<p>In February 2022 Governor Tate Reeves legalized medical marijuana in the state of Mississippi. Now in the January of 2023, dispensaries have finally started to sell products to medical marijuana patients. The medical marijuana legislation allows Mississippi residents who are suffering from qualifying conditions to apply for the medical cannabis program. There are over 25 different qualifying conditions that make patients eligible for the program.&nbsp;</p>
<h2 id="0">How To Get a Medical Marijuana Card In Mississippi</h2>
<p>If you've though about getting a marijuana card, you're not alone. There are already over 1,700 registered patients in the program as of early January 2023. The process is pretty simple, but there are some requirements. We'll tell you how you can get your medical card in 3 simple steps.</p>
<p><img title="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1674853792/articles/ftwcsyqdx8npulgljh7j.png" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1674853792/articles/ftwcsyqdx8npulgljh7j.png" alt="Mississippi Medical Card" width="250" height="168" /></p>
<h3 id="1">Step 1: See If You Qualify</h3>
<p>If you believe that you may be eligible to apply, the first step is to check the list of qualifying conditions and see if any apply to you. The following medical conditions or their treatment qualify for participation in the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Program:<br /><img title="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1674861988/articles/ydq7gayi2fzfvdeydvkp.png" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1674861988/articles/ydq7gayi2fzfvdeydvkp.png" alt="Qualifying Conditions for a Medical Marijuana Card in Mississippi" width="250" height="250" /></p>
<ul>
<li>Cancer</li>
<li>Parkinson's disease</li>
<li>Huntington's diseas</li>
<li>Muscular dystrophy</li>
<li>Glaucoma</li>
<li>Spastic quadriplegia</li>
<li>Positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)</li>
<li>Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)</li>
<li>Hepatitis</li>
<li>Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)</li>
<li>Crohn's disease</li>
<li>Clcerative colitis</li>
<li>Sickle-cell anemia</li>
<li>Alzheimer's disease</li>
<li>Agitation of dementia</li>
<li>APost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)</li>
<li>Autism</li>
<li>Pain refractory to appropriate opioid management</li>
<li>Diabetic/peripheral neuropathy</li>
<li>Spinal cord disease or severe injury</li>
</ul>
<p>Also qualifying is a chronic terminal or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment<br />that produces one or more of the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Cachexia or wasting syndrome</li>
<li>Chronic pain</li>
<li>Severe or intractable nausea</li>
<li>Seizures</li>
<li>Severe and persistent muscle spasms including, but not limited to, those characteristic of multiple sclerosis</li>
</ul>
<p>If you suffer from one of these conditions, contact a certified medical cannabis practicioner so that they could get you enrolled into the medical cannabis program. The physician you visit is the person who looks at your conditions and determines your eligibility. Once you've been deemed eligible by a physician, they'll enter that certification into the online system. After that is done you'll be able to move on to step number two.</p>
<h3 id="2">Step 2: After Certification You Must Register Online</h3>
<p>After you've been certified, you as a patient must complete the next step yourself. Within 60 days of getting the physician certification, you must register online through the MSDH portal. Here is the <a href="https://www.msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/30,0,425.html">link </a>to the portal. Registering online is pretty simple, and you shouldn't wait long after your doctors visit to register, as that's the step you need to complete to get your card as quickly as possible.</p>
<h3 id="3">Step 3: Wait For Approval Confirmation</h3>
<p>Within 30 days of applying you'll receive an email letting you know if you've been accepted or not. If you've done everything legitimately there's no reason to not get accepted, so if for some reason they don't accept you make sure to<br />reach out and find out what you can do about it.&nbsp;</p>
<p>After being accepted a patient ID card will be issued to you. You can print that card and should carry it with you at all times that you plan on carrying cannabis or going to the dispensary. The card is usually valid for 1 calendar year, but can be longer depending on the patients condition.</p>
<p>That's it! Once your card is issued to you, your officially registered in the system as a medical marijuana patient. Mississippi has done a great job at making it easy for patients to get signed up.</p>
<h3 id="4">The Benefits of Having a Medical Marijuana Card</h3>
<p>If you've been suffering from a condition that you believe cannabis can help treat, this medical marijuana program is going to be of great help. Having a medical card will give you the ability to purchase up to 21 grams of cannabis flower per week. It was originally believed to be a limit of 3.5 grams per day, but luckily that's not the case. This gives patients access to about 3 ounces of medical cannabis flower per month. Registering in the system and becoming a medical marijuana patient will give you access to over 150 licensed medical&nbsp; dispensaries, with more expected to come. Without being a registered medical patient there's no way you can legally get access to weed, as recreational sales and cultivation are illegal in Mississippi. Having access to medical marijuana through these dispensaries is a huge benefit for the people of Mississippi. The people of Mississippi who suffer from the qualifying conditions and can now take advantage of the benefits that cannabis has to offer.</p>
<p><img title="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1674853478/articles/dzrs1dxdgg6zs1ug1ovd.jpg" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/timj111/image/upload/v1674853478/articles/dzrs1dxdgg6zs1ug1ovd.jpg" alt="Medical cannabis from the dispensary" width="250" height="250" /></p>
<h3 id="5">Can Minors Get a Medical Card in Mississippi?</h3>
<p>Yes, minors can have access to medical cannabis, but their parent or legal guardian must serve as their legal caregiver. Being a designated caregiver gives the designee the responsibility of controlling the usage of the minor. You may wonder why a minor would need access to marijuana in the first place.. but it's proven that cannabis can treat a lot of conditions better than pharmaceuticals for a variety of conditions such as epilepsy or irrability associated with ASD. Other conditions like Tourette syndrome and spasticity have also been treated by medical cannabis.&nbsp;</p>
<h3 id="6">How Can I Appeal a Denied Request?</h3>
<p>Residents of Mississippi may bring in a petition for judicial review of the agency's denial to the circuit court located in the county where you reside. It's important that you do this within 20 days after the inssuanec of the deicision. If you're a non-resident, you may bring a petition into the Circuit Court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County, Mississippi. You must do this within 20 days of receiving the denial for it to be considered.</p>
<h3 id="7">What Happens If You Get Stopped By The Cops With Medical Weed In Mississippi?</h3>
<p>If you get stopped by the cops and have medical cannabis in your possession BUT you are a medical marijuana patient registered with the state of Mississippi, you have nothing to worry about. The law enforcement officer will go through a verification process to ensure that you are a registered medical cannabis patient.</p>
<h3 id="8">Required Documents You'll Need To Get a Card</h3>
<p>To obtain a Registered Qualifying Patient Identification Card, an applicant must submit (in a form and manner determined by the Department) the following information:</p>
<p><br />1. Full legal name and any aliases, such as a nickname (e.g., Bill as a nickname for William);<br />2. Date of birth;<br />3. Current physical address;<br />4. Current mailing address;<br />5. Current telephone number and/or email address;<br />6. Identification issued by the State of MS &ndash; driver&rsquo;s license, state-issued ID card issued by the department of motor vehicles;</p>
<p>7. Proof of residency in the State of Mississippi to two source documents from the following:</p>
<p>A. Ownership, lease, or rental documents in the name of the applicant for place of residence;</p>
<p>B. Utility billing statements in the name of the applicant (power bill, gas bill, water bill) for the place of residence;</p>
<p>C. MS vehicle registration in the name of the applicant;</p>
<p>8. Current photograph</p>
<p>A. clear, color photograph of the head and top of shoulders;<br />B. be an image in a .jpg, .png, or .gif digital image format<br />C. be taken in the last six months to reflect the applicant&rsquo;s appearance;<br />D. be taken in front of a plain white or off-white background;<br />E. be taken in full-face view directly facing the camera at eye level with nothing obscuring the face;<br />F. must not be digitally enhanced to change the appearance of the applicant (e.g., use of &ldquo;filters&rdquo;).</p>
<p>9. Written certification (as set forth by the Department);</p>
<p>10. Identification card nonrefundable fee of $25</p>
<p>11. An attestation, signed and dated by the applicant, that the information provided is true and correct;</p>
<p>12. An attestation, signed and dated by the applicant, pledging not to divert medical cannabis or medical cannabis products to any individual or entity; and,</p>
<p>13. Any other information that may be required by the Department.</p>
<p>For patients who are living in Mississippi but are not full time residents, there is a different set of items required. If you don't have a Mississippi state Identification but you are a resident, it seems as if you'd need to obtain an ID, as applying the non-resident route wouldn't make sense as you are living in Mississippi, you just haven't got a new ID. Read below to see how you can apply as a non resident .</p>
<h3 id="9">Requirements to Obtain a Nonresident Qualifying Patient ID Card&nbsp;</h3>
<p>To obtain a Nonresident Qualifying Patient Identification Card, an applicant must submit (in a form and manner determined by the Department) the following information:</p>
<p>1. Full legal name and any aliases, such as a nickname (e.g., Bill as a nickname for William);<br />2. Date of birth;<br />3. Current physical address and mailing address;<br />4. Current telephone number and/or email address;<br />5. Identification issued by the applicant&rsquo;s state of residence &ndash; driver&rsquo;s license, state-issued ID card issued by the department of motor vehicles;<br />6. Proof of residency in the applicant&rsquo;s state of residency (See Rule 2.4.1 for sources required);<br />7. Current photograph<br />A. clear, color photograph of the head and top of shoulders;<br />B. be an image in a .jpg, .png, or .gif digital image format;<br />C. be taken in the last six months to reflect the applicant&rsquo;s appearance;<br />D. be taken in front of a plain white or off-white background;<br />E. be taken in full-face view directly facing the camera at eye level with nothing obscuring the face;<br />F. must not be digitally enhanced to change the appearance of the applicant (e.g., use of &ldquo;filters&rdquo;);<br />8. Proof of active (current) participation in the medical cannabis program of the individual&rsquo;s state of residence (as set forth by the Department);<br />9. Identification card nonrefundable fee of $75.00;<br />10. An attestation, signed and dated by the applicant, that the information provided is true and correct;<br />11. An attestation, signed and dated by the applicant, pledging not to divert medical cannabis or medical cannabis products to any individual or entity; and,<br />12. Any other information that may be required by the Department.</p>