Washington

A healthcare practitioner may authorize the use of marijuana for any patient, regardless of age, as long as it is medically appropriate under the law and the profession’s standard of care per RCW 69.51A.030.

Per RCW 69.51A.210:

• Qualifying patients or designated providers – Authorization – Health care professional may include recommendations on amount of marijuana.
  • (1) If the health care professional does not include recommendations on the qualifying patient’s or designated provider’s authorization, the marijuana retailer with a medical marijuana endorsement, when adding the qualifying patient or designated provider to the medical marijuana authorization database, shall enter into the database that the qualifying patient or designated provider may purchase or obtain at a retail outlet holding a medical marijuana endorsement a combination of the following:
    • Forty-eight (48) ounces of marijuana-infused product in solid form;
    • Three (3) ounces of useable marijuana;
    • Two hundred sixteen (216) ounces of marijuana-infused product in liquid form;
    • Twenty-one (21) grams of marijuana concentrates.
    • The qualifying patient or designated provider may also grow, in his or her domicile, up to six (6) plants for the personal medical use of the qualifying patient and possess up to eight (8) ounces of useable marijuana produced from his or her plants. These amounts shall be specified on the recognition card that is issued to the qualifying patient or designated provider.
  • (2) If the health care professional determines that the medical needs of a qualifying patient exceed the amounts provided for in subsection (1) of this section, the health care professional must specify on the authorization that it is recommended that the patient be allowed to grow, in his or her domicile, up to fifteen (15) plants for the personal medical use of the patient. A patient so authorized may possess up to sixteen (16) ounces of useable marijuana in his or her domicile. The number of plants must be entered into the medical marijuana authorization database by the marijuana retailer with a medical marijuana endorsement and specified on the recognition card that is issued to the qualifying patient or designated provider.
  • (3) If a qualifying patient or designated provider with an authorization from a health care professional has not been entered into the medical marijuana authorization database, he or she may not receive a recognition card and may only purchase at a retail outlet, whether it holds a medical marijuana endorsement or not, the amounts established in RCW 69.50.360. In addition the qualifying patient or the designated provider may grow, in his or her domicile, up to four (4) plants for the personal medical use of the qualifying patient and possess up to six (6) ounces of useable marijuana in his or her domicile.

Patients under the age of 18 are required by law to have a designated provider and to be entered into the medical marijuana database. The designated provider of a minor must be:

• 21 years of age or older.
• The parent or legal guardian of the minor patient.
• Named on the minor patient’s medical marijuana authorization form and have a fully completed form also printed on tamper-resistant paper.
• Entered into the medical marijuana database and have a designated provider recognition card.

Washington Medical Marijuana Statistics