After getting your medical marijuana certification, you'll likely have to decide whether to grow your own plants, shop at a dispensary, or use both methods in order to get the medication you need. Here are a few things to consider when making your decision:

The Expenses

One thing to consider when deciding whether to use a marijuana dispensary or grow your own medication is the cost involved. You can expect to pay market price for your medical marijuana when shopping at a dispensary, which can get expensive and make budgeting tough as time goes on.

Growing your own medication means that you won't have to purchase the product once it's ready to be used. However, you will have to purchase things like seeds, soil, and fertilizer in order to grow your own crops. It's a good idea to sit down and make a list of expected expenses for both scenarios so you can determine which option will be the most financially feasible for you in the foreseeable future.

The Time Requirements

In addition to considering the financial requirements of shopping at a medical marijuana dispensary and growing your own plants, you should consider the time commitments that each will require. Shopping at a dispensary won't cost you much extra time in your day; all you have to do is stop by your chosen dispensary whenever you need to purchase your medication.

Growing your own plants requires, time, patience, and skills that have to be learned over time. You can expect to spend a lot of time learning how to grow plants before you even begin. You'll likely make mistakes that cost you even more time before all is said and done -- but if you have the time to put into growing your own plants, the process can be rewarding.

The Legal Aspects

There are also legal aspects to consider when deciding whether to use a dispensary or grow your own medical marijuana plants. Either way, you need to be a certified medical marijuana card holder in order to legally buy or grow marijuana. There are also laws that govern how much marijuana you can purchase or grow at any given time.

Other rules and regulations may need to be followed as well, depending on whether you're using a dispensary or growing plants on your own. While you can rely on the dispensaries you shop at to make sure that you're following all the buying laws, you'll have to learn the laws to abide by when growing your own.

Your first step is scheduling an appointment with your local medical marijuana certification center to get certified. During the appointment, your service provider can help you decide how to get your medication based on the considerations outlined here.