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Medical Cannabis Cards on the Rise Amid COVID-19 Crisis
Medical Cannabis Cards on the Rise Amid COVID-19 Crisis
Medical cannabis sales continue to spike as consumers stock up in anticipation of supply chain disruptions as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread. It seems consumers agree cannabis is an essential need.
Across the country, people are turning to medical cannabis to ease their anxiety, stress and fears the COVID-19 crisis. CBD and hemp oils have also become popular for managing wellness regimes. For these types of medical consumers, it’s not about getting high, it’s about seeking to improve their quality of life.
Why Cannabis Certifications Are on The Rise
In states like Illinois, there has been a rise in medical cannabis patients over the past few months due to the expansion of qualifying conditions, and the recent legalization, which helped normalize cannabis even further.
With rising costs of cannabis rising due to limited supply, consumers quickly felt the stark difference at the register, facing up to a 34.75% tax on products purchased through the recreational avenue.
Those who were no longer plagued by stigma, and qualified for the program realized that getting certified via the medical program would not only save them on taxes, but they would have priority access to products, and even have the ability to grow their own cannabis at home. The benefits of having a medical card simply made sense for those who qualified.
With states like Illinois and Pennsylvania having Chronic Pain as a qualifying condition, more people finally have legitimate access to medical products. Although having such a condition could make it difficult or even uncomfortable to travel for a medical card certification, especially during a pandemic situation, states across the U.S. have started to take measures to ensure that patients can still obtain access to their medicine. Dispensaries in Illinois and Pennsylvania, for example, have been deemed essential businesses and remain open with options for online ordering, curbside pickup, and in other states, even delivery.
Can I Get My Medical Cannabis Card During the COVID-19 Crisis?
The answer is yes. In addition to allowing dispensaries to remain open, Illinois and Pennsylvania revised some of its rules to temporarily allow medical providers (like ours) to certify new patients, and recertify existing ones via telehealth.
Over the last few weeks, we have discovered our patients and communities to be settling in and adapting to our new, hopefully, temporary policies of staying inside and practicing social distancing.
With this announcement and social adjustment in place, we quickly took action to ensure our clinics wouldn’t skip a beat in being able to help our community during these unique times.
As part of the states’ efforts to support social distancing during the COVID-19 crisis, appointments for our telemedicine services can now be made for any of our clinics across either state. This allows patients who now have the time, but cannot travel, to easily reach out for help with obtaining a medical cannabis certification.
We have even made the process as simple as possible to give more patients access to medicine and peace of mind.
During this crisis, getting certified from the comfort of your own home is becoming more, making it a great time to take advantage of the benefits while they are here. Given that the pandemic has also offset people’s income, we understand this may impact people’s ability to get certified, which is why we provide a few different options for payment to those who need it.
If you have experienced a significant financial impact due to the pandemic, we are offering people the opportunity to register for a chance to win a free certification from our weekly drawings where we have committed to start donating one free certification per week in Illinois and Pennsylvania.
Our doctors will waive the visitation fee for patients who win the random weekly drawings in order to help ease the financial burden of applying for a card. While state fees still apply, patients on disability or social security may also qualify for an additional discount from the state.
To get a medical cannabis card, you must have a qualifying medical condition under the law as determined by a physician. Obtaining a medical cannabis card in Illinois or Pennsylvania during the crisis is a simple process with help from clinics like ours.
In fact, we’ve made our telemedicine hours available from 10 am to 10 pm, 7 days a week to provide convenient access to patients in need of assistance during the crisis.
To schedule a video appointment, call (888) 372-0325 or schedule directly from the Compassionate Clinics of America website.
If you’re curious to see how others are adapting with cannabis and COVID-19, read the latest update from our friends at The Medical Cannabis Community and take their survey today!
