Caregiver

A caregiver (also "designated caregiver" or "primary caregiver") is an adult registered with the state to purchase, possess, administer, and in some states cultivate medical cannabis on behalf of one or more qualifying patients. Caregiver statutes address patient populations who cannot self-administer — minors, elderly patients, terminally ill patients, and those with cognitive impairment — as well as patients who prefer delegated procurement. Patient caps vary widely: Colorado (up to 5 patients, C.R.S. § 25-1.5-106); Maine and Michigan (5 each); Massachusetts (generally 1); Oregon (up to 4); Hawaii (1 absent special circumstances). Caregiver applicants are generally subject to background checks; felony drug convictions are commonly disqualifying. Caregivers may transport cannabis between their residence, the dispensary, and the patient's residence, but — like patients — remain exposed to federal and interstate-transport liability. Maine and Michigan historically permitted caregivers to operate small cultivation businesses serving multiple patients, a model largely absorbed into adult-use frameworks but with caregiver licenses still available in some states. Caregivers are distinct from "designated providers" in some states and from entity-level caregiver licensees in New Mexico and New York. *→ See also: Medical card, Patient registry, Qualifying condition