Once you’re approved for a medical marijuana card by the Florida Medical Use Registry, the next step is to go to a medical marijuana dispensary to purchase some cannabis products. Florida medical marijuana dispensaries are abundant throughout Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg. If you search ‘cannabis store near me’ you’ll find dozens of options throughout all three communities. In this article, we will discuss what to bring with you to a medical cannabis dispensary.
Florida Medical Marijuana Dispensary Checklist
To successfully get dispensed at a Florida medical marijuana dispensary, you need to be sure to have this checklist. The very top priority is having your medical marijuana card (in some capacity). After your medical marijuana evaluation, you can go straight to the dispensary for medical cannabis products!
The physical card will come in the mail within a couple of weeks, so an email confirmation will have to be presented at the dispensary. You’ll also need your state-issued photo ID if you don’t have the physical card. By rule of thumb, every time you visit the dispensary you should have all 4 of these with you:
- FL Medical Card
- Drivers License or state ID
- Cash (or an ATM card)
- Smartphone with CanPay
The checklist above references cash or an ATM card because every Florida dispensary accepts cash. Also itemized above is your smartphone with CanPay, the digital payment system for Florida cannabis stores. CanPay is a nice alternative because it’s contactless, secure, and debits from a checking account. You can be guaranteed service if you always have both options on you. Also, it’s great to have more payment methods than what you need in the event there’s a flash sale or incentive to buy more.
Long Term Plan for Florida Medical Cannabis Store Visits
For a long term checklist for your dispensary visits, it’s crucial to know your card is in good standing. The card has an expiration date on it, however that’s for the card itself, not your certification. Log into the Florida Medical Marijuana Registry site to confirm your certification is still valid if you suspect you’re close to expiration.
Even if you’re a seasoned medical card patient, with your physical card on you, you won’t get served any medical cannabis if your medical marijuana certification is out of date. Medical marijuana certifications only last 210 days, so it’s vital to stay on top of this! If the card is in active status, but you don’t physically have it, your driver’s license will suffice.