Discussion My experience getting certified for MMJ & Need some advice

[DeathIndustrial88]

So I decided to go get my medical card.

I called to ask about making an appt and explicitly stated over & over again that I was completely broke until next month.
The receptionist/intake girl had some serious mania going on & would not stop talking about herself. She made it sound like it was fine that I had no money & mentioned nothing about having to pay anything & made me an appt for yesterday.

I go there & walk in (first the place was hard as fuck to find). And it's the same crazy receptionist girl there. I sat with her and she was going on & on about her "childhood trauma" and how much she's passionate about helping people "get the meds they deserve".

Some older gay fellow walked in, apparently there to show this girl his new medical card & was friends with her.
She looked at me and said something along the lines of "This is a very special day for you!". And then introduced me to this guy (I guess assuming because we were both gay). He came & sat down by us. He was a really nice guy, I had no issues with him. We just sat there while this receptionist girl went on and on and on, you'd have sworn she was on speed (maybe she was).

Eventually the "physician" or whatever she is (the girl was younger than I was even) came out and got me and brought me into her office. She looked at my medical file & said she was certifying me for having chronic pain & nausea & blah blah. Which is about the only good part of this story. After she certified me, it prompts an email to me where I have to answer questions for the state & I have to pay 75 dollars to the person who reviews it & then I'll get my card. I asked the physician if it was going to make a difference if my drivers license is from out of state because I haven't had the money or means to change it yet. She said she didn't know but that maybe the receptionist chick would know & she took me back out into the waiting area by her & said I was good to go.

So I sat there & asked the receptionist chick about the drivers license thing, where she then proceeded to look in a book for about 2 minutes & then eventually just went back to talking about herself. At this point, I couldn't really understand what was happening. The gay guy was still sitting there with us. She also went on about how she use to be a teacher & how she hated white people (even though she was white herself & apparently part native, at least that's what she said).
At one point she must have been looking at my chart & piped up and said "I'm about to break HIPAA, but I'm on propranolol too!!!". Right in front of the guy sitting there. Then proceeded to ask me what I was on it for.

I was like WTF!!!

Then she went on & on about how she was on xanax and how they weren't hers. And both her & the guy just kept talking & some times talking to me here & there.
Other patients kept coming & going, getting certified & then they were given a bag with a pot leaf on it & more instructions & stuff I'm assuming.
I kept trying to ask the receptionist questions like "can I pay that 75 when I can afford to or does the certification ever expire?" and some how she just managed to make everything I asked or said come back around onto her & her life & "childhood trauma".

I felt SO AWKWARD & CONFUSED. I didn't know wtf I was suppose to be doing next or what.
At another point she looked right at me & said "So you have no money right?" '... I said nope (thinking she was referring to that 75 for the card). Then she said "Not even 50??" and I said nope.

And then some other patient came out & was done & she was checking him out I guess & asked him if he had paid & he said yeah he had pre-paid. I still had no idea really what they were talking about at this point. She then makes the comment "I like people who pay.........(long pause)....hahah I'm just joking, I like all people". (Since I had no idea wtf she was talking about, it was only after that I realized this comment was a stab at me.).

Then she just continued to sit there & talk about herself with this guy sitting there.

Eventually this older blonde lady kept walking by & making comments like "you guys all friends now" and "you guys having a party". I just smiled. I was so full of anxiety & confusion at this point. Eventually she asked me again why I was still there & I told her I thought I was waiting for one of those bags with the pamphlets in it or something" and she said "did you pay?" and I was like "uhhh...pay what?", to which she replied "the 50 dollar fee?". Apparently this whole time, nobody bothered to mention to me that I'd need to pay 50 bucks after being certified.

I told her that too, I said "I wasn't aware I had to pay anything" and she said "well didn't you get an email?"...
I said "yeah, but there was nothing about a 50 dollar fee". (I double checked when I got home & sure enough, no where in the emails does it mention a fee & I have no idea how these other patients were pre-paying).

So the older lady started signing me up for "AfterPay", where they'll put money on a debit card for you & I didn't know what AfterPay was at first & I had to tell her, "I own a government issued debit card, so you can't load money on it".

And then we just sat there & she was like "huh, how are you going to pay?".... I finally had to tell her "Can I just come in on Friday or next Monday when I get my money & pay it" and she said sure & that it was fine. And then I left & walked out.

I also found out the nearest dispensary is 40 miles away. And that it's still illegal to travel with it in your car (makes no sense).
And no one could answer me on the whole drivers license issue.

This was the most bizarre experience I've ever had when it comes to a "medical visit".
Not only did the crazy receptionist neglect to mention anything about making sure I had 50 bucks, but she also broke HIPA and announced outloud that I was on propranolol in front of that guy. She made me feel embarrassed & stupid. I feel like I was hoodwinked into now having to pay them 50 dollars, when there's a possibility it'll get rejected due to my drivers license & then I'm not gonna be able to afford to drive 40 miles for weed anyway.

Does anyone have any suggestions? When I go back to pay, should I say something? Should I not say something?
If that receptionist/intake girl is so passionate about helping people get marijuana & getting our state to take it seriously, she might wanna do us all a favor & quit. I've never seen such unprofessional behavior in my life.

Honestly, they should have to PAY ME for being the receptionist's therapist & for violating my privacy & making me feel stupid.
I wasn't sure where I could or should post this, so mods please feel free to move it to the appropriate place. Thanks!

 

[G_Chem]

First and foremost if that HIPA violation bothered you I would pursue it.. That’s so fucked. It’s obvious she was gone on those Xannys, I’ve seen plenty of unaware stupidity like that from benzos.

But wtf state is this that you can’t even drive with the weed in your car? Like what?!? How do they expect you to get it home? I’d be scared to even leave the shop, it’s like a police officer sitting outside of a bar near closing only WAY worse.

Yea I’d torch that place over that HIPA violation, that’s about one of the most unprofessional stories I’ve ever heard.

I also know many states that do medical do require a state issued driver license, I hope it’s not the case by you but figured I’d mention it.

Definitely update us on this one.

-GC

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

First and foremost if that HIPA violation bothered you I would pursue it.. That’s so fucked. It’s obvious she was gone on those Xannys, I’ve seen plenty of unaware stupidity like that from benzos.

But wtf state is this that you can’t even drive with the weed in your car? Like what?!? How do they expect you to get it home? I’d be scared to even leave the shop, it’s like a police officer sitting outside of a bar near closing only WAY worse.

Yea I’d torch that place over that HIPA violation, that’s about one of the most unprofessional stories I’ve ever heard.

I also know many states that do medical do require a state issued driver license, I hope it’s not the case by you but figured I’d mention it.

Definitely update us on this one.

-GC

I'm in XX (edited).
I'm a pretty open minded person and all & at first I sort of sympathized with her, but in the end, she made me feel incredibly stupid & pathetic. And obviously was insulting me with her snarky comments.

I mean in reality, I don't give a shit if anybody knows I take propranolol, but that's very concerning that she would be so brazen to do something like that. And still nobody else's business.

I dunno if there were any cameras in there & so the only witness I'd have to it all would have been the gay guy sitting there & since they seemed buddy-buddy, it'd be my word against theirs & I'm sure we know who's side he'd probably take.
What are my options even? I can't afford a lawyer or anything like that. But that's bullshit.
I'm on incredibly low income as it is (I get 700 dollars a month to live off of) and they knew this. And now I'm gonna have to pay them 50 bucks on Friday when I get my money, to have my shit probably rejected because my drivers license is an Iowa drivers license & then ontop of it, I'm not gonna have the means to keep driving 40 miles to get some cannabis anyways. So it was almost next to worthless for me to even bother. This is all stuff I would have like to of known before I even bothered with it, but of course the receptionist was too busy talking about herself to properly inform me about anything really..

I'm still pretty upset by it & have no idea what to do. I'm glad I got certified but I don't have the money right now to go switch my drivers license or pay the damn 75 for the medical card either.
XX already hates cannabis as it is and she's going to make it look terrible.

Her and the gay guy told me you have to put the weed in your trunk when you drive home. So that's just wonderful cause it doesn't take much for a pig to be "suspicious" to get into your damn trunk.

 

[Mr. Krinkle]

that was a fun read

i wouldn't even waste my time beyond letting the attending physician know what she did if you wanna do that


they all charge a fee to get a MMJ card - so im a little surprised that you were unaware of that - how did you find this place?

but idk - it sounds to me like it might be pointless to even get it since you can't even use the card the way you initially intended - so why bother going back and giving them any money now anyway?

 

[G_Chem]

Honestly with how unprofessional and “drug dealer’y” they seem, I’d contact them with an angry message regarding the obvious HIPA violation and that you are likely going to pursue this. Who knows maybe they just waive your costs? Worst case scenario nothing happens but at least you said your word on the matter.

I’d only go back if you can find a way to make it that 40mi. Cuz at the end of the day a legal store (despite the car thing) is better than nothing. If you truly can’t make it out there, it’s up to you on whether you want to waste the time.

-GC

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

that was a fun read

i wouldn't even waste my time beyond letting the attending physician know what she did if you wanna do that


they all charge a fee to get a MMJ card - so im a little surprised that you were unaware of that - how did you find this place?

but idk - it sounds to me like it might be pointless to even get it since you can't even use the card the way you initially intended - so why bother going back and giving them any money now anyway?

Yeah I had wondered if they were going to charge me for the "appt", but I repeatedly told the girl when I called that I had no money at the time & she never mentioned anything about a fee. In fact, when I spoke to her on the phone, I had a ton of questions but she was too busy talking about herself & how much she wants to help people that I didn't even get around to all my questions.

I also ended up having a really bad weekend, like so bad that I thought it wasn't worth it anymore to live & that nobody cared about me. Which resulted me in doing some stupid shit. And it honestly just slipped my mind about this being an "appt" that I had to pay for. I wasn't even sure I'd qualify or anything anyway or what the appt was about. And my mind was basically zoned out, almost like a trauma victim or something. lol I was having a hard time paying attention & remembering things. They should have mentioned something too about the fee & everything else before they certified me.
Honestly I think some one else (not associated with the place) that I talked to a few weeks ago, told me that medicaid & medicare would cover the appt but obviously not my cannabis. Which was fine. But since no one brought up to me about how I was gonna pay (until after I got there & was certified), it really just slipped my mind.

Most places will ask you how you're going to pay before they even do something. lol

I got a thing in the mail right after they legalized medical here & my mental health docs have been telling me they'd prefer I smoked legal weed over crappy delta 8, so I went ahead & called & explained my situation & the girl made me the appt.

Honestly with how unprofessional and “drug dealer’y” they seem, I’d contact them with an angry message regarding the obvious HIPA violation and that you are likely going to pursue this. Who knows maybe they just waive your costs? Worst case scenario nothing happens but at least you said your word on the matter.

I’d only go back if you can find a way to make it that 40mi. Cuz at the end of the day a legal store (despite the car thing) is better than nothing. If you truly can’t make it out there, it’s up to you on whether you want to waste the time.

-GC

Thanks G_Chem!
Yeah I'm gonna do some thinking about it. I found a website where to report HIPAA violations, but i just talked to my sister & she said if I did report them, they'd know it was me & might make it awkward for me if I ever to go back there for anything or need their help with anything. Which is true.
I don't like being a tattle tale either really but I'm also concerned about how that kind of behavior is gonna affect the medical business here. It's not a good look at all & could have serious consequences.

I might be able to get the 40miles every once in awhile. But I dunno if it's like a "hey can I come in when I have money & buy what I can afford" or if I have to constantly be buying it or something, similar to how other meds are used. Of course nobody could give me an answer to that, even though I asked several times. So I'd kinda like to still pursue getting my card, but it's gonna take me a hell of a long time. Especially if I need to switch over my license now as well. Fun fun.

I'm thinking I might go there, pay them their damn 50 & hopefully the older lady who seemed more levelheaded will be there & maybe I'll pull her aside & let her know what happened, just so that they know their receptionists is putting them & this whole thing in jeopardy by acting in such a way. And how embarrassed I felt just sitting there not knowing wtf was going on. I'm also going to tell her (and show her if i have to) all of the emails I was sent & how it isn't mentioned anywhere about the 50, nor do I see how people were "pre-paying". All I got was an intake form, where I put in my name & shit & uploaded my medical records showing I had chronic pain & then one other email confirming my appt time & date (nothing in that email either about making sure I bring 50 bucks).
So I dunno. I'm going to do some thinking I guess. I really wanted to share this experience though because it was so bizarre. And because I was wondering if anybody might know some answers to the questions that I couldn't get them to answer for me.

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

Maybe I won't say anything though either idk...
At the same time, I'm wondering if the receptionist girl knew I couldn't pay but wanted to get me in there & get certified & then I'd end up in a situation where I was able to pay later anyway. In some weird ass roundabout way. lol She kept making all kinds of dramatic statements about how people who use opioids should be able to get cannabis & blah blah blah (she knows I'm an opioid user cause I told her). But she was literally from one topic to the next. So she wouldn't finish answering half the shit I was asking her & seemed standoff-ish as well. Totally off the wall behavior.

But at the same time it was so hard to read who the hell she really was or what she was trying to do or say.
Maybe she thought she was doing me a favor some how.

Maybe I'm thinking into it too much too, I dunno. lol
If she wanted to talk so much about trauma, I would have been more than happy to discuss the trauma she was causing me by making my borderline personality ass confused & embarrassed in a public space. lmfao


It was so bizarre that I can't get it off my mind.

 

[G_Chem]

Yeah I had wondered if they were going to charge me for the "appt", but I repeatedly told the girl when I called that I had no money at the time & she never mentioned anything about a fee. In fact, when I spoke to her on the phone, I had a ton of questions but she was too busy talking about herself & how much she wants to help people that I didn't even get around to all my questions.

I also ended up having a really bad weekend, like so bad that I thought it wasn't worth it anymore to live & that nobody cared about me. Which resulted me in doing some stupid shit. And it honestly just slipped my mind about this being an "appt" that I had to pay for. I wasn't even sure I'd qualify or anything anyway or what the appt was about. And my mind was basically zoned out, almost like a trauma victim or something. lol I was having a hard time paying attention & remembering things. They should have mentioned something too about the fee & everything else before they certified me.
Honestly I think some one else (not associated with the place) that I talked to a few weeks ago, told me that medicaid & medicare would cover the appt but obviously not my cannabis. Which was fine. But since no one brought up to me about how I was gonna pay (until after I got there & was certified), it really just slipped my mind.

Most places will ask you how you're going to pay before they even do something. lol

I got a thing in the mail right after they legalized medical here & my mental health docs have been telling me they'd prefer I smoked legal weed over crappy delta 8, so I went ahead & called & explained my situation & the girl made me the appt.



Thanks G_Chem!
Yeah I'm gonna do some thinking about it. I found a website where to report HIPAA violations, but i just talked to my sister & she said if I did report them, they'd know it was me & might make it awkward for me if I ever to go back there for anything or need their help with anything. Which is true.
I don't like being a tattle tale either really but I'm also concerned about how that kind of behavior is gonna affect the medical business here. It's not a good look at all & could have serious consequences.

I might be able to get the 40miles every once in awhile. But I dunno if it's like a "hey can I come in when I have money & buy what I can afford" or if I have to constantly be buying it or something, similar to how other meds are used. Of course nobody could give me an answer to that, even though I asked several times. So I'd kinda like to still pursue getting my card, but it's gonna take me a hell of a long time. Especially if I need to switch over my license now as well. Fun fun.

I'm thinking I might go there, pay them their damn 50 & hopefully the older lady who seemed more levelheaded will be there & maybe I'll pull her aside & let her know what happened, just so that they know their receptionists is putting them & this whole thing in jeopardy by acting in such a way. And how embarrassed I felt just sitting there not knowing wtf was going on. I'm also going to tell her (and show her if i have to) all of the emails I was sent & how it isn't mentioned anywhere about the 50, nor do I see how people were "pre-paying". All I got was an intake form, where I put in my name & shit & uploaded my medical records showing I had chronic pain & then one other email confirming my appt time & date (nothing in that email either about making sure I bring 50 bucks).
So I dunno. I'm going to do some thinking I guess. I really wanted to share this experience though because it was so bizarre. And because I was wondering if anybody might know some answers to the questions that I couldn't get them to answer for me.

Well I can be a help on some of this.. Most states pretty much sell you cannabis on an “as need” basis. Even medical. So you don’t need to worry about monthly payments or anything.

Usually medical in most states is a lot like recreational except you may get access to better cannabis and/or prices compared to rec.

Something else to remember is this gal sounds like a one-off nut, once you get the card you’ll likely never have to deal with her again. The bud tenders at the shop will also likely br much more levelheaded.

-GC

 

[RUC4]

all this

I personally don’t have a card, but I have a few friends that do and they both had a similar experience. Both said the doctor (air quotes) they saw to get the card didn’t seem legit, didn’t really listen to anything they said, and was super vague. Just wrote in a notepad while they talked for maybe 5 minutes and then they got the card.

For something that is legal, it was sketchy and made them feel like they were doing something wrong.

The dispensaries seem to have overwhelmingly great buds. I’m pretty sure everyone who sees the weed doctor gets a similar script. You would think.

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

Just an update for any folks who were wondering.

I went back in there today & there was totally different people working. A different woman behind the receptionist desk.
I told her I was there to pay & then told her about my awkward experience on Monday.
She apologized profusely and said I was the 2nd person to say something about that other girl.
She told me she appreciated me letting her know, rather than filing a complaint & going that direction.
Honestly, I felt bad for the other intake chick & the last thing I wanted to do was having them be under fire for breaking my HIPAA & making the whole medical marijuana thing look bad.
So she told me they were just gonna certify me for free & not to worry about it.

I thought that was completely fair & the woman there tonight seemed way more level headed & rational. She helped explain some more steps & the process to me.

Since I still have an out of state drivers license, she showed me where I was suppose to "enroll" under a "non-resident" (even though I still do live here technically).
But when I got home, the "non-resident" option wanted me to register again under a new email, cause it said my other email was already in use.
So I kind of got worried (cause apparently if you log out of this site, you can lose your password & not get back in & blah blah long story). I didn't wanna try enrolling under a new email cause I'm not sure how I would have been "certified" under that. I dunno. Basically I just had to enroll under "non-resident" and then the rest of the form was the same as any other.
But anyway, I just ended up submitting all my info & a photo of myself & my out of state DL on the regular form cause I was afraid of getting logged out permanently from the site & then I would have had to call the clinic back up & have them help me.

Since I'm low income, I also only had to pay 20 bucks for my card, rather than 75, which is pretty badass.
So I guess if I get denied over my license, then I'll only be out 20 bucks.
And I guess it paid off to just go in there & talk to some one about what happened to me on Monday in a non-confrontational manner, cause it was free after that.

I'm hoping I get approved, regardless of my DL. I mean if they wanna be that petty, they could simply call up Social Security & they can confirm that I do indeed live here & just haven't switched my license (since it doesn't expire until 2024 anyway).

 

[Mr. Krinkle]

See that?

you got your shit free - it pays to not be a snitch

 

[G_Chem]

“So she told me they were just gonna certify me for free & not to worry about it.”

Aint I always right? So glad to hear it worked out!! Just gotta communicate these things and usually if people are worth a damn they’ll try to make it right.

-GC

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

Another update!
I was approved! Even with my out of state drivers license.

So I can legally buy herb now!
Except I had to move abruptly last weekend & they sent my card to that address.
I had my mail for that address forwarded to a PO Box. But I don't know if that's gonna be a problem or not.
I know some federal/state mail can't be forwarded, but I'm hoping the card will be fine.

So in the end, even though I felt humiliated & had my HIPAA violated, it was actually pretty worth it. lol But I haven't got my card yet, so I dunno whether to be excited yet or not. lol If it doesn't go to my PO Box, I hope I won't have to pay for another one.

 

[Nurse Ratched]

Another update!
I was approved! Even with my out of state drivers license.

So I can legally buy herb now!
Except I had to move abruptly last weekend & they sent my card to that address.
I had my mail for that address forwarded to a PO Box. But I don't know if that's gonna be a problem or not.
I know some federal/state mail can't be forwarded, but I'm hoping the card will be fine.

So in the end, even though I felt humiliated & had my HIPAA violated, it was actually pretty worth it. lol But I haven't got my card yet, so I dunno whether to be excited yet or not. lol If it doesn't go to my PO Box, I hope I won't have to pay for another one.

Congrats.