Understanding the New Medical Authorization Service Fee

An Overview of the Medical Cannabis Consultation Fee

In recent years, the integration of recreational cannabis with existing medical cannabis programs has led to significant changes in the way these services are administered. Notably, since this merger, we have only been collecting a nominal fee of $1 as mandated by the Department of Health for the processing of Medical Cannabis Authorization Cards. However, due to rising operational costs while medical sales have decreased, a change in the fee structure is necessary to ensure the continued support and maintenance of our program.

The Need for an Increased Processing Fee

In order to uphold the standards required by both regulations and patient expectations, our program incurs various costs, including training, continuing education for staff, and maintaining the necessary infrastructure. With the ongoing rise in these expenses juxtaposed against a decline in medical sales, the sustainability of our program becomes precarious. Therefore, we are introducing a new processing fee of $9 in addition to the established $1 card fee. This adjustment results in a total fee of $10 for processing Medical Cannabis Authorization Cards.

What This Means for Patients

The implementation of this new fee is not a decision taken lightly; rather, it reflects the realities of maintaining a robust medical cannabis program. By incorporating the $9 processing fee, we aim to ensure that our services remain efficient, effective, and accessible to all patients in need. The increase in fees will directly contribute to enhancing our service delivery, allowing us to better support our patients with comprehensive consultations and educational resources.