*MississippiMedicalMarijuanas.com Does Not Sell or Purchase Medical Cannabis*
*MississippiMedicalMarijuanas.com Does Not Sell or Purchase Medical Cannabis*
Mississippi Marijuanas Law
Mississippi has legalized the use of marijuanas for medical patients who meet the 22 debilitating medical conditions. In February 2022, The Mississippi State Legislature passed the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act which established the first medical marijuanas program in Mississippi.
The new bill reflects key features of Initiative 65, which was approved by more than 74% of Mississippi voters last November, including broad access for patients, decision rights for certifying healthcare providers, a free market and sustainable revenue models and reasonable regulations.
The qualifying debilitating medical conditions in Mississippi approved under the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act include:
Chronic, terminal or debilitating disease or medical condition, or its treatment, that produces one or more of the following:
The limit to the amount of medical cannabis a patient can purchase is ¾ of an ounce, per week. Again, this is only the weekly purchase limit, not the monthly limit.
It will be safe to purchase medical cannabis at dispensaries that have received their license from the MSDOR. You can view a list of dispensaries here.
MSDH will set up rules for testing cannabis. Most states test for mold, pesticides, residual solvents, and other harmful substances.
Yes, under the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act, which the Mississippi State Legislature passed in February 2022, medical marijuana is legal in Mississippi for patients with qualifying debilitating medical conditions that have been certified by a credentialed MSDH-approved medical cannabis practitioner, and have been registered and approved by the MSDH. Non-medical or recreational marijuana is still illegal.
No, Mississippi is not recreationally legal and prohibits the use of recreational marijuana. As of the start of 2023 only medical marijuana has been legalized in Mississippi.
The limit to the amount of medical cannabis a patient can purchase is ¾ of an ounce, per week. Again, this is only the weekly purchase limit, not the monthly limit.
Yes. Any resident of Mississippi can petition the MSDH to add severe medical conditions or their treatments to the list of debilitating medical conditions listed in the MMCA. The MSDH will consider petitions in accordance with its rules and regulations, including public notices and hearings. The MSDH will approve or deny a petition within sixty (60) days of its submission. The approval or denial of any petition is a final decision of the MSDH.
Yes, edibles are legal in Mississippi for registered patients who purchase them legally at licensed dispensaries.
Yes. Veterans who have a qualifying debilitating medical condition, are certified by a Mississippi medical cannabis practitioner, and have applied for (and received) their card from MSDH, will be able to use medical marijuana in Mississippi.
A disabled veteran or first responder may prove their disability by providing written documentation from their practitioner attesting to their debilitating medical condition, documentation from the Social Security Disability Office, or documentation that attests the applicant is a one-hundred percent (100%) disabled veteran as determined by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
Yes. In Mississippi, children (those under the age of 18) may become medicinal marijuana patients. The minor, however, must have a parent or legal guardian register as his or her caregiver.
Yes. Facilities such as schools, childcare facilities, and temporary care providers, will be allowed to administer medical cannabis to certified patients in the same manner as traditional medical prescriptions.
No. As the law currently stands, there is no provision allowing for home cultivation, and that is unlikely to change. Only registered medical cannabis businesses with the proper certifications and licenses from the State are allowed to grow and cultivate marijuana.
No, in the State of Mississippi, patients cannot smoke or consume their medical cannabis in public. Public consumption is prohibited under the MMCA and does NOT allow for smoking medical cannabis in a public place or in a motor vehicle.
*The term “smoking” includes vaping and any other method of inhalation of medical cannabis.
At this time, certified medical marijuana patients in Mississippi will be able to purchase several forms of medical marijuana products from licensed dispensaries when they open, including in smokeable form, vaporization form, edible products (such as gummies, cookies, or brownies), beverages, topical products (such as lotions and patches), ointments, oils, tinctures, and suppositories that contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and/or cannabidiol (CBD).
No. It is against both State and Federal Laws to cross state lines with medical cannabis.
No. It is illegal to drive a vehicle or operate heavy equipment or machinery while impaired by medical cannabis use.
Patients in Mississippi who are looking to become certified Medical Marijuana patients must:
*After you receive your certification from a credentialed and certified medical cannabis practitioner, then you will apply for your Registry ID Card with the MSDH.
**Registry ID cards will come from the Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH).
No, you will not be given a handwritten cannabis certification from your practitioner. Your medical cannabis practitioner will go into their MSDH portal and submit your electronic certification there.
Please make sure that your name, social security number, and date of birth are accurate!
This is how your MSDH application will be matched to your certification.
It is extremely important that patients submit their applications with honest and accurate information, that is current and up-to-date. If you accidentally submitted your application with incomplete or inaccurate information, then your application will be rejected, and you will have to re-submit your application.
Once you have made the necessary corrections and re-submitted your corrected application, the Mississippi Department of Health, will have another 30 days to approve or deny your corrected application.
No. The MMCA does NOT require an organization for managed care, health benefit plan, private health insurer, government medical assistance program, employer, property and casualty, or workers’ compensation insurer or self-insured group providing coverage for a medical, pharmacy or health care service to pay for or reimburse any other individual or entity for costs associated with the medical use of cannabis.
In order to certify that a patient has a qualifying debilitating medical condition needed for medical marijuanas treatment in Mississippi, physicians, certified nurse practitioners, physician assistants, or optometrists must be a credentialed and MSDH-approved medical cannabis practitioner.
Micro-dosing refers to the approach most certified physicians take when determining the proper dosage, in the right form, that will work best for a patient depending on their debilitating medical conditions and other factors. The goal is to prevent patients from having a negative reaction to the THC in medical cannabis products. When patients hear the phrase “start low, and go slow” … this is in reference to the micro-dosing approach.
Yes. As with any medication, be open with your physicians and your pharmacist about medical cannabis, and any other medications that you may be taking or are considering taking, to ensure that you have all the information you need regarding any potential interactions between your prescriptions.
If you are interested in scheduling an appointment with a credentialed & MSDH-approved medical cannabis practitioner, please view our listed practitioners page.
The medical cannabis practitioner will evaluate your specific eligibility, check any supporting medical paperwork you bring, analyze your medical history, discuss treatment options, answer questions, and more depending on your unique individual needs.
The amount of time that each appointment will take, will vary on a case-by-case basis, and will be dependent on your medical history, the amount of supporting documents you bring, etc. However, the average appointment will typically last around 15-30 minutes.
When meeting with a prescribing physician, you should bring:
A valid picture ID
Proof to verify your debilitating or chronic qualifying medical condition is required. The more verifiable proof you can bring, the better. Som things you should try to bring with you include:
However, you can still obtain certification if you don’t have any current medical documents. Your prescribing doctor will be able to go over alternatives with you during your consultation.
After a patient has been seen and certified by a credentialed and approved medical cannabis practitioner in Mississippi, patients may apply for their medical cannabis registry ID card through the MSDH Medical Cannabis Program Portal.
Registry ID cards will not be activated by the Mississippi Department of Health until Mississippi-grown, processed, tested, clean and safe medical cannabis is available. At that time licensed MSDOR medical cannabis dispensaries will open.
Registry ID cards will come from the Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH). Once you receive a certification from a certified medical cannabis practitioner, you will apply for your Registry ID Card with the MSDH.
Yes. However, patients between the ages of 18 to 25 years old, will require a diagnosis from two certified practitioners, one of which must be a physician or doctor of osteopathic medicine.
Currently, the MMCA states that any patient with a debilitating medical condition who is between eighteen (18) years to twenty-five (25) years of age is not eligible for a medical cannabis registry identification card unless two (2) practitioners from separate medical practices have diagnosed the patient as having a debilitating medical condition after an in-person consultation. One (1) of these practitioners must be a physician or doctor of osteopathic medicine. If one (1) of the recommending practitioners is not the patient’s primary care practitioner, the recommending practitioner shall review the records of a diagnosing practitioner.
The requirement that the two (2) practitioners be from separate medical practices does not apply if the patient is homebound or if the patient had a registry identification card before the age of eighteen (18).
Qualifying patients in Mississippi will be able to use their Registry ID Cards to purchase medical cannabis products at licensed marijuanas dispensaries in Mississippi when the dispensaries officially open (current estimates are early 2023).
For Disabled Veterans and Disabled First Responders, the application fee is waived (free).
The MMCA states that the application fee for a qualifying patient Registry ID Card for disabled veterans or disabled first responders shall be waived.
A disabled veteran or first responder may prove their disability by providing written documentation from their practitioner attesting to their debilitating medical condition, documentation from the Social Security Disability Office, or documentation that attests the applicant is a one-hundred percent (100%) disabled veteran as determined by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. The MSDH may accept donations from private sources to reduce the amount of the application and renewal fees.
Your marijuana certification is good for a year. The certification shall remain current for twelve months, unless the physician specifies a shorter period of time, and shall be issued only after an in-person examination of the patient in Mississippi.
No. Bringing your medical cannabis over State or Country lines (even with your certification and card) is against both Federal and State Laws.
Yes. To register as a nonresident cardholder, applicants must submit the following to the MSDH:
The amount of cannabis products, including the amount of concentrated cannabis, each cardholder and nonresident cardholder can possess
*The fee for a card for a nonresident patient is $75.00.
Yes. Registered qualifying patients or registered designated caregivers shall not be denied the right to own, purchase or possess a firearm, firearm accessory, or ammunition based solely on his or her status as a registered qualifying patient or registered designated caregiver.
No state or local agency, municipal or county governing authority shall restrict, revoke, suspend or otherwise infringe upon the right of a person to own, purchase or possess a firearm, firearm accessory or ammunition or any related firearms license or certification based solely on his or her status as a registered qualifying patient or registered designated caregiver.
Mississippi Dispensaries will open near the end of 2022, with current estimates stating November or December 2022.
No. In order to legally purchase medical marijuana products in the State of Mississippi, you must be certified by a credentialed and approved medical cannabis practitioner in Mississippi to legally access and buy from dispensaries here. However, out-of-state patients can register as a non-resident cardholder with the Mississippi Department of Health. Additional details on this can be found below.
Yes, Mississippi uses the term Treatment Center instead of dispensary, but they are the same thing. Mississippi patients will be able to purchase medical marijuana at any of the state-licensed dispensaries called ‘treatment centers’ once they are open to medical patients at the end of 2022.
Dispensaries have to go through a very stringent and lengthy process with getting approval before opening up their doors to patients. Everyone that enters a Mississippi dispensary will need to be approved, and registered, with the state by their physician prior to being allowed to purchase any medical marijuana products.
Have a Current Diagnosis Of a Qualifying Condition
Bring Your Drivers License/ID and Your MSDH Patient Card (Issued Through The MSDH Portal)
Be a Mississippi Resident With Proof Of Residency
You Must Be 21 Years Of Age Or Older To Enter Dispensaries In Mississippi
Employers don’t have to allow employees to use medical cannabis “off the clock” and can still drug test. This is especially true if the employee operates machinery.
However, none of this should be viewed as creating a private right of action by an employee against an employer, and none of these affect the existing legal relationship between an employer and employee or any existing law or regulation relating to such relationship.
For this reason, it is strongly recommended that you talk with your employer about their policy regarding your use of medical cannabis.
Yes. The MMCA does not require any employer to allow the medical use of medical cannabis.
Furthermore, it does not prohibit any employer from refusing to hire, discharging, disciplining, or otherwise taking an adverse employment action against you with respect to hiring, discharging, tenure, terms, conditions, or privileges as a result, in whole or in part, of your use of medical cannabis, regardless of your impairment or lack of impairment resulting from it.
However, some employers may choose to show some tolerance toward employees who possess Registry ID cards and receive authorized treatments of medical cannabis – as opposed to zero tolerance for all confirmed positive drug tests.
Employers will need to be mindful of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The MMCA defines what conditions constitute a “debilitating medical condition”, and many would of these qualifying conditions would also qualify as a disability under the ADA or a serious health condition under the FMLA.
