renewing your medical marijuana card in Maine is quick and easy with Leafwell. Begin the renewal process 30 days before your card expires to make sure there’s no gap in your approval for Maine medical use of cannabis. The process for renewing your Maine medical marijuana card is very similar to getting it for the first time. You can visit our Maine renewal page for the full step-by-step process and a form to start the process.

Marijuana laws in Maine

In 1999, Maine voters voted in favor of legalizing medical cannabis. Maine Medical Marijuana Initiative, or Question 2,  allowed patients with specific qualifying conditions to cultivate, possess, and consume a limited amount of medical marijuana. A decade later, residents supported efforts to expand the existing medical marijuana program. This initiative prompted the creation of the Maine Medical Marijuana Act (LD 975, I.B. 2) and established nonprofit medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the state. In addition, the measure initiated a statewide identification card system for medical cannabis patients.

Recreational Marijuana laws: Recreational cannabis was legalized with the passage of the Marijuana Legalization Act in 2016. This legislation gave Mainers over 21 the right to purchase and cultivate cannabis for personal use. From 2018 to 2019, lawmakers approved a raft of measures that developed the framework for adult-use cannabis retail sales, including guidelines for possession, cultivation, consumption, sales, and taxation of marijuana. Maine initiated its first recreational cannabis sales in 2020.

Adults 21 and older with a valid state ID may purchase a daily limit of up to 2.5 ounces (or 70 grams) of marijuana flower, including a maximum of 5 grams of marijuana concentrate. Recreational consumers are also permitted to cultivate a limited amount of cannabis for personal use.

Maine has passed several pieces of legislation designed to protect its patients enrolled in the Maine medical marijuana program.

Medical Marijuana Patient Employee Protections: Under the Maine Medical Marijuana Act (MMUMA), an employer may not refuse employment or penalize a person for that person’s status as a qualifying medical marijuana patient. However, this does not require employers to accommodate the use of cannabis in any workplace or to allow employees to work while under the influence of marijuana.

Patient Rights Under the Maine Medical Marijuana Act: Under Maine law, patients enrolled in the medical cannabis program also have the right to:

• Enroll in school without rejection based only on cardholder status.
• Rent an apartment without eviction or refusal based solely on patient status.
• Work at their place of employment without discrimination for having a card or testing positive for marijuana.
• Receive healthcare without disqualification merely due to medical marijuana treatment.
• Visit or have custody of their child without denial only based on patient status.
• Hold a state-issued license without suspension on the sole basis of cardholder status.

Delta-8 Laws: The passage of the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp containing less than 0.3% THC at the federal level. Under Maine state law, hemp-derived cannabinoids such as CBD, delta-8, delta-10, and HHC are legal for adult use in Maine.

Taxes: 5.5% for medical card holders vs 15.5% for recreational users. 8% on gummies for medical card holders.

How to become a caregiver in Maine

A caregiver is a person who is designated by a qualifying patient and authorized to assist the qualifying patient with the medical use of marijuana.

Minor medical marijuana patients will require parent/legal guardian consent and at least one parent/legal guardian to act as a caregiver.

Caregiver Requirements:

• At least 21 years old.
• Must register with the state if NOT a family member of the patient.
• Never convicted of a drug offense. A background check is required ($31 fee).
• Caregivers may serve up to five patients.
• Special circumstances allow patients to designate a second caregiver. Only specified qualifying patients may have two primary caregivers.
  • In addition to a minor qualifying patient, the following qualifying patients may designate a second primary caregiver:
    1. An incapacitated adult qualifying patient. An incapacitated adult qualifying patient’s legal guardian or power of attorney for health care shall serve as the incapacitated adult’s primary caregiver. In addition, an incapacitated adult qualifying patient may have a second primary caregiver.
    2. Qualifying patient in a hospice or nursing facility. The qualifying patient’s hospice provider or nursing facility may serve only as the qualifying patient’s non-cultivating primary caregiver. In addition, the qualifying patient may have a second primary caregiver designated to cultivate marijuana or to assist with the qualifying patient’s medical use of marijuana.

Caregiver Registration Information

• Fees
  • Annual licensing fee (for caregivers who cultivate, per patient) = $240
  • Background check fee = $31
  • Hospice inpatient programs and nursing facilities designated as primary caregivers = no fee
• Caregivers who wish to cultivate must pay $240 annually per patient, plus an additional $31 for background checks.
• A caregiver who assists a patient who is not a member of their family or household must register with the state.

Can I use my Maine medical marijuana card in other states?

Medical cannabis patients visiting Maine need only produce their state-issued registry identification card, certificate, or other state-issued documentation of the visiting patient’s status as a medical cannabis patient in their state of residence to purchase medical cannabis while visiting Maine.

Furthermore, the following states and territories recognize Maine medical marijuana cards:

• Arizona
• Arkansas *
• Delaware
• Hawaii *
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Michigan (at the dispensary’s discretion)
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey *
• New Mexico
• Oklahoma *
• Puerto Rico
• Rhode Island
• U.S. Virgin Islands *
• Utah * (up to two 21-day periods in a calendar year)
• Washington D.C.

*Visitors must complete a visiting patient application with the state program.

Minor patient information

A minor patient will require parent/legal guardian consent and at least one parent/legal guardian to act as their caregiver. A minor patient must take their parent or legal guardian to the dispensary to purchase their medication.

For a minor medical marijuana card certification, a birth certificate is an acceptable form of ID. We will also need the caregiver’s ID on file.