An Arizona-licensed physician can certify your debilitating medical condition. With a card, you skip the 16% excise tax on every purchase — and gain higher limits.
Arizona's Medical Marijuana Program is run by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS).
An Arizona-licensed physician — MD, DO, naturopathic, or homeopathic — evaluates you and completes ADHS's certification form.
Submit your application through ADHS's online portal with the certification, a signed patient attestation, and your ID.
$150 for the state card, or $75 with SNAP documentation.
ADHS reviews complete applications within about 10 days. Cards are electronic and valid for two years.
Arizona has both a medical program and an adult-use market. Here's how they compare side by side.
| With a medical card | Adult-use (21+) | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18+ (under 18 with a parent or guardian as caregiver) | 21+ |
| 16% excise tax | Not charged | Charged on every purchase |
| Sales tax (TPT) | Applies | Applies |
| Limits | 2.5 oz per 14 days | 1 oz possession, no more than 5 g concentrate |
| Home grow | Up to 12 plants, only if you live 25+ miles from the nearest dispensary | 6 plants per adult, 12 per household |
| Cost to access | $150 state fee for two years ($75 with SNAP), plus the physician visit | None |
At a 16% excise tax, roughly $940 in purchases over the card's two years — about $40 a month — covers the $150 state fee. With the $75 SNAP fee, it's about $20 a month.Rough estimate for comparison only. It doesn't include the physician's visit fee or local price differences.
Tax facts from the Arizona Department of Revenue. General information only, not tax or legal advice.
You'll need one of these conditions, diagnosed or confirmed by an Arizona-licensed physician.
*For PTSD, the physician must see evidence that you're currently in conventional treatment. See the ADHS program pages for details.
A dual medical and adult-use dispensary with extended late-night hours. Show your ADHS card at checkout to skip the excise tax. Confirm current hours before you go.
See all licensees through the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Desert trails and sweeping valley views in the White Tank foothills — best at sunrise before the heat.
“I was paying the adult-use tax for chronic back pain. The card paid for itself in a few months.”
— Derek H., Buckeye“I'm on SNAP, so the state fee was only $75. The physician walked me through the whole application.”
— Maria L., VerradoThe state fee is $150, or $75 with SNAP documentation, and the card is valid for two years. The physician visit is a separate fee.
Registered patients don't pay the 16% excise tax that applies to adult-use purchases. Regular sales tax applies either way.
Not on their own. Arizona's list is specific; PTSD qualifies if you're currently in conventional treatment.
ADHS reviews complete applications within about 10 days, and cards are issued electronically.
Only if you live 25 or more miles from the nearest operating dispensary; ADHS offers a Cultivation Boundary Check tool to confirm. Separately, adults 21+ can grow up to six plants under adult-use rules.
On the Arizona Department of Health Services Medical Marijuana pages.
Buckeye takes its name from the Buckeye Canal, dug by settlers from Ohio, and has become one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. It stretches from the White Tank Mountains to the Gila River, with master-planned communities like Verrado alongside open desert. Buckeye residents follow the same statewide rules as every patient in Arizona's Medical Marijuana Program.
The program operates under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (A.R.S. § 36-2801 et seq.), approved by voters in 2010. Adult-use sales followed under Proposition 207 in 2020. ADHS administers both.
Public use is prohibited, driving impaired is illegal, and cannabis remains illegal under federal law, including on federal land. See ADHS for current rules.
Appointments with Arizona-licensed physicians.