Medical cannabis has been readily available for purchase in Virginia for the past year. And since then, about 33,000 patients have signed up for the state program. However, this is nowhere near the numbers the state expected. Because of the low level of registered patients, general prices have gone up significantly. In D.C., 3.5 grams of medical cannabis costs around $35. Compare that to Virginia, where the same amount of medical cannabis could cost up to $65.

Slow Process

Even though medical cannabis sales have been up and running for a year, the application process can be cumbersome. First, patients must find a doctor willing to sign off on a medical cannabis card. Several doctors across the state can do a wellness exam and discuss medical cannabis with patients. From there, they will decide if medical cannabis is a good option for the patient and sign off on the card.

Then, medical cannabis applicants must mail in their application. An online portal is not currently available, but a spokeswoman for the Board of Pharmacy said the board hopes to have the online application portal up and running in early 2022. The board also says they receive over 1,000 medical cannabis applications a week, making the process extend further. 

Because of the large number of applications, it can take the board six to twelve weeks to approve an application. This has led several activists and patients to speak out against the system. 

“You can go to a doctor and get a prescription for an opioid and get it filled the same day, but we have patients waiting six, eight, 12 weeks to get a medical cannabis card,” said Ngiste Abebe. She is the vice president of public policy at Columbia Care, which is a multi-state operator that sells medical cannabis.

However, another reason for the slow processing time is that Virginia is one of the only states that requires a pharmacist to oversee every aspect of medical cannabis production and sales. This additional role for a pharmacist takes extra time and slows down the application process further. 

Next Steps

For Virginia medical cannabis patients, the next step is to get their applications approved. Then the Board of Pharmacy will create an online application portal. Once that happens and more patients become approved, costs should go down. But until then, patients will need to be patient and continue to support the state’s medical cannabis program. The more people who support the program, the more likely applications will become approved and costs will fall further. 

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