Cannabis for medical use was approved in California by 56% of voters on November 5, 1996.
Medical use of cannabis became legal November 6, 1996. 
This act removed state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess a “written or oral recommendation” from their physician that he or she “would benefit from medical marijuana.” Patients diagnosed with any debilitating illness where the medical use of marijuana has been “deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician” are afforded legal protection under this act.
Conditions Approved for Use of Medical Marijuana in California
- AIDS
- Anorexia
- Arthritis
- Cachexia
- Cancer
- Chronic pain
- Glaucoma
- Migraine
- Persistent muscle spasms, including spasms associated with multiple sclerosis
- Seizures, including seizures associated with epilepsy
- Severe nausea
· Other chronic or persistent medical symptoms
Cannabis Quantities Allowed
- Possession: patients (or their primary caregivers) may legally possess no more than eight ounces of dried marijuana and/or six mature cannabis plants. Twelve immature cannabis plants are allowed in place of the six mature ones.
- Senate Bill 420 allows patients to possess larger amounts of marijuana when recommended by a physician.
- This legislation also allows councils and municipalities to approve and/or maintain local ordinances permitting patients to possess larger quantities of medicinal weed than allowed under the new state guidelines.
SB 420 also grants implied legal protection to the state’s medicinal marijuana dispensaries, stating, “Qualified patients, persons with valid identification cards, and the designated primary caregivers of qualified patients … who associate within the state of California in order collectively or cooperatively to cultivate marijuana for medical purposes, shall not solely on the basis of that fact be subject to state criminal sanctions.”
Useful Links
Attorney General’s Guidelines for law enforcement and medical marijuana patients
Get a Medical Marijuana Card in California
Back to Medical Marijuana state laws
What are the laws if i had moved from the uk to cali?
I have my med license from cali. Now will another legal state accept my med card or will I be harassed? I’m only going short term.
I’m 16 and have migraines and osgood shlatters real bad in my knees , i live in california , I need to know if i can get perscribed at my age , I need a reply , thanks
You must be 18.
I have night terrors which causes insomnia, but if I smoke weed then its way easier for me to sleep. I’ve changed my diet and all that but I’ve never gone to a doctor about it. Could I get a card without proof of consulting a doctor in the past?
Drs. in this field are very compassionate. Just tell him what is going on with you it is not difficult to get a recommendation withoout documentation from a physician.
I severely seperated my shoulder a while back and when I sleep i sleep on my side (the one with the seperated shoulder) and it causes me such pain that I am unable to sleep. Would I be eligable to get a medical card?
Im 15 and recently discovered I have glaucoma does age limit apply? Or is it still 18+?
I have anxiety and trouble sleeping i cant sleep at all and im wondering if i am eligible for a medical card?
yes you can probably get a marijuana card for anxiety and trouble sleeping, check out this website about medical marijuana treatment
http://marijuanamedicine.com/
i have body aches, and i have insomnia. no matter what i do i cant sleep at all not unless i smoke weed am i eligible to get a medical card? please reply fast
and also i am always stressed out and feel very annoyed and panicked. It helps me calm down and be relaxed.
Yes u can.
You would. I have a similar problem. You would just need to find a doctor near you to get the recommendation. I have mine and it honestly helps me a lot.
i have really bad migraines. whenever i get them my left eye starts to get an intense pain. the only way to heal it is to sleep or smoke weed. would i be eligible to get a medical card……PLEASE REPLY
Yes, you are eligible. Look online for an office that does recommendations. Anything under $60 is good for the evaluation, anything over is just absurd. Good luck
Not in Tehama County California for them its legal entrapment. I am a patient in California. I was in the process of starting a dispensary, when I was arrested.
I followed all the guidelines set forth by the state. Yet I was still arrested and am in the process of being tried. My public defender says that Tehama county views the law differently and its not legal here. Last I checked Tehama county is in California.
Look at the Tehama county jail, just about every inmate is in there for marijuana related crimes.The more people they bust the more federal $$$ they get for funding. Hence the 7 new cop cars, they just got.
1.My advice Make sure your doctor will go to court for you, Mine wont!
2.Dont get a growers pack from a doctor. They charge you $300 or more for this and it is not defendable in court. The same goes for the ones that the dispensaries dish out.The people at the dispensary told me that if I followed all the guidelines I would be legal. Why am I being told differently by the court system.
3. If you think that your friends got your back, or if you do get caught with pot that everything will be ok. Think again! My life has been turned upside down. My wife has an auto immune disorder, We have two kids, and now I will more than likely being going to jail.
Doctors and Dispensaries are miss leading citizens every day, and ruining there lives. California is supposed to be the most liberal state when it comes to medical marijuana yet it has the largest number of marijuana related arrests.
Prop 215 and SB 420 are either a major failure of the California legal system or else a big scheme to get the stoners to register. Then they bust you take away your voting rights and now you dont have a say. Since 65% of the state wants it legal. Well you do the math. No more pot head majority.
I just heard about a group buying website for Cannabis. It’s called Cannamunity.com. I guess they haven’t launched yet. What do you guys think about a service like this? Is it a good idea? Do you think they’ll be successful?
Do i have to be an american citizen to get this card? Can u purchase as soon as i get approved?
I’m always stressed out and on little on edge at times, but when I smoke marijuana I feel so relax and all my stress melts away, including being on edge.
I was wondering am I eligible for medical marijuana? I’m currently living in the state of Mississippi with my grandmother, which she is disable(in a wheelchair). I’ve being helping her out and now I can’t handle the stress anymore. I’ve being struggling with the stressed over years and I’ll usually smoke marijuana for it. I’m planning to back to California in June of this year(2011). Is there any information for this and also I do have lower back pains. please help.
Get your card today from a real doctor who you see in person at Alternative Health Solutions. Not a fly by night $45 doctor who wont be there with your records when needed. http://www.prop215dr.com