Clinics begin offering renewal discounts and drives

It’s been almost a year of the state approving patient identification cards, allowing patients to possess and grow* their own medical marijuana.

Though dispensaries aren’t open yet with medical marijuana available – and likely will not until the fall – possession arrests have declined while the amount of legal home growers has increased. A recently released annual report from DHSS on the medical marijuana program showed a third of patients chose to legally cultivate.

As the patient count continues to grow, the state began receiving applications for renewal this summer. The DHSS Section for Medical Marijuana outlined its patient renewal guidelines earlier this summer, including the announcement of early notice of renewal.

Many clinics offer a discounted renewal rate for their original patients, at least one clinic is bottoming out their prices for renewal and ready to partner with locations to provide on-site telehealth visits.

Whitney (Wehmeyer) Jones of THC2, said their clinic has figured out how to assist all patients through telemedicine while maintaining professionalism and allowing patients access to a certifying physician. Their clinic has certified over 165,000 patients in the past twenty-two months in Oklahoma and Missouri.

THC2’s partnership allows partners to schedule same-day certification and/or renewal telehealth drives – their renewal appointments will be $25 each.

Patient identification cards must be renewed annually. Dispensary facilities are not allowed to host physicians to meet with individuals on the dispensary’s premises for the purpose of certifying them as qualifying patients, per 19 CSR 30-95.080.

See Greenway’s new Doctor Director here for a list of clinics doing physician certifications.

*Must receive a cultivating patient card to be protected by Missouri’s constitutional rights related to medical marijuana