Process to Register a
Minor Patient (Under 18 years of age)
Minor
patients are required by law to have at least one caregiver (and a maximum of
two caregivers) at all times. Only the minor patient’s parents and legal
guardians aged 21 years and older are eligible to serve as caregivers for the
minor patient. A minor patient’s caregiver must register with the
Commission prior to registering the minor patient.
Follow
the process listed below, as well as in the Process Overview and Quick Reference
Card documents, to register
a minor patient.
- Register the minor patient’s
caregiver. As stated above, minor
patients are required to have a caregiver assigned at all times; the
caregiver must submit an online caregiver application and be approved by
MMCC before registering the minor patient. Once fully registered, the
caregiver will be issued an ID Number by MMCC, which is needed to complete
the minor patient application form (explained below in Step 2).
For additional information on caregivers, requirements to serve
as a caregiver, and the caregiver registration process, please visit the Caregivers page and review the Process Overview and Quick Reference Card documents for registering as a
caregiver.
- Gather the required files and
information. After the minor patient’s
caregiver registers, the minor patient’s registration can commence. The
minor patient application requires the following:
- A valid, accessible email
account for the caregiver which
you are comfortable using in relation to your Maryland Medical Cannabis
account. The Commission will use this email address as the principal
means of communication with you regarding your account and its status.
- The last four digits of the
patient's Social Security Number
- An electronic copy of the
caregiver's valid US government-issued photo ID and proof of Maryland
address or patient's treatment at a Maryland medical facility. The file may be either a PDF or image file
(.pdf, .jpg, .png or .gif) and no larger than 3 MB in size.
- Maryland Residents must
provide:
Acceptable forms of identification:
- Driver's
license or Motor Vehicle Administration identification card (both front
and back)
- Military
ID
- Passport
If the identification you provide is not a Maryland driver's
license or MVA ID card, then you must also provide two (2) of the following source documents as proof of your current
Maryland address.
§ Must include the
applicant's name and residence address.
§ May not be from the same business, company or
agency.
§ Must reflect an issuance date within the
previous 90 days.
o Maryland vehicle registration card or title;
o Utility, telephone or cable/satellite TV bill;
o Checking or savings account statement;
o Property tax bill or receipt;
o Mortgage account or proof of home ownership
(Deed, Title, Bill of Sale or Statement from Maryland Assessment and Taxation);
o Residential rental contract (apartment lease
or other rental of real property)(current formal contract or agreement between
landlord and tenant which includes all signatures);
o First class or priority mail from a federal,
state or local government agency to include the contents and envelope;
o Installment contract from a bank or other
financial institution;
o Major credit card and Department/Retail store
credit card bills (Wal-Mart, Sears, Lowe's, Exxon, etc);
o Residential service contract (refers to
services performed at the address of residence; for example, cable or satellite
television, TV repairs, lawn service or exterminator contract);
o Selective Service Card.
- Non-Maryland Residents must
provide:
Acceptable forms of identification:
- Driver's
license or Motor Vehicle Administration identification card (both front
and back)
- Military
ID
- Passport
If providing government identification that does not list a
current address, then you must also provide two (2) of the following source documents as proof of your current
Maryland address.
§ Must include the
applicant's name and residence address.
§ May not be from the same business, company or
agency.
§ Must reflect an issuance date within the
previous 90 days.
o Maryland vehicle registration card or title;
o Utility, telephone or cable/satellite TV bill;
o Checking or savings account statement;
o Property tax bill or receipt;
o Mortgage account or proof of home ownership
(Deed, Title, Bill of Sale or Statement from Maryland Assessment and Taxation);
o Residential rental contract (apartment lease
or other rental of real property)(current formal contract or agreement between
landlord and tenant which includes all signatures);
o First class or priority mail from a federal,
state or local government agency to include the contents and envelope;
o Installment contract from a bank or other
financial institution;
o Major credit card and Department/Retail store
credit card bills (Wal-Mart, Sears, Lowe's, Exxon, etc);
o Residential service contract (refers to
services performed at the address of residence; for example, cable or satellite
television, TV repairs, lawn service or exterminator contract);
o Selective Service Card.
Acceptable proof that the patient is in the State to receive
medical treatment:
- The
Maryland address of and a contact name for the Maryland medical
facility where the patient is receiving treatment
The government-issued photo ID and proof of Maryland address, if
needed, must be uploaded as one file. Please see Tips for Uploading Your Government-Issued
Photo ID for suggestions
on how to accomplish this.
- An electronic copy of a clear
photograph of the minor patient taken within the last six (6) months. We
strongly recommend using a free, highly-rated passport photo app widely
available for download via the App Store, Google Play Store or anywhere
apps are available.
Generally, the photo should look like a driver’s license or
passport photo. Specifically, it must be a clear, color photo
of the patient’s unobscured face taken within the last six
months to reflect the patient’s current appearance and feature a plain
white or off-white background. The patient must be clothed, directly
facing the camera with both eyes open and should have
either a neutral facial expression or a natural smile.
The file must be an image file (.jpg, .png or .gif) no
larger than 3 MB in size and may not be digitally enhanced or
altered in a way that changes the patient’s appearance.
Examples of acceptable photos:
If your photo does not meet the stated
guidelines, your application will be returned.
For more examples of acceptable and unacceptable photos, visit
the Passport Photos page of the US Department of State
website. NOTE: Please do not use
the photo cropping tool on the Passport Photos page; simply view the photos
provided as samples of what is and is not acceptable.
Patients in hospice care may elect to submit a
letter from the attending hospice physician in lieu of a recent photo. The letter must be from the Attending of
Hospice Record (AOHR) physician on hospice letterhead stating that the patient
is a hospice patient under his or her care. It may be uploaded in either
.jpg or .pdf format.
- An electronic copy of official
proof of the caregiver’s guardianship of the minor patient
Acceptable documents include the patient’s birth certificate,
adoption certificate or a court order awarding guardianship.
Please download and complete the Minor Patient Form in its
entirety, have it notarized, then scan or take a clear picture of the completed
form.
- The MMCC Caregiver ID Number
for the caregiver to be identified during the registration process
In order to obtain an ID Number, the caregiver
must submit an application and receive MMCC approval. For more information,
please visit the Caregivers page.
- Complete and submit the minor
patient’s online application.
Visit the MMCC Registry website and click Create Account under
the Patients heading.
- Verify the caregiver’s email
address. As part of the minor
patient’s application, the caregiver will need to submit a valid,
accessible email address. Once the minor patient’s application has been
completed and submitted, a verification email will be sent to the
caregiver’s email address. You mustclick the verification link
in the email message to verify the email account. Without
performing this step, the application is not complete and will not be
reviewed by the Commission.
Completed applications will be reviewed by MMCC and you will
receive a follow up email advising whether or not the application has been
approved. Please retain the approval email for your records. It
contains the Username, which you will need to log in to the Patient Registry,
as well as the MMCC Patient ID Number, which your physician will need to issue
a written certification for medical cannabis. Once the patient has a written
certification, you will also need to provide both the Patient ID Number and
Caregiver ID Number to a licensed dispensary when purchasing medical cannabis.
Next Steps
Once
the minor patient’s application has been approved, the patient is ready to
visit a physician registered with MMCC to obtain a valid certification.
After
registration has been completed and a valid certification acquired, the
caregiver can visit a licensed Maryland dispensary to purchase medical cannabis
for the minor patient and the caregiver is able to purchase an optional patient
ID card from the Commission for a fee of $50 for the minor patient. Once the patient
has a certification, you will also need to provide the Patient ID Number, along
with the Caregiver ID Number when purchasing medical cannabis from a licensed
dispensary.
Additional Caregivers for Minor Patients
To
add a second caregiver for a minor patient, please contact the Commission
at dhmh.mmccpatientcaregiver@maryland.gov. Due to the additional documentation required
for caregivers serving minor patients, additional caregivers for minor patients
may not be added via the online registration system.
Likewise,
a caregiver may not remove a minor patient from his or her Caregiver Registry
account. To cancel a designation between a minor patient and a caregiver, the
minor patient may remove the caregiver from his or her Patient Registry account
or the caregiver can contact MMCC at dhmh.mmccpatientcaregiver@maryland.gov to request that the designation be
removed.