Quote Originally Posted by robz123
My son got his reccomendation yesterday on his very first visit to his new primary care doc. She told him her written reccomendation is all he needed. The Thcf card is for patients that can't find a regular primary care doc to reccomend it. That's how I precieve it anywho.
As of June 10, 2010, the hard cards you see from some places are NOT valid as authorizations unless they were done prior to 6/10/10. The ones handed out after that date are pretty much worthless except as a sort of membership card for the clinic it came from.

As of June 10, 2010, a valid authorization can only be printed on tamper-resistant paper, which those hard cards are not. (Some folks have laminated their tamper-resistant authorizations, which I don't recommend. While it doesn't invalidate the authorization, it does make it difficult for LEO out in the field to test the authenticity of the authorization since they can't physically *get* to the paper itself... and I've never seen a policecar with a xerox machine in it to be able to photocopy it to test for the watermarks.)

Some clinics/doctors have begun giving patients small card-sized laminated authorizations printed on the tamper-resistant paper. Those do qualify as valid authorizations, as far as I can tell.

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The law states very clearly what an authorization is:

Chapter 69.51A RCW: Medical marijuana

69.51A.010
Definitions.

(5) "Tamper-resistant paper" means paper that meets one or more of the following industry-recognized features:

(a) One or more features designed to prevent copying of the paper;

(b) One or more features designed to prevent the erasure or modification of information on the paper; or

(c) One or more features designed to prevent the use of counterfeit valid documentation.

(7) "Valid documentation" means:

(a) A statement signed and dated by a qualifying patient's health care professional written on tamper-resistant paper, which states that, in the health care professional's professional opinion, the patient may benefit from the medical use of marijuana; and

(b) Proof of identity such as a Washington state driver's license or identicard, as defined in RCW 46.20.035.

Applicability of valid documentation definition.

The provisions of RCW 69.51A.010, relating to the definition of "valid documentation," apply prospectively only, not retroactively, and do not affect valid documentation obtained prior to June 10, 2010.