What Do You Need to Bring to a Dispensary? ID, Cash, Medical Card and First-Visit Tips

By James Buddsey · Updated October 29, 2026

To buy at a dispensary you need a valid, government-issued photo ID that shows you are 21 or older, such as a driver’s license, state ID card, passport or military ID; at a medical store you also need your state medical card or registration. Bring cash as well, because Visa and Mastercard do not allow cannabis purchases, and know your state’s purchase limit before you reach the counter.

That is the short version. The details change from state to state: which IDs count, whether an expired license works, whether the store can keep your information and how much you can buy in one visit. This guide covers the eight states in our dispensary directory, with each rule linked to the regulator or statute it comes from, as of October 26, 2026. If you want help choosing products for a first visit, read our companion guide, What to Buy at a Dispensary for the First Time. This page is about getting through the door and the checkout.

What to bring to a dispensary: checklist

Which IDs do dispensaries accept?

Dispensaries accept a current driver’s license or state ID card, a passport, and a U.S. military ID; most states also accept out-of-state licenses, and several list specific extras such as tribal ID cards or trusted-traveler cards. Here is what the rules in our directory states actually say:

• Washington: WAC 314-55-150 accepts a driver’s license, instruction permit or ID card from any U.S. state, Canadian province, U.S. territory or D.C.; a U.S. armed forces ID; a passport, passport card, Global Entry card, green card or NEXUS card; a Coast Guard Merchant Marine ID; and enrollment cards from federally recognized tribes in Washington that meet security standards.
• Oregon: ORS 475C.217 lists a U.S. or foreign passport, a driver license from Oregon or any other state, an Oregon ID card, a U.S. military ID, a tribal ID card, another state’s or territory’s ID card showing photo, name, birth date and description, and SENTRI or NEXUS proof.
• California: 4 CCR 15404 accepts a federal, state, county or city document showing name, date of birth, height, gender and photo (a driver’s license, for example), a valid military ID, or a valid passport from the United States or a foreign government.
• New York: the Office of Cannabis Management’s delivery FAQ lists a valid government ID with age and photo (including IDNYC), a driver’s license or non-driver ID from any U.S. state, territory, D.C. or a Canadian province, a passport from any country, or a U.S. armed forces ID.

Can you use an out-of-state ID at a dispensary?

Yes. In every adult-use state in our directory, a valid out-of-state driver’s license works for buying at a recreational store. Visitors may face different limits, though: Illinois sells nonresidents half the resident amount (see the table below). Out-of-state medical cards are a separate question, covered under the medical card section.

Can international visitors buy at a dispensary?

Bring your passport. Oregon, California and New York name foreign passports as acceptable, and Washington accepts Canadian provincial licenses. A driver’s license from another country is not on the Washington, Oregon or New York lists, so do not count on it.

Do dispensaries accept expired IDs?

Do not count on it. Washington’s rule says flatly that an ID “is not acceptable to verify age if expired” (WAC 314-55-150(2)). California and New York require a “valid” ID, and Massachusetts requires “valid, unexpired” photo ID for delivery customers (935 CMR 500.140). Stores that could lose their license over a single underage sale tend to refuse anything past its expiration date, so renew first or bring your passport.

What if your license is the vertical, under-21 style?

None of the state rules we read treats a vertical-format license differently from a horizontal one: what matters is that it is valid and your birth date shows you are 21 or older. Some stores still look twice at a vertical card. If yours has not expired, it should work; carrying a second ID, like a passport card, saves time if a clerk hesitates.

Do dispensaries take credit cards?

Usually not. According to an August 2026 GAO report, Mastercard and Visa prohibit the use of their cards to buy cannabis, so most dispensaries run on cash. Many stores keep an ATM on site, which typically adds a fee. Some offer a “cashless ATM” at the register, which runs your debit card as an ATM withdrawal, rounds the amount up to the nearest $20 and hands you the change in cash; GAO notes these systems can violate card network rules and can stop working without warning. Others use pay-by-bank apps that link to your checking account.

The practical advice: bring enough cash for what you plan to buy plus tax, and treat a debit option as a backup. For the full story of why cards are rare, see Why Are Dispensaries Cash Only?, and for how stores handle each method, our explainer How Do Dispensaries Take Payments?

Do you need a medical card to go to a dispensary?

No, not at an adult-use (recreational) store: in all eight states in our directory, adults 21 and older can buy with ID alone. You need a medical card to shop at a medical-only store, to buy under 21 where the law allows patients to do that, and to claim patient benefits. Examples:

• Washington: patients in the Department of Health database, shopping at a medically endorsed store, can buy up to 3 oz of usable cannabis, 48 oz of solid infused products, 216 oz of liquid infused products and 21 g of concentrates (RCW 69.51A.210), roughly three times the adult-use amounts.
• California: patients 18 and older with a valid physician’s recommendation can buy medicinal cannabis (4 CCR 15404).
• Colorado: medical patients can buy 2 oz of flower a day, double the 1 oz adult-use sale limit (C.R.S. 44-10-601).

If you are a patient, bring both your medical card (or digital registry ID) and your photo ID. A card from another state is not automatically honored at the counter, so check the state’s law guide before you travel. Our guide How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card covers costs and whether a card is worth it in a recreational state.

Can you bring a friend under 21 into a dispensary?

No. Adult-use stores must keep people under 21 out, even if they are only keeping you company. In Washington, retailers may not allow anyone under 21 to “enter or remain on the premises,” with narrow exceptions for registered medical patients at medically endorsed stores (RCW 69.50.357). In Massachusetts, staff must check ID at the entrance and may not admit anyone until they confirm the person is 21 or older (935 CMR 500.140). Expect every friend in your group, including the designated driver, to show ID at the door. Anyone under 21 waits outside, and that includes children.

Do dispensaries scan or keep your ID?

Most stores check or scan your ID to confirm it is real and that you are 21, but several states limit what they may keep. The rules we verified:

• Oregon: a retailer may not record and keep information from your ID, or pass it to anyone else, except what is needed for delivery. A store may keep your name and contact details for deals and notices only if it asks and you agree (ORS 475C.221).
• Massachusetts: retailers may not acquire or record consumer personal information beyond what a normal retail transaction requires, or keep more without your voluntary written permission (935 CMR 500.140(2)(c)).
• New Jersey: the state’s cannabis commission says staff may not copy your ID or keep a record of your purchase (NJ CRC). Our New Jersey marijuana laws guide has the rest.

Loyalty programs are the main way a store ends up with your name and number, and in the states above that is your choice. If you buy as a medical patient, expect the store to check your patient status each visit, because your limits and tax breaks depend on it.

How much can you buy at a dispensary? Limits by state

Adult-use limits range from about 1 oz of flower per sale in Washington and Colorado to 3 oz a day in New York, with separate caps for concentrates and edibles. These are the amounts for adults 21 and older in the states our directory covers, as of October 26, 2026.

Two practical notes. First, in some states, such as Massachusetts, flower, concentrates and edibles count against the same limit when you mix them, so a big edible order can reduce how much flower you can add. Second, a store can sell you less than the legal maximum; New York’s regulator notes that dispensaries may restrict quantities based on inventory. The state law guide linked in each row explains how each limit works and what you can possess at home.

Do you tip at a dispensary?

Tipping is optional. Many stores keep a tip jar at the counter, and leaving a few dollars in cash after a long, helpful consultation is a courtesy, not a requirement. Because most purchases are paid in cash, a tip usually means cash too. We will cover tipping norms in more depth in a separate guide.

What to ask the budtender

Ask about the total price with tax, today’s deals and if your mix of products fits under the limit before you commit. Budtenders are retail staff, not medical providers, so keep health questions for your doctor. Useful questions at checkout:

• “What is the out-the-door price, with tax?” Menu prices often exclude tax. In Massachusetts, for example, adult-use sales carry a 10.75% excise tax plus up to 3% local tax on top of the 6.25% sales tax.
• “Which payment methods do you take, and is there an ATM or debit fee?”
• “Is there a first-time customer discount or a deal today?”
• “Does this combination fit under the purchase limit?”
• “How many milligrams of THC are in each serving and in the whole package?”
• “What happens if a cartridge or package is defective?”

For questions about which product to try first and how to read a label, see our first-time buying guide and cannabis dosage explainer. To compare stores before you go, use our six-step checklist for choosing a dispensary.

What this means for you

Check your ID’s expiration date before you leave home, because an expired license is the most common reason a first visit ends at the door. Bring cash plus a backup payment option, look up your state’s limit in the table above, and leave anyone under 21 at home. If you are traveling, carry a passport or your home-state license and read the state law guide, since possession, public use and transport rules vary. Never drive after using cannabis, and never carry cannabis across state lines, which remains illegal under federal law even between two legal states. Ready to go? Browse licensed stores in the dispensary directory.

What to Bring to a Dispensary FAQ

Rules, limits and taxes as of October 26, 2026, and they change often: check the state law guide and your store before you shop. General information, not legal advice.