10698 t1_iufygop wrote on October 31, 2022 at 12:52 AM

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Medical Marijuana Card by ResurrectedZero

Products in Virginia are made by the dispensary operators licensed in each of five regions, and they're distributed to other dispensaries across the state. Thus, there are products from gLeaf (Richmond), Columbia Care (Portsmouth), Beyond/Hello (Manassas), and Rise (Abingdon) scattered across the dispensaries operated by all of the above.

gLeaf product is generally low quality but can also be the cheapest. I've been happiest with the Seed & Strain brand products made in Portsmouth and the Rise &shine stuff out of southwest Virginia.

That said, many people make the trip to DC, which does recognize Virginia MMJ cards. An actual card issued by the Board of Pharmacy is needed in addition to the doctor's certification if you wish to visit a dispensary in DC. DC does now allow non-resident self-certification, though, allowing you to bypass the medical cert and BoP card requirements for a 30 day period in exchange for $30 paid to the city.

For quality medical-grade products, it's either a trip to DC (Takoma Wellness is a very popular destination) or try to snag some of the good stuff from other dispensaries when it makes its way to Richmond. That happens often, but in small quantities.

ETA: Someone with no other source and no desire to drive to DC or another part of the state could be completely happy with gLeaf. I've got no specific complaints -- their service is top notch compared to the other dispensaries in the state and there are some surprisingly good products that come along every now and then.

Visual-Sheepherder36 t1_iuhl8zx wrote on October 31, 2022 at 12:05 PM

I was able to walk into a DC dispensary this spring and make purchases without a medical card.

10698 t1_iuhlp7k wrote on October 31, 2022 at 12:10 PM

You may have walked in to one of the DC gray-market "gifting" operations, but you did not walk into a licensed medical cannabis dispensary without either a doctor's certification or a DC resident self-certification.

Current DC regulations for out-of-state MMJ reciprocity require either a doctor's medical certification plus valid or expired VA-issued MMJ card, or a DC non-resident self-certification which can be done at the dispensary in many cases.

Or you can roll the dice and go with one of the gray-market gifting services.

Visual-Sheepherder36 t1_iuhlwex wrote on October 31, 2022 at 12:12 PM

Ah, yeah, good point; I was buying artwork, not marijuana products.

10698 t1_iuhmcec wrote on October 31, 2022 at 12:16 PM

Yep, there ya go. Sometimes it's T-shirts, caps, stickers, art work, whatever. They're skirting the law but the city turns a blind eye for the most part. Hopefully you got some good stuff. Those "I71" gray market shops tend to be sketchy. I've got one go-to I71 vendor that has proven trustworthy over the years, but now that I've got the MMJ card if I go back to DC it'll likely be for a legal medical dispensary. Better quality, similar pricing.