MISSISSIPPI, USA — Wednesday is the first day Mississippians may submit their applications for medical marijuana cards.
According to the Mississippi State Department of Health, applications for licensing/registration will be accepted online for services, facilities and individuals (except dispensaries) starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday.
- Individuals: patients and medical practitioners
- Facilities: cannabis cultivation, processing and testing
- Services: cannabis transportation and waste disposal
The Mississippi Department of Revenue will be responsible for the licensing of dispensaries starting in July.
There's a 30-day approval time for licensure applications and a five-day approval time for patients. All applications will require a physician's approval and will go through the state Department of Health.
A pre-application checklist can be found here.
Pre-application requirements include reading the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act, reviewing regulations, plus a background check and fingerprinting process.
Practitioners are required to complete 80 hours of continued medical education, certify practitioner information and licensure, provide the debilitating medical condition diagnosis and register with their respective licensing boards.
Which medical conditions or treatments qualify for participation in Mississippi's medical marijuana program?
- cancer
- Parkinson's disease
- Huntington's disease
- muscular dystrophy
- glaucoma
- spastic quadriplegia
- positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
- hepatitis
- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Crohn's disease
- ulcerative colitis
- sickle-cell anemia
- Alzheimer's disease
- agitation of dementia
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- autism
- pain refractory to appropriate opioid management
- diabetic/peripheral neuropathy
- spinal cord disease or severe injury
Also qualifying is a chronic terminal or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following:
- cachexia or wasting syndrome
- chronic pain
- severe or intractable nausea
- seizures
- severe and persistent muscle spasms including, but not limited to, those characteristics of multiple sclerosis
More information on applying for a medical marijuana card in Mississippi can be found on the state Department of Health's website.