Washington State
Why your first visit is in person — and why your renewals don't have to be
Short version: Washington law requires the initial cannabis authorization visit to happen in person. The same law lets your annual renewals happen by telehealth — if your provider documents at the first visit that an in-person renewal would be a hardship. We've built our whole workflow around making that as easy as possible.
What the in-person visit actually looks like
Same-day appointments. 30–45 minutes. You walk out the door with your authorization in hand. Our clinics are quiet, professional, and staffed with people who do this every day — no waiting rooms full of expired magazines, no hour-long intake forms, no fuss.
- Book online or call 1-888-885-9949 — same-day slots usually available.
- Bring your ID + any current medication list. We'll handle the rest.
- Your provider reviews your history, examines you, and authorizes if appropriate.
- You leave with the authorization document and (if you ask) a tamper-resistant copy for your records.
What makes renewals frictionless
When you come in for your initial visit, your provider can document that future in-person visits would be a hardship for you — this is called a compassionate care eligibilitynote, and Washington law specifically allows it. Once that's documented, your annual renewals can happen entirely by video visit.
- 1We send you reminders 60, 30, 15, and 7 days before your authorization expires.
- 2Click the link in the reminder to pick a renewal slot — telehealth if you qualified at your initial visit, or in-person if you prefer.
- 3For telehealth renewals: 10–15 minute video visit, your provider reviews your history + any changes, signs the renewal.
- 4New authorization document emailed within 24 hours. Done.
What we're not trying to compete on
Some online services advertise telehealth-only initial cannabis authorization visits in Washington. We can't do that legally and we don't try to. Washington's statute is specific: the first physical examination has to happen in person. Services offering otherwise are taking on regulatory risk that we don't think is fair to pass to our patients or our providers.
What we can do — and have built our whole product around — is make the in-person initial as fast and pleasant as possible, then make every renewal after that as close to a click as the law allows.
Ready to book your initial?
In-person visits available at our Lynnwood clinic. Same-day slots usually available; we'll work around your schedule.
The regulatory background
Washington Revised Code RCW 69.51A.030(2)(b)(ii) requires an in-person physical examination for initial cannabis authorization. The same section, at (2)(c)(iii), allows subsequent renewal examinations to happen via telemedicine if the practitioner documents at the initial visit that requiring in-person renewal would cause severe hardship.
Washington Medical Commission's July 2020 cannabis authorization guidelines elaborate the chart-note + standard-of-care expectations that practitioners follow at the initial visit, including a physical examination, history-taking, and a documented treatment plan.
The Washington Department of Health publishes information for patients about medical cannabis at doh.wa.gov.