The Mississippi State Department of Health will begin accepting applications for medical marijuana registry cards on June 2, 120 days after Gov. Tate Reeves signed the bill into law.
But, the process for obtaining the card and access to medical cannabis may take longer than you expect.
“All applications will be submitted online. The Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act requires that patients be certified by a registered practitioner in order to participate in the medical cannabis program,” said Kris Jones, director of the Medical Cannabis Program at the health department.
Every application requires written certification from a registered health practitioner with whom you have an established relationship. The practitioners will not be able to register with the MSDH until June 2, when Mississippi opens every facet of the program, from patients to vendors.
While the health department finalizes its plan for the most effective way to distribute the cards, the comprehensive law provides plenty of information for who qualifies and how they should prepare before June.
Who can give me a medical pot card in MS?
The first step is to ensure your practitioner is willing and able to register. A practitioner can be a physician, certified nurse practitioner, physician assistant or optometrist who is licensed to prescribe medicine.
Practitioners have to complete eight hours of continuing education in medical cannabis before they can qualify as a registered practitioner. The initial list of qualifying courses is currently available on the MSDH website. The course list includes units on mental health symptoms in adolescent marijuana users and monitoring marijuana use in the United States, both of which are offered on the American Medical Association’s online education hub.
After the first year of registration, the practitioners will have to complete five hours of continuing education on medical cannabis per year. Contact your practitioner to confirm whether or not they plan to register as soon as possible. If the answer is no, you will have to establish a “bona fide practitioner-patient relationship” with another practitioner before obtaining the written certification.
A practitioner can only provide written certification for medical cannabis to established patients, or those who have a bona fide practitioner-patient relationship. A bona fide relationship is one where the practitioner has completed an in-person assessment of your medical history and current mental health and documented your certification in your medical file.
If your current practitioner does plan to register, find out if you will need to make an appointment for an up-to-date assessment, to discuss any changes in your current prescriptions once cannabis is introduced; and to determine the amount that will be prescribed to you.
How much medical marijuana can I get each month?
A Mississippi resident cardholder cannot have more than 24 MMCEUs of medical cannabis a month. An MMCEU is defined as “Mississippi Medical Cannabis Equivalency Unit.” One MMCEU is the same as 3.5 grams of cannabis flower, 1 gram of cannabis concentrate, or 100 milligrams of THC-infused product, according to the HAT Law Firm. The state will use a seed-to-sale tracking system to keep track of the cannabis sold to each registered user.
The practitioner must also be available for follow-up care because each patient has to return for a follow-up at least six months after the certification is issued so that the practitioner can assess the effectiveness of the treatment. Written certification will expire after one year, less if your practitioner specifies a shorter period.
How much does it cost?
The MSDH will charge application fees for practitioners and most patients. Here’s what it will cost you:
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Registry Identification card: $25
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Designated caregiver registry identification card: $25
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Designated caregiver criminal background check: $37
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Renewal or replacement fee for cards: $25
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Nonresident card: $75
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Qualifying patient registry identification card application for a Medicaid participant: $15
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Fee for renewal of a Medicaid participant’s card: $15
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Application fee for a qualifying patient registry identification card for disabled veterans or disabled first responders: Free (waived)
Before submitting your application, confirm with your practitioner the written certification has been submitted. “The required practitioner written certification will be completed by the practitioner through an online submission no greater than 60 days prior to the patient’s application to participate in the medical cannabis program,” Jones said. Once the application is submitted, program patients will be approved within five days, according to the health department.
