Recreational VS Medical

Are you interested in experiencing the joyful, healing powers of cannabis but don’t know where to start? First, you’ll need to decide whether you want to shop as a recreational customer, or go a step further and get registered as a medical patient. 

For casual users, proceeding as a recreational consumer makes the most sense. To enjoy recreational cannabis, all you have to do is walk into our dispensary with a valid ID that proves you’re over 21, and make a purchase. Getting registered as a medicinal cannabis patient requires an extra step in consulting with a doctor, but it makes sense for people who are using cannabis more frequently, or as a daily medicine. 

Both are great access routes, so let’s discuss the differences between recreational vs medical. 

Recreational Consumer

Here is everything you need to know before (and after) purchasing cannabis as a recreational consumer in California: 

You must be 21 years old years old to legally purchase, possess, and consume cannabis in California. You’ll need a valid ID to verify you’re age, such as a driver’s license or passport. You do not have to be a resident of California, or even the US. You just have to be able to prove that you are over 21 with a government-issued photo ID. 

Next, possession limits. This one is important. Recreational consumers can possess up to 28.5 grams (1 ounce) of cannabis flower, or up to 8 grams of concentrates or edibles. You can also cultivate up to six plants at your home, regardless of the number of adults living there.

Consumption laws: another important one! This law is kind of tricky, but cannabis consumption is generally limited to private property. Consuming cannabis in public places, including parks, beaches, and streets, is technically prohibited.

You don’t need a doctor’s recommendation to shop at Sespe, but you might still want one. If you have a valid recommendation and a state-issued MMIC, your sales and use tax is waived — since the tax is included on all our products, the prices you’ll pay will be significantly less than what is shown on the menu. We’ve done the math and if you spend $115 a month or more, it’ll pay for itself in a year’s time. In addition, with a medical recommendation you have higher daily purchase limits, can purchase more THC per package, and your parental rights cannot be taken away simply because you use cannabis. But do you need medical cannabis? In our view, all cannabis use is medicinal; or as Tommy Chong so aptly put it, “boredom is a disease too.”

We have a list of local and tele-health doctors who specialize in cannabis recommendations to get you started. If you already have a recommendation, you can skip this step and start with Methods of Consumption — but if you’re curious about the official standards doctors must follow, here are the details:

Patient Eligibility

If you are a resident of the State of California, have a valid state-issued Driver’s License or ID card, and have a condition which may be helped by medical marijuana, you are qualified. Proposition 215 lists cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, and “any other illness for which marijuana provides relief”. Physicians have recommended marijuana for hundreds of indications, including such common complaints as insomnia, PMS, post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, epilepsy, asthma, arthritis, ADHD, substance abuse harm reduction, and pain of any kind.

Doctor Requirements

Most patients go to a doctor who specializes in cannabis recommendations since they generally have a system in place to provide 24-hour verifications online or over the phone (even though you have the original, physical copy, dispensaries and delivery services will also need to confirm that it is indeed valid).  You can, of course, get a recommendation from your primary care physician. You can download this example recommendation letter/form from Americans for Safe Access for your doctor to fill in or use as a guideline, or use the one  California NORML provides. For reference, the Medical Board of California’s full guidelines are here. You need a recommendation from a physician with a valid license; if your doctor loses their license, your recommendation will become invalid, so it is important that you select a reliable provider. Your cannabis doctor will request medical records from your primary care physician to confirm you have been diagnosed with a treatable condition — if they don’t, they aren’t following the Medical Board’s guidelines which state “it is incumbent upon that physician to consult with the patient’s primary treating physician or obtain the appropriate patient records to confirm the patient’s underlying diagnosis and prior treatment history.” In order to remain in good standing with the Medical Board of California, your cannabis doctor needs to adhere to the following official standards for recommending cannabis to a patient:

1. 1. History and good faith examination of the patient.
   2. Development of a treatment plan with objectives.
   3. Provision of informed consent including discussion of side effects.
   4. Periodic review of the treatment’s efficacy.
   5. Consultation, as necessary.
   6. Proper record keeping that supports the decision to recommend the use of medical marijuana

Doctor Credentials

Any licensed healthcare provider, including but not necessarily, your primary physician, can write you a recommendation. It can be more time efficient and is generally suggested to first talk with your primary or treating physician, however, if this fails, there are some doctors who exclusively see patients for medical marijuana evaluations (often referred to as medical cannabis doctors). Below is a list of various healthcare providers who can write medical marijuana recommendations in legal states (Please note: Each legal state may have varying forms of this list).

• • Medical Doctor (MD)
  • Physician Assistant (PA)
  • Osteopathic Physician (DO)
  • Osteopathic Physician Assistant (OA)
  • Naturopathic Physician (ND)
  • Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP)
  • Psychiatrists

Providers follow the same standard of care, whether the patient is seen in-person, through telehealth or other methods of electronically enabled health care. Read the laws about telehealth medicine for more information. Physicians need not reside in California, as long as they have a valid, current California license.

Next Steps

If you need assistance in obtaining and using medical cannabis, you may designate a primary caregiver who will then be legally permitted to handle and transport cannabis on your behalf.

A primary caregiver is a person who consistently assumes the responsibility for the housing, health or safety of the applicant (patient).  This may be a friend or relative, or the owner, operator or employee of an appropriately licensed clinic, facility, hospice, or home health agency.  A caregiver may have more than one patient, but a patient may not have more than one designated primary caregiver.

The caregiver cannot apply for this certification; the patient must apply for them. This consists of completing a Caregiver Designation Form.  A qualified caregiver can be given this authorization at the time of your first visit when we verify the patient’s recommendation letter and photo ID.  If you wish to designate someone as a caregiver, please ensure they meet the guidelines described above.  Consult an attorney if you are unsure whether someone qualifies as a primary caregiver. The caregiver may also apply for an optional California MMIC.