HOW DOES A PERSON GET A MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARD?

Click on the 'Get A Card' navigation tab on the left side of our web site complete information.

** Please note that the way the current law is written, a patient is not allowed to obtain his medication, nor is a caregiver allowed by dispense medication to a patient until their state issued Montana Medical Marijuana Program patient and caregiver cards have been received.   This ensures all parties involved are legal under the Montana Medical Marijuana Act and no one is in jeopardy of prosecution.

CAN I CULTIVATE MY OWN MEDICINE ONCE I AM AN APPROVED MMMP PATIENT?

Absolutely.  Per Montana Initiative 148, as a patient, you are allowed to cultivate six (6) plants total for yourself.  According to the same Initiative, if you designate a caregiver, that caregiver is allowed to cultivate six (6) plants on your behalf as well. Hope Caregivers promotes patients growing by providing rooted clones and overall cultivation knowledge sharing for all our patients. We like to consider our medicine a back up to those that grow their own and a full service provider to those that are unable to. We do not try to impose limits on our patients, as how much medicine you need for your specific situation is between you and your doctor. We will assist in any fashion we can in sharing general knowledge passed to us from other patients if we feel that it may help you without compromising yours or the other patients confidentiality.

DO I NEED TO DESIGNATE A CAREGIVER WHEN I OBTAIN MY CARD?

No.  However, it is in your best interest to carefully consider selecting a caregiver to cultivate your medicine alongside you when you fill out the initial Montana Medical Marijuana Program application.  Why?   Most people realized that they don’t have the room to cultivate the amount of medicine they will need for an uninterrupted supply. Not to mention the costs associated with growing marijuana year round in the Montana climate can be rather high.  The caregivers at Hope Caregivers have the dedicated space needed as well as the knowledge and time required to produce a product well above common standards. We grow several different strains in a temperature controlled, indoor environment, using only 100% organic nutrients throughout the entire growing process. We tend to our operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to ensure it is always processing medicine for our patients. 

IS THERE ONLY ONE TYPE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA?

No, there are two basic types of cannabis, sativa and indica.   Your caregiver should be a source of accurate information on this subject area for you.  Its important for your health that you obtain the correct type of medicine that best helps you individually. There is no need to just accept one type when it may not work for your specific ailment.   Along with the information you obtain from a potential caregiver, be your own best advocate and do your own research as well.  Don’t just take someone's word for it.

HOW DO I OBTAIN MY MEDICINE FROM A CAREGIVER?

Your caregiver should treat you with dignity, respect and with confidentiality at all times.  He or she should handle your medicine as any other prescription medication is handled, with discretion and under conditions that are comfortable for both you and your caregiver.

We protect our patients personal information like it was our own.  Copies of patient cards are kept under lock and key and information is never shared with anyone.  We follow HIPAA rules of confidentiality.   If you are not comfortable with your caregivers level of security regarding your personal information, or your information has been shared with someone by your caregiver that it shouldn’t have been, consider changing to another caregiver. Remember identity theft is something we have to consider in this day and age and the personal information provided to patients and caregivers about each other on the MMMP cards is quite extensive. Take your personal information seriously!

CAN MY MEDICINE BE DISPENSED/DELIVERED TO SOMEONE OTHER THAN MYSELF?

No.  Under no circumstances can your medication be given to someone else.  If you are not in a position to be able to pick up your medicine yourself, we will bring it to you.  We are disallowed by law to let someone else pick up your medication for you or to even hand it to someone else for you. The Montana Medical Marijuana Act as it is currently written does not allow for this. If you would like to see this aspect of the law changed so that couriers and family members could possess a patients medicine with a signed affidavit from the patient stating they are carrying the medicine for them, contact your local representatives and ask them to help change this in the next legislative session.

**It is especially important to note that at no time are you to share your medication with someone, whether they too have a medical marijuana card from the state, or not.   Medical marijuana obtained from us will be marked with the warning that the distribution of your medicine to anyone other than yourself is against the law.**

As always, it is a state and federal crime to sell medication that was intended for you.  Not only would you be jeopardizing yourself and your right to obtain your medicine, your freedom could be in question as well.   It is very important that the laws of Montana Initiative 148 be followed closely so your right to obtain and use your medicine, as well as the rights of future patients,  be assured now and in the future!   We, as caregivers, will never ask our patients to do anything illegal and expect that same courtesy from our patients.

WHAT ALTERNATIVE WAYS CAN BE USED TO TAKE MY MEDICATION? DO I HAVE TO SMOKE IT?

No smoking is not the only way to ingest medical marijuana. Besides smoking, medical marijuana can be ingested by eating it or can be inhaled as a vapor by way of a vaporizer.   The most common medical marijuana “edibles” are typically sweet foods like brownies, candy and muffins.  Cannabutter, which we intend to start offering to our patients, is also an option.  It can be used in other foods besides sweet ones.  Marijuana has long had excellent nutritional value for humans and animals alike. The seedoil from marijuana is the healthiest of all oils on the earth, and don't get us started on hemp, or the stalky marijuana if you will as it has thousands and thousands of uses and in some instances can even replace harmful plastics. Another option is vaporization, research has shown that using a vaporizer to take your medicine is actually a very healthy way of ingesting medical marijuana. Vaporization does not burn the marijuana, it simply "toasts" it. Once marijuana has been spent using a vaporizer you will be left with slightly brown marijuana. This left over marijuana is excellent for use in cooking applications.  If you are interested in additional information regarding vaporizers, we would be happy to discuss the particulars with you anytime. Our site will also be listing recipes for those that choose to ingest their medication as we can get them digitized.