Which States Recognize Out Of State Medical Marijuana Patients?
A question that I have been getting more and more lately is ‘If I’m a medical marijuana patient in my home state, are there other states that I can travel to that recognize my medical marijuana card?’ This was a question I wondered when I was a medical marijuana patient in the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) and I was looking into taking a vacation.
The quick answer is yes, there are other states that consider you a medical marijuana patient. It’s a term called ‘reciprocity.’ States have ‘reciprocal agreements’ with other states in certain areas. The most common example is reciprocal agreements to recognize out of state driver licenses. When you travel to another state, you are a valid driver so long as you are a valid driver in your home state. But unlike driver licenses, not all states recognize medical marijuana cards. Obviously in states that have no medical marijuana program, your card is invalid. Of the twenty states that have medical marijuana laws, only a handful recognize out of state patients.
Radical Russ has one of the best summaries of this area of public policy, via his tweet today:
States that will accept out-of-state medmj cards? Arizona, Delaware, Maine, Michigan, Nevada (4/1/14), New Hampshire, & Rhode Island. #mmot
— Russ Belville (@RadicalRuss) November 15, 2013
When you are in another state that recognizes your card, remember that you are now under the jurisdiction of the state you are in. i.e. your possession limits are not what they were back home, they are whatever the state’s laws are that you are in. If you want to know more about flying with medical marijuana, you might find this article useful – click here.
