Why the card matters more than it used to

Washington taxes adult-use cannabis hard. Every recreational purchase carries a 37% excise tax, and state and local sales tax get added on top of that.

Patients who are entered in the state's medical cannabis authorization database don't pay sales or use tax at medically endorsed stores. Since June 6, 2024, they also skip the 37% excise tax on products that meet Department of Health standards. That excise break came from House Bill 1453 and is currently scheduled to run through June 30, 2029.

On top of that, Washington medical cardholders get 50% off at H.E.M.P. Add the tax savings and a patient receipt looks very different from a recreational one.

Getting your card, step by step

You need to be a Washington resident, and the whole thing usually takes one or two stops.

1. See a healthcare practitioner every other Friday at H.E.M.P. who can authorize medical cannabis in Washington. They decide if you qualify under state law. If you do, you'll leave with an authorization form printed on the state's tamper-resistant 8.5 by 11 inch paper. A photocopy or a scan won't work.
2. Bring the original form and a valid ID to H.E.M.P. and ask to have your card printed and entered into the state database by a  certified medical cannabis consultant.
3. The consultant enters you in the state database, takes your photo and prints your recognition card on the spot. The state fee is $10. Your card is good at any medically endorsed shop in Washington. It expires when your authorization does, so check the date on it now and then.

We were one of the first shops in Washington to get a medical endorsement. Card appointments here run every other Friday from 3pm to 7pm in 15-minute slots, and walk-ins are taken first come, first served. You can grab a time on our medical card appointment page.

What a card gets you at the register

Registered patients can buy three times the adult-use limit at a medically endorsed store. Flower is the easy one to picture: 3 ounces instead of 1. Concentrates go from 7 grams to 21, and edibles and infused drinks triple the same way. Cardholders can also grow six plants at home, or up to 15 if their practitioner signs off on it.

The excise break has a catch, though. It only covers DOH-compliant products, which go through stricter testing and carry the Department of Health's medical logo on the package. Not every store carries these products but at H.E.M.P. every single product is medically certified. One of the few stores in the state that can boast this.

A note for our Portland neighbors

Plenty of our regulars drive over the I-5 bridge. Unfortunately the Washington card is only for Washington residents, and Oregon medical cards aren't recognized on this side of the river. Anyone 21 or older with a valid ID can still shop the full recreational menu.

Before you head over

Bring a valid government ID every time. You have to be 21 or older to shop with us, or 18 or older with a Washington medical recognition card. If you'd like to plan ahead, our full menu is live and updates as products come in, so you can check what's on the shelf before you leave the house.

We're at 1924 Broadway St in Vancouver, open 9am to 9pm Sunday through Thursday and 9am to 10:50pm on Friday and Saturday. Come by with your card questions. We've been answering them since 2016.

The rules have been moving this year

Medical cannabis has had a busy year. In April, a federal final order moved state-licensed medical marijuana into Schedule III, which we wrote about in our May post on rescheduling. Then on October 7, Washington's Liquor and Cannabis Board voted 3-0 to start rulemaking on a Medical Cannabis Verification Certificate. The idea came from a petition by The Cannabis Alliance, and the board accepted it even though agency staff had recommended denial.

None of this changes anything for you at the counter yet. The certificate is paperwork for licensed businesses, something they could show banks and federal agencies to prove they're part of the state's medical program. The board hasn't published a draft rule yet. We'll post an update when it does.