The main job of a caregiver is to help the marijuana patient pick up medical cannabis at the dispensary whenever and wherever. Each marijuana patient can appoint up to two caregivers, while a minor patient must have at least one caregiver. Also, a caregiver can look after up to five patients.
Caregiver Requirements
A caregiver must be 21 years of age as of the time of registration. If a person under age 21 wants to be a caregiver, they must mail the Department of Health. That mail must contain information about your relationship with the marijuana patient, including why the department should approve you as the patient’s caregiver.
You must be a Kentucky resident.
You must have a valid and active Kentucky driver’s license or government-issued ID card with your current home address.
You must go through a screening that clears you off any criminal record.
To be a caregiver, it should not be in any record that you have at one point in time been convicted of any criminal offense related to illegal drug possession, consumption, or trafficking in the last five years.
You must register and get an identification card that gives you access to collect medical marijuana in any Kentucky pharmacy on behalf of your patient.
Qualifying As a Caregiver for an Existing Cannabis Patient
If you have a registered marijuana patient who wants you to be their caregiver, below is how to register. First of all, the patient must provide the following;
The digits on their ID
Their date of birth
Their name as written on the patient and caregiver registry
They must be entered in the patient and caregiver registry
There is a section for caregivers; once you see it, click “Adult Patient Caregiver Registration.” this applies if the patient is an adult with an ID or is qualified to obtain an ID allowing them to get medical marijuana in pharmacies.
Scroll to the “caregiver” section and click “caregiver registering for an existing patient.” You should only access this section if the patient is registered, is a minor, is disabled, or needs indoor support/assistance. Patients in this category can’t get a personal ID or visit a dispensary alone.
After providing all the information, click submit, meaning you now have a caregiver online profile. Ensure every patient and caregiver registry account has a unique email. It is impossible to share the same email address with your patient. Subsequently, you will receive a mail that you will fill out to verify your background identity.
The approval process of your application will take up to six weeks, after which you will get an approval mail from the Department of Health. Once you are accepted, go back to the patient and caregiver registry, and make the payment to get your medical marijuana caregiver card.
If you have a medical cannabis patient not yet registered, below is how to register as their caregiver. Remember that in cases like this, your patient is a minor, is disabled, and needs support or requires extra indoor attention. This means they don’t qualify for a personal ID and can’t go to the dispensary alone.
Scroll to the caregivers' section in the “patient and caregiver registry,” then click on the “caregiver registering for a new patient.”
Provide every necessary information and submit it to activate your medical marijuana caregiver profile.
Later you will receive an email with guidelines on verifying your background information.
Wait for six weeks for the processing of your profile.
You will receive an email confirming your acceptance as a caregiver. Afterward, return to the patient and caregiver registry to pay a certain fee to get your medical marijuana caregiver card.
Typically, only parents, legal guidance, or the spouse of a minor are allowed by the law to be their caregivers. In situations where someone else apart from the individuals mentioned above wants to be a caregiver for a minor, they must be appointed as a third-party caregiver by the patient, the patient’s legal guardian, or their spouse.
The law requires any third-party caregiver to fill out an “authorization to designate a third-party caregiver” form. This form is available on the patient and caregiver registry. Once you provide every information required by the form, proceed to upload it to your caregiver profile.
How to Change, Renew or Surrender Your ID Card
To renew, surrender or change your medical marijuana ID, go to the patient and caregiver registry and fill in the “change, replacement, or surrender” form. Attach the form in a mail and send it to the department, including a certain amount for processing.
Renewal Form
To ensure you have an active medical marijuana caregiver card, you and/or your patient must submit a renewal form with all the required documents and files every 365 days. You must submit this form to the Department of Health 45 days before your current card expires. Your ID card will become inactive a year after its activation.
You will always find the expiration date of your current card boldly printed on it, and you can do the renewal online or through a paper application. If you are using the paper application, be sure that you check the renewal application box at the top of page 3 of the form.
Responsibilities of a Caregiver
Provide a means of identification.
You will be photographed.
Fill out and sign the “primary caregiver declaration” section of the application.
If you provide caregiving service for more than one registered marijuana patient, the rule is that you must reside in that country.
If you stopped providing caregiving service for a patient, you must return the medical marijuana caregiver card to the department that issued it to you.
Get Your Medical Marijuana Card in Kentucky
Medical marijuana will be legal in Kentucky in 2025! However, you can now use medical marijuana purchased from other states, so get a recommendation as legal protection!
Cannabis is a natural, safe alternative medicine without the harsh side effects of many prescription drugs. If you think you could benefit from medical marijuana, you probably qualify!
Schedule an online evaluation with one of our knowledgeable, compassionate doctors or contact us at (833) 781-6360. Why wait longer than you have to for the relief you’ve been missing? You’ll meet with your doctor virtually via a telemedicine appointment using your smartphone or computer, and together, you’ll discuss your condition and decide if medical marijuana is right for you.
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