How to get a medical marijuana card in Alberta: step by step

We get asked a lot about how to get a medical marijuana card in Alberta, and the answer starts with a surprise: the card doesn't exist, in Alberta or anywhere else in Canada. What you actually get is a medical document from a doctor or nurse practitioner, which you use to register with a company Health Canada licenses to sell medical cannabis.

So where do you start in Calgary, Edmonton or Lethbridge, and what happens after the appointment?

This guide is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a health care practitioner about your own situation.

Is there a medical marijuana card in Alberta?

No. Whatever you call it, a medical cannabis card or a weed card, legal access works differently in Canada. Under the Cannabis Act and Part 14 of the Cannabis Regulations, the paper that counts is the medical document your practitioner signs. You use it to register with a licensed seller, a company Health Canada authorizes to sell cannabis directly to patients and ship it to their door. Once you're registered, you order as a patient: that registration is the closest thing Canada has to a medical marijuana card.

You can also use the document to get a Health Canada registration certificate to grow your own plants, or to have a designated person grow for you; this guide follows the seller route. The process is federal law, so it works the same way in Alberta and in Ontario; only a few provincial rules change, and they're covered below.

Medical marijuana card in Alberta: 4 steps

1. Step 1: book a consultation

   Start with your family doctor, a nurse practitioner or a medical cannabis clinic. Many clinics, and some licensed sellers, hold the first appointment by video, and Flodega's is free (more on that below). Come ready to talk about your symptoms, your medical history, the medications you take and what you've already tried: the practitioner decides whether cannabis makes sense as a treatment for your medical condition.

   In Alberta, a physician who signs your medical document has to see you in person at least once a year, so plan for at least one office visit even if you start online.

2. Step 2: get your medical document

   If the practitioner agrees, they sign a medical document. It says how many grams of dried cannabis you can use per day (here is what a gram looks like) and for how long, up to one year. There's no card in the mail: keep a copy for yourself, because the original goes to your seller in the next step.

3. Step 3: register with a licensed seller

   Choose a licensed seller, fill in its registration form and send it the original medical document. Before you do, check that the seller holds a Health Canada licence. Once the seller confirms you as a client, you're a registered patient. One medical document works with one seller at a time.

4. Step 4: order and get it delivered

   Order online or by phone, and your seller ships to the address in your registration. In public, your possession limit is the lesser of 150 grams or a 30-day supply (30 times your daily amount) of dried cannabis, on top of the 30 grams any adult may carry, so keep your registration document with you.

You have your medical document: what now?

• Renew before it expires: the period of use on your document is one year at most, and your registration ends with it. Book the renewal appointment a few weeks ahead so your orders don't stop.
• Switching sellers: ask for your medical document to be transferred to the new seller; no new appointment needed.
• Keep your receipts: cannabis from your licensed seller counts as an eligible medical expense for the federal tax credit, and some private plans reimburse it. Here is what health insurance covers for medical cannabis.
• Stores are still an option: you can shop at an Alberta cannabis store like any adult, but those purchases sit outside your registration. Here is where LOT420 flower is sold.

What you pay for medical cannabis in Alberta

Free medical document consultation

Flodega, LOT420's sister brand, is a Health Canada-licensed medical cannabis dispensary that serves patients across Alberta, from consultation to doorstep delivery. Its consultation is free: you book a video call with a licensed physician or nurse practitioner, with no referral needed, and the consultation and prescription process costs nothing. If you're approved, you register directly with Flodega, which carries products from several Canadian producers, including LOT420. Already registered with another seller? You can transfer your medical document to Flodega at any time.

FAQ: medical marijuana card in Alberta