Hello dear ones! I've had a few people contact me being surprised that their doctor knew they had purchased medical cannabis. What's more fun than your doctor saying "So, you like Purple Monkeys Balls"?! It made me realize that I need to do a better job of warning people.
First of all, there is a difference between who will know you have a medical marijuana card and who will know that you have purchased medical cannabis from a Virginia Medical Dispensary. If you never use your card at a Virginia Medical Dispensary, then the only person in Virginia who will know you have a medical marijuana card is your cannabis provider. Athena Heals does not forward your information to the Virginia Board of Pharmacy.
Once you purchase cannabis at a Medical Dispensary, you will lose a little privacy. When you use a Virginia Medical Dispensary, you will get passively registered with the Virginia Board of Pharmacy (regardless of whether or not you apply for the registration card) and your purchases get documented on a website called the PDMP (Prescription Drug Monitoring Program). In fact, the purchase of any controlled substance, including things like vicodin or xanax, get documented here.
Though out of states medical cannabis purchases do not get reported to the Virginia Board of Pharmacy, Maryland and DC do share their PDMP database with Virginia.
The people who will know you have a medical marijuana card will therefore depend on whether or not you use a Medical Dispensary. If you use a Virginia Medical Dispensary, the people who will know includes your cannabis provider, the medical dispensary staff, the Virginia Board of Pharmacy, and the DEA if they have a reason to look into it. And, if you use any Medical Dispensary in a state that shares it's PDMP database, every doctor or pharmacist who serves you will also be able to see your cannabis purchases in all of those states (but the doctor or pharmacist will have to go out of their way to search for your file). Especially important to know, your health insurance company might possibly find out that you use medical marijuana if your doctor decides to document it in their notes.
The people who will not know you have a medical marijuana card (unless you tell them or give them permission to access your medical records) are everyone else. That includes your current employer, your prospective employers (even hospital employers and state employers), and any government agency besides the DEA. That includes Child Protective Services, the DMV, the ATF, the FBI, and the CIA. Ok, so, if you're on the Most Wanted List, maybe the FBI could find out. Stay off the Most Wanted List!
All joking aside, if you are suspected of a crime, you can unfortunately lose your privacy rights.
Hate to be the bearer of bummer news, but it's always best to be informed!