The MCPA does NOT sell or purchase medical cannabis
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Q: When will I be able to get medical marijuana in Mississippi?
A: Fall of 2022, at the earliest.
The Mississippi Department of Health’s (MSDH) and Mississippi Department of Revenue (MDOR) will oversee the medical cannabis in Mississippi. Based on their estimated timelines for certifying physicians, issuing Registry ID cards to qualifying patients, and licensing qualified growers, testing facilities, and dispensaries, we estimate Fall as the earliest time for patients to purchase medical cannabis. As the program gets underway, we hope to provide a more exact date.
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Q: Where will I be able to buy medical marijuana in Mississippi?
A: Only at MDOR licensed Medical Cannabis Dispensaries located in Mississippi.
Q: Do I qualify for medical marijuana in Mississippi?
A: It depends
The Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act (MMCA) allows patients who have a qualifying debilitating medical condition to be certified by a MDOH credentialed medical cannabis practitioner. The patient will be issued a written certification which will be sent to the MDOH along with the patient’s application for a medical cannabis Registry Identification Card. Currently, qualifying conditions include:
After being certified with a qualifying “debilitating medical condition” by a credentialed and MSDH approved medical cannabis practitioner you will then go to the MSDH Medical Cannabis Program Portal to complete your application. Within 30 days you will receive an email from MSDH stating whether or not your application has been approved.
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Q: What if my application is incomplete or my information is not correct when I submit it to MSDH?
A: Your application will be rejected. After you have made accurate corrections the MSDH has another 30 days to approve your application. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION WITH TRUE AND ACCURATE DATA.
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Q: Will I receive a handwritten medical cannabis certification from my practitioner?
A: No, your medical cannabis practitioner will go into his/her MSDH portal and put in your electronic certification there. 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.
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Q: Can my physician, certified nurse practitioner, physician assistant or optometrist prescribe medical marijuana for me?
A: It depends.
If they are a credentialed and MSDH approved medical cannabis practitioner in the state of Mississippi, they can certify you with a qualifying debilitating medical condition. For a list of those medical marijuana doctors near you click here.
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Q: Can people 18-25 apply for a medical marijuana Registry ID Card?
A: Yes. BUT people 18-25 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).
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Q: How do I become a certified Medical Marijuana patient?
A: To become a certified Medical Marijuana patient in Mississippi, you must:
Q: Where will my Registry ID card come from?
A: 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.
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Q: When can I get my Medical Cannabis Registry ID card?
A: After you have seen and been certified by a credentialed and approved medical cannabis practitioner in Mississippi (link: see our practitioner page) you may apply for your medical cannabis registry ID card through the MSDH Medical Cannabis Program Portal. (Click here)
Registry ID cards will not be activated by MSDH until Mississippi grown, processed, tested, clean and safe medical cannabis is available. At that time licensed MDOR medical cannabis dispensaries will open.
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Q: Is there a pre-application checklist?
A: Yes, click here for a checklist.
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Q: What types of medical marijuana are allowed under the MS Medical Cannabis Act?
A: Smokeable, vaporization, edible products (such as gummies), beverages, topical products (such as lotions and patches), ointments, oils, tinctures, and suppositories that contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and/or cannabidiol (CBD).
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Q: How much will my Registry ID card cost?
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Q: How much will a Registry ID Card cost for Disabled Veterans and Disabled First Responders?
A: The application fee is free for Disabled Veterans and Disabled First Responders.
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 MDOH may accept donations from private sources to reduce the amount of the application and renewal fees.
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Q: Will my insurance pay for medical cannabis?
A: 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.
Q: Can I smoke or consume medical marijuana in public?
A: No.
Public consumption is prohibited under the MMCA and does NOT allow for smoking medical cannabis in a public place or in a motor vehicle. Note: the term “smoking” includes vaping and any other method of inhalation of medical cannabis.
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Q: Can a medical cannabis patient be administered medical marijuana while at school?
A: 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 with medical prescriptions.
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Q: Can my employer fire me for being a medical marijuana patient?
A: Yes.
Simply put, 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.
Also, 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 will constitute a “debilitating medical condition”. Many would qualify as a disability under the ADA or a serious health condition under the FMLA.
For these reasons, the MCPA strongly recommends that you talk with your employer about their policy regarding your use of medical cannabis.
Q: What is micro dosing and why is that important?
A: Micro dosing refers to the approach most certified physicians take to determining the right dosage in the right form that works best for you depending on your condition and other factors. The goal is to prevent you from having a negative reaction to the THC in a medical cannabis product.
You may hear the phrase “start low and go slow”. This is another term for the micro dosing approach.
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Q: Should I discuss possible drug interactions with my pharmacist and doctor?
A: Yes.
As with any medication, be open with your doctor(s) and pharmacist(s) about medical cannabis or any other medications that you may be taking or are considering taking.
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Q: How much medical cannabis can I get per week?
A: Simply put, ¾ of an ounce is the limit you may buy per week. Remember, it is a weekly purchase, not monthly.
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Q: Can other debilitating medical conditions be added to the list?
A: Yes.
Any resident of Mississippi can petition the MDOH to add serious medical conditions or their treatments to the list of debilitating medical conditions listed in the MMCA. The MDOH will consider petitions in accordance with its rules and regulations, including public notices and hearings. The MDOH 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 MDOH.
Q: Who will have access to my Registry ID card?
A: The MDOH and the MDOR will have access to your card information.
Law Enforcement can only verify that you are a certified Registry ID card holder.
A dispensary will have access to your information about your weekly purchase quantity.
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Q: Who can be a “designated caregiver”?
A: To be named a “designated caregiver” for a qualifying patient, a person must:
Per MS Regulations 15.22.2, Rule 2.6.1, patients must receive a card before designating a caregiver. Therefore, the patient will need to apply, be approved, and receive their medical cannabis card for the MS Medical Cannabis Program before proceeding to the following steps for designating a caregiver.
You must register for a caregiver account with MMCP in order to begin the application process. We encourage you to review our pre-application checklist here: Medical Cannabis – Mississippi State Department of Health (ms.gov) before proceeding further in the process.
The registration portal can be found here: Mississippi DOH Portal (egov.com) Upon registration, you will receive a link prompting you to verify this account.
The caregiver authorization form has been attached to this email for your convenience. Please upload a copy of this form with your caregiver application as well as the patient application of the individual(s) for whom you will act as a caregiver.
Background checks are required for individuals intending to serve as a registered caregiver to patients who have been approved for the MS Medical Cannabis Program. Fingerprinting will be required as part of the background check. If you will provide an address, we would be happy to mail you a fingerprint card. Additional background check guidance can be found here: MC Website
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, the MCPA strongly recommends that you talk with your employer about their policy regarding your use of medical cannabis.
Disclaimer
Neither MCPA nor the administrators of this website are responsible for the accuracy of the information on this website. The practitioners listed on this website are provided by a third party and are not independently verified by MCPA, neither as to whether the practitioners listed are licensed in the State of Mississippi for their respective profession nor as to whether such practitioners are qualified or permitted to provide certifications to medical cannabis patients in the State of Mississippi. The information provided herein is merely educational and all users should perform their own due diligence prior to engaging with any particular practitioner.