How to Check Your Arizona Medical Marijuana Card Status
Checking your AZ MMJ card status is easy and only takes a minute or two. Generally, applicants for an Arizona medical marijuana card should receive their digital card by email within five business days of application. However, if it hasn't arrived, checking the status can help you work out whether there’s a problem or your card has been denied.
How to Check Your AZ MMJ Card Status Step by Step
Go to the AZDHS individual licensing portal.
Log in to your AZDHS account.
Click on "My Programs, Other Licenses."
Click on "Marijuana."
Click on "Application Status."
Problems with MMJ card processing usually occur at the application stage. These might include issues such as a photo that’s the wrong file size or browser issues that stop the page from loading. Occasionally, an application will take longer because your medical marijuana doctor promised to pay the application fee to AZDHS on your behalf but forgot or took a while to get around to it.
In general, as long as you have an AZ qualifying condition and have received a written recommendation for cannabis from a registered medical marijuana doctor via an in-person or online MMJ appointment, you shouldn't have any problems being approved for your card.
Arizona MMJ Cards Are Now Digital
If you're an Arizona medical marijuana patient applying for the first time or renewing your card, it's important to know that AZ MMJ cards are now delivered digitally. If you're waiting to receive a physical card in the mail, check your email inbox because your card might be waiting for you there.
Once you receive your digital card, you can either print it out and laminate it or download the card onto a mobile device. To enjoy the benefits of an MMJ card at a dispensary, medical marijuana patients need to show their printed or digital cards together with a state-issued photo ID that shows that they are of legal age (at least 18 years for MMJ cardholders).
How to Become a Legal Medical Marijuana Patient in Arizona
To become a medical marijuana patient in Arizona, you need to have an eligible chronic or debilitating disease. The diseases that qualify patients for an AZ MMJ card are:
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
Alzheimer's Disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Cachexia or wasting syndrome
Cancer
Crohn's Disease
Glaucoma
Hepatitis C
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
Severe and Chronic Pain
Severe Nausea
Persistent Muscle Spasms
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Seizures
Steps to Apply for Your Patient Card
If you have one of the qualifying conditions, book an appointment with a licensed medical marijuana doctor and take everything on the AZDHS medical cannabis card checklist:
Your state-issued photo ID as proof of residence in AZ, plus a photocopy
A passport-style photo that is no more than 60 days old
Medical records as proof of your medical condition (if you have them)
Your patient attestation form
The fee for the appointment
The fee for the online application (paid to AZDHS), which is $150 for a two-year card, reduced to $75 for SNAP recipients
If the doctor approves you for an MMJ card, he or she will fill out the official physician certification form that you will submit with your application.
You will then create an account through the Arizona Department of Health Services Individual Licensing Portal, submit all of the required documentation, and pay the $150 fee ($75 for SNAP recipients). Patients who live more than 25 miles from a dispensary can apply to cultivate marijuana as part of the application process.
Within five working days, you should receive an email with your digital medical card.
Before the expiration date, renew your card online with an updated physician’s recommendation, an updated photo, and payment of the renewal fee. You can renew up to 90 days before your expiration.
Important note: Some medical marijuana doctors charge you the AZDHS fee and pay it on your behalf when submitting your documentation. Please note that this fee is separate from the fee for the medical appointment and must be submitted to the AZDHS before your application can be processed. Some fake medical marijuana card providers charge this fee and keep it for themselves, so be sure to ask the doctor for the payment receipt from the AZDHS website.
Employer and Law Enforcement MMJ Card Lookups
Current or prospective employers of individuals with medical marijuana cards can search the patients' card numbers on the AZDHS database. Employers and law enforcement officers need to register for access to this password-protected database to view patients’ digital cards.
The Arizona Allotment Checker
Medical cannabis patients and dispensary agents in Arizona can check how much marijuana a cardholder has purchased in a given two-week period using the Arizona Allotment Checker.
This database shows the status of your purchases in ounces and grams to ensure that you stay within your two-week allotment. To check your remaining allotment, simply log in to your AZDHS account and click on “Medical Marijuana Patient,” then “My ID Card.”
Arizona Medical Marijuana Cards Are Quick and Easy to Obtain
Applying for an MMJ card in Arizona is generally easy and quick, as long as you have an AZ qualifying condition and proof of your condition. Even if you don't have medical records (for conditions like chronic pain or PTSD, it can be hard to prove the condition with tests), Arizona marijuana doctors can evaluate you in an in-office appointment and use their best judgment to make a recommendation for marijuana.
Once you're approved, you should have your card in a week or so (many patients are approved that same day) and can start making purchases from medical marijuana dispensaries. As long as you take your card and photo ID, you will avoid paying the 16% excise tax and enjoy higher purchase limits, more potent products, and all of the other benefits that come with an MMJ patient status.
