Typically, if I were to say “caregiver” to somebody who’s not in the cannabis industry, generally they’d think of somebody who is an assisted living provider. They’d probably think of somebody who works in a hospice, retirement home, or at a senior citizen’s place of residence.

But in cannabis, caregiver means something entirely different. Not only in terms of connotations, but they are also considered legally different. One of the first states to legalize medical marijuana (abbreviated as MMJ) was California, and they legally defined a caregiver in section 11362.5 of the California Health and Safety Code.

But the definition provided by California law is pretty vague. It says that a primary caregiver is somebody “who has consistently assumed responsibility for the housing, health, or safety of that person.” Because cannabis is medicine, any grower who supplied cannabis directly to a patient was essentially a caregiver.

Other states would later take the caregiver model of cannabis and apply it to themselves, further clarifying the definition of a caregiver. In Arizona, for example, a caregiver is defined in the Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) section 36-2804.02 as somebody who has been officially designated as a caregiver by a qualified patient and meets certain minimum standards. Essentially, a caregiver in Arizona is determined by the patient.

Glad you asked.

While their role will depend heavily on your state’s medical marijuana laws, caregivers essentially provide patients who have a doctor’s recommendation with cannabis. These caregivers are allowed to cultivate and supply cannabis to several patients who regularly purchase medical cannabis. In states like Arizona, restrictions do apply to caregivers:

1. Caregivers are only allowed if the patient lives >25 miles from the nearest dispensary.
2. Caregivers may have multiple patients that they serve, but must be the primary caregiver for at least one individual as certified by the state.

But not all states are this strict. In some states, caregivers can be virtually anywhere, regardless of the nearest dispensary’s location.

Now we get to the crux of the matter. You want to start growing cannabis for more than just yourself. Becoming a caregiver is an excellent start, and it will give you a sense for running a plant-touching cannabusiness. In our 200 series of educational articles, we’ll cover the basics of being your own caregiver in the cannabis industry. Look forward to these articles soon, only on Growers Network.

Resources:

1. Want to learn more about subjects similar to those touched upon in this article? Check out our articles on subjects such as:
   1. Marijuana Licenses in California – Part 4: Retail and Dispensing
   2. Top Five Reasons to Grow Your Own Cannabis
   3. Cannabis Taxes are Sending Bright, Young Coloradans to College
   4. Recent Congressional Legislation Could Open Door to Federally Legal Cannabis
   5. Cannabis Puns: The Good, the Bad, and the Funny