Now that recreational marijuana is legal in the state of Massachusetts, you might be thinking that there’s no need to apply for a medical marijuana card or continue carrying one.
NOT TRUE.
Here are five reasons why a Massachusetts medical marijuana card is still good to have:
Medical = Massachusetts. Recreational = Taxachusetts.
When you have a Massachusetts medical marijuana card, your approved medical condition qualifies you to pay no state sales tax on your dispensary purchases. That’s a pretty big deal considering the Massachusetts sales tax rate is 6.25%.
Now add the 10.75% state excise tax on all recreational marijuana purchases along with the 3% local tax that the city or town may charge on top of the sales and excise tax.
That’s a whopping 20% tax for recreational marijuana users that medical marijuana card holders DON’T pay. To put that in perspective, imagine a medical marijuana cardholder and a recreational user bring the same products to the cash register. Let’s say that the total cost of these products is $50. While the Massachusetts medical marijuana cardholder pays just the $50, the Massachusetts sales, excise, and local tax will push the non-card holder’s bill to $60. That’s a lot of money you can save by following these 5 steps.
Supply and Demand
You know how frustrating it is when you go to the supermarket and they’re completely out of bananas or the ones they have in stock are either bruised beyond recognition or green as cucumbers? The same thing can happen at a recreational marijuana shop if you don’t have a Massachusetts medical marijuana card. To guard against a drop in supply caused by a spike in demand from new recreational marijuana users, the state of Massachusetts has required that 35% of medical grade cannabis must be reserved for medical patients. Roughly translated, Massachusetts medical marijuana cardholders get preference over recreational users. Of course, at Revolutionary Clinics, we only sell to Massachusetts medical marijuana cardholders at our dispensaries so having a card is absolutely essential.
Recreational edibles have their limits
Edibles are a good choice for people who want the easiest and most discreet way to receive the therapeutic benefits of THC or CBD. According to Massachusetts state law, recreational marijuana shops can only sell edibles that contain a MAXIMUM of 5mg of THC. Compare that with our popular Chocolate Bar 100 with 104mg of THC. Whether it’s a brownie or a lozenge, you’ll need to buy 20x more edible product at a recreational marijuana shop to equal a single Chocolate Bar 100 and then pay the aforementioned state and local sales and excise taxes.
Medical marijuana products can be delivered to your door, recreational marijuana products can’t
At Revolutionary Clinics, we’re proud to offer free parking at our dispensaries but we realize it’s not always easy for you to find the time to see us in person. That’s why hundreds of our customers enjoy the convenience of having their medical marijuana products delivered to their homes. It’s a benefit reserved exclusively for Massachusetts medical marijuana cardholders. The only way to get products delivered to you from a recreational marijuana shop is if you can convince a friend to pick them up for you. Good luck with that!
Age isn’t just a number
If you’re 18 years or older and have a qualifying medical condition, you can get a medical marijuana card in Massachusetts and enjoy the therapeutic benefits of cannabis. If you don’t have a medical marijuana card, you’ll have to wait until you’re 21 year old to purchase cannabis at a recreational marijuana shop. That’s a long time to wait for the priviledge of having less products to choose from and paying up to 20% more for them.
It takes just five steps to get a medical marijuana card in Massachusetts. Between the money your tax-free medical marijuana purchases will save you, the access to more products with higher concentrations of THC, and the convenience of home delivery, the benefits of having a Massachusetts medical marijuana card are well worth the effort it takes to acquire one. If you have questions about any part of the application process or you’d like to schedule an appointment to speak with one of our Patient Advocates about understanding medical marijuana use and drug tests, please contact us today!
Hello there,
This is kind of a shot in the dark email, but I am wondering if you could answer a couple questions about the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Program.
How much can you sell to a patient in a single transaction?
How do you verify that a patient has an active medical card?
What data do you store about the patient?
No problem
1) From the CCC website: “You can have up to 1 oz on you and up to 10 oz in your home”
2) Every patient with a card is registered in a database with the Cannabis Control Commission. Every dispensary must login and run that patient’s card number in that portal to see if they are an active patient in the program
3) We store contact information, med card ID # and purchase history data. This is required by the CCC.
I am not a medical card holder. The last three dispensaries I went to here in Massachusetts have chocolate bars that are more than the 5 mg of THC . Your article said that Mass Law requires can only sell edibles with a max of 5 mg of THC. That’s just not true. I recently bought a chocolate bar containing 102 mg of THC.
Hi Melissa,
Adult Use shops are allowed to sell 100mg edibles in 5mg pieces. I hope that clarifies the point being made in our article a bit more.
why does a person that has been qualified from a doctor for neurological disability, that will not get better need to pay $200.00 every year to get recertified and $50.00 for card. On a fixed income it gets expensive to just be able to buy marijuana license let alone the product. If someone is found to be disabled by qualifying doctor, they should be allowed to bypass yearly $200.00 doctor recertification fee.
Hi Larry, you raise a very interesting point. The laws and fees associated with getting the card are set by the state government. It may be helpful to reach out directly to those offices to raise this point. Obtaining a medical marijuana card should be more accessible for people in the case you illustrate above. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
I negotiated mine to 100..didn’t hurt to ask and I referred someone else who ending up getting it for free when they found out she had cancer. Point is..there are some places out there who care..if you need name of my provider just reply
Hi, I’m moving to ma Do I need to go a special dr or can my PCP sign it ( Boston dr).also if on disability ssdi you get 10% off product and 50% off lincence fee. Thank you for your help
If you have MassHealth you can get a hardship discount with cannamed. I paid $150 for the initial appt to get a card.
Jenn, where do you apply? Thank you, Bren
Please visit: https://www.revolutionaryclinics.org/resources/become-a-patient/ for more information on cannabis doctors and their fees.
Can an out of stater 21 years old, no medical card, visit a Massachusetts dispensary and make a purchase?
Recreational dispensaries re-opened yesterday with restrictions. All operations are done through online pre-order and curbside pickup.
yes, as long as you have a valid ID.
This is misleading. Since all rec dispensaries charge medical card holders the full tax anyway. Whether you show them the law or not. They say “We’re rec only that doesn’t apply to us.” Can’t find any information on .gov proving them wrong.
We never charge tax at Rev Clinics since we are exclusively medical. We cannot speak for other rec dispensaries.
Rec only Dispensaries are Private Businesses every transaction is taxed by the state… no way around it period!
Getting a card pays for itself with the savings and deals offered new and renewing patients. I got a Groupon for the Medical Exam with Leafwell – paid ~$75 and was able to be seen 15 min later via video call and was able to register with the state and print out a temporary card that I can use until permanent one comes. One dispensary offers $200 credit with $200 purchase in the first 30 days of getting new card or renewal – essentially half price.