When California legalizes social cannabis use on Jan. 1, medical cannabis patients are highly advised to hold on to their cards in 2018.

A medical cannabis card will allow patients to have access to reduced prices, a greater number of dispensaries, and purchase cannabis starting at age 18, rather than having to wait until 21. In addition, patients will have the right to carry medical cannabis freely without encountering trouble from law enforcement.

“With 482 municipalities in California and 58 counties, essentially all of them have to make the decision themselves whether they’ll allow adult-use dispensaries, so if they don’t allow for recreational licenses and someone in the county wants to get cannabis, they’ll only be able to get it if they have a [medical] recommendation,” Dr. Perry Solomon, chief medical officer at HelloMD, said.

He added medical patients are able to receive education and knowledge from their doctor and learn what kind of cannabis works best for their particular condition.

“You’re essentially at the whim and knowledge of the budtender [in a dispensary], but if you’re older, middle aged, or what not and you know nothing [about cannabis], you won’t get much of an education,” Solomon said. “Is it worth $49 to get advice for your medical conditions, in privacy without people hanging around, in a HIPAA-compliant, medically oriented setting?”

The moment adult-use cannabis is on the market, Solomon suspects some patients may decide not to renew their medical recommendations, and he may consequently lose business. However, he is not concerned about the possibility yet.

“People are renewing [their recommendations] at regular rates and nothing I’ve seen compels me to tell them not to,” Dean Weiss, Los Angeles medical cannabis doctor, said. “I think one way or another they’ll save money.”

The state’s high taxes on cannabis could also drive users back to the black market.