Minor Patient Registration
Eligibility
To become a minor medical cannabis patient in Maryland, you must:
- Have at least one caregiver at all times who is a parent or legal guardian 21 years or older
- Have a written certification for a qualifying medical condition by a certifying provider.
- If you do not live in Maryland, you must also provide a notarized letter from a Maryland Joint Commission Accredited Facility stating the individual is receiving inpatient treatment and the length of stay
Qualifying medical conditions
Qualifying medical conditions include:
- Anorexia
- Cachexia
- Glaucoma
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Seizures
- Severe or chronic pain
- Severe nausea
- Severe or persistent muscle spasms
- Wasting syndrome
- Other chronic medical conditions which are severe and for which other treatments have been ineffective
How to register a minor (under 18 years old) medical cannabis patient
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Register a caregiver
Minor patients are required to have a caregiver assigned at all times. The caregiver must submit an online caregiver application and be approved by MCA before registering the minor patient.
The caregiver must
- Be a parent or legal guardian of the minor patient
- Be at least 21 years of age
- Have a valid accessible email account
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Register the minor patient
The caregiver should log in to their OneStop account and complete the Minor Patient Registration form.
You will need:
Caregiver information
- A valid, accessible email account for the caregiver which you are comfortable using in relation to your Maryland Medical Cannabis account. The Commission will use this email address as the principal means of communication with you regarding your account and its status.
- A valid US government-issued photo ID. Accepted forms if identification include:
- Driver’s license
- State issued photo identification card
- Military ID (both front and back)
- US Passport
- Proof that applicant lives in Maryland
- Proof of caregiver's relationship to the minor. (e.g., birth certificate, adoption certificate, or adoption court order documents)
- Caregiver's MCA ID number
Additional documents you may need
If the identification provided is not a Maryland driver’s license or MVA ID card, or it does not identify the applicant's current address, you must also provide two of the following documents as proof of your current Maryland address:
- 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
- Major credit card bill
- Residential rental contract/lease
- Selective Service Card
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). All documents must be dated in the past 90 days.
Patient information
- Full 9-digit social security number
- Notarized Minor Patient Form
- Photograph that meets the following requirements:
- Clear, color photo taken in front of a plain white or off-white background.
- The applicant is clothed, directly facing the camera with both eyes open, and has a neutral facial expression or a natural smile. The applicant must not be wearing a hat, head covering, sunglasses, or dark glasses.
- Photo was taken in the last six (6) months.
- Photo is an image file (.pdf, .jpg, .png or .gif) no larger than 3 MB in size.
- Photo is not altered or digitally enhanced in any way (no photo filters).
Note: 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.
Approval notification
Caregivers will receive a follow-up email advising whether your application has been approved or returned for corrections.
Be sure to retain your approval email as it contains your MCA Patient ID number. You will need your email address and password to log into your Maryland Onestop account and your 16-digit ID number for your provider to issue a written certification.
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Get written certification
Once registered, patients must obtain a valid written certification from a provider registered with the Maryland Cannabis Administration.
The patient is required by law to have a bona fide provider-patient relationship with the provider and the provider must approve medical cannabis as a treatment option for the patient for a qualifying medical condition. Patients must have an in-person visit with the certifying provider.
The provider will need the patient’s MCA-issued Patient ID Number to issue the certification for medical cannabis through the Commission’s secure online application.
Certifications are valid for a maximum of one year. Patients must recertify with a qualifying provider when the certification has expired.
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Visit a dispensary
When purchasing medical cannabis at a licensed dispensary, patients are required to present a valid government-issued photo identification in addition to providing their medical patient ID card or ID number when purchasing medical cannabis at a dispensary.
The dispensary agent will verify the patient’s certification in the MCA's Onestop database before conducting any transaction.
Patients may purchase and obtain a maximum of a thirty-day supply of medical cannabis at one time.
Please note: A certification that is not used to purchase medical cannabis, at a licensed dispensary in the state of Maryland, within 120 days of issuance becomes null and void.
Tips for uploading your government ID
If your government-issued photo ID is a Maryland driver's license or MVA ID card, you must submit images of both the front and back of the card. A few options for getting those images into a single file to upload with your application are listed below.
- Take pictures of both the front and back of your ID (and proof of Maryland address, if needed).
- Insert all images into a Word document, and then save the file as a PDF.
- Scan or copy the front of your ID, and print the result.
- Place the actual ID card face-down (back side up) on the lower half of that printed page.
- Take a photo or scan or copy the page again — this captures both the printed front and the physical back of the card on a single sheet.
If your scanner supports it, scan both sides of your ID into a single multi-page PDF.
What happens when a minor patient turns 18?
The minor patient registration will automatically expire on their 18th birthday. If the individual wishes to remain a medical cannabis patient at that time, they are required to complete an adult registration application.
Patient & caregiver ID card fees
Maryland Cannabis Administration medical patient ID cards can be ordered for a fee of $25.
Patients also have the option to print a paper copy of their medical cannabis ID cards at no charge.
$25 fee is waived for patients under 18 years old.
If you are a qualifying patient who is enrolled in the Maryland Medical Assistance Program or the Veterans Affairs Maryland Health Care System, you are eligible for a waiver of the $25 fee for the patient ID card.
Please note: If you are a current patient, you are not eligible to have the fee waived retroactively. Upon renewal, you will have to complete a new adult patient registration. There will be an option to select Medicaid or Veteran enrollment and provide the required documents.
Required documentation
In order to receive the ID card fee waiver, you must fill out the online patient registration form and provide the following documentation:
VA enrollee
- Your U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID Card - PDF - 255.74 KB. The expiration date must be valid and listed on the front of the VA ID card. If you need a replacement card for Veterans Affairs, contact the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Information line at 1-877-222-VETS (8387) to request a new one.
- One of the following:
- A Certificate of Creditable Coverage, which can be obtained by contacting Maryland Medicaid Beneficiary Services at 1-800-284-4510, or
- An Eligibility Determination Letter from the Maryland Health Connection, which can be obtained through your Maryland Health Connection account or by contacting 1-855-642-8572.
Maryland Medical Assistance Program enrollee
- A copy of your red and white medical assistance card from the state of Maryland is required, which can be obtained by calling the Maryland Health Connection Call Center at 1-855-642-8572
- One of the following:
- A Certificate of Creditable Coverage, which can be obtained by contacting Maryland Medicaid Beneficiary Services at 1-800-284-4510, or
- An Eligibility Determination Letter from the Maryland Health Connection, which can be obtained through your Maryland Health Connection account or by contacting 1-855-642-8572.
The $25 fee waived for patients who provide a letter from the attending hospice physician indicating the hospice care.
Caregiver ID card fee is $25.
Replacement cards for both patients and caregivers are $50.
Log in to OneStop
Maryland OneStop is where you register with the MCA — whether you're a patient, caregiver, business, or license applicant. Create an account to get started.