People new to medical cannabis often struggle with the terminology used by the community. Confusion can be exacerbated when writers and speakers use acronyms rather than full terms. Take the electronic verification system (EVS) for example. How many brand-new medical cannabis patients even know what an EVS is?
Some states have different names for their EVSs. Yet regardless of the chosen term, the EVS pertains to patients and medical providers first, then purchases and products second. The best way to understand it is to view the EVS as a digital tracking system for all things medical cannabis.
Applying for Medical Cannabis Card
The average patient’s first contact with an electronic verification system occurs when applying for a state-issued card. Utah provides the perfect example of this. In the Beehive State, a new patient must create an account in the EVS before beginning the application process.
Once an account is established and the patient begins the application process, they must also make a visit to an approved medical provider. Afterward, the patient can return to the EVS to finish the application and submit it along with the required fee.
BeehiveMed.com helps Utah patients obtain medical cannabis cards. They explain that the EVS is easy enough for most patients to navigate. But they also say that it is impossible to get a medical card without going through the EVS. Patients who do not normally use the internet are not excused from the requirement.
The EVS For Medical Providers
State electronic verification systems are not exclusively for tracking patients. Medical providers must also interact with them. States require medical providers to establish EVS accounts and keep their information up to date. Everything from a doctor’s license number to a clinic’s name, address, and operating hours are included. Utah even requires medical providers to post their fees in the system.
Medical providers also use the EVS to enter data pertaining to patient visits. They are expected to answer questions about qualifying conditions, patient medical histories, and more.
The EVS for Pharmacies
Even medical cannabis pharmacies in many states must interact with the EVS. Let us go back to Utah. State law requires medical cannabis pharmacies to employ licensed pharmacists. Pharmacists are the only medical providers legally allowed to dispense medical cannabis in the state.
With every purchase comes a requirement to enter specific information into the EVS. Furthermore, the pharmacy must verify a patient’s medical cannabis card – through the EVS, of course – before selling that person cannabis products.
The fact that an EVS is hosted in the cloud keeps everyone in the loop in real time. There is little to no lag, which is important when patients are trying to obtain much-needed medicines.
Plenty of Data for the State
The EVS has one final user: the state. How data is used varies from one state to the next, but a general rule is that the EVS database keeps state agencies, regulators, and lawmakers up to date about what is going on in the cannabis industry.
Regulators can use the EVS to check on medical providers and their license status. State agencies can track cannabis purchases relative to volume, delivery method, monetary value, location, and anything else covered in the EVS.
The long and short of it is that the EVS acts as the central database for all things cannabis in a given state. Maintaining a centralized database makes for easier regulation. Truth be told, that’s what it’s really about. Regulators need data to do what they do effectively. The medical cannabis EVS provides what they need in spades. And now you know.
