What are Mississippi’s Medical Marijuana Laws?
In January 2022, Mississippi passed the Medical Cannabis Act, which created a legal medical cannabis program in the state. The law officially went into effect — and sales began — in January of this year.
This new law, however, doesn’t make marijuana legal for everyone. Here’s what you should know about Mississippi’s medical marijuana laws.
Who can purchase medical marijuana?
To purchase medical marijuana, you must first be certified. Under Mississippi law, patients can be certified if they have been diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition. These conditions include:
Alzheimer’s disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Autism
Cachexia
Cancer
Chronic pain (refractory)
Glaucoma
Seizures
Sickle-cell anemia
Visit this list to see the rest of the conditions.
How do you apply for medical marijuana certification?
If you have any of the conditions listed, you can ask a physician under the medical cannabis program to register your certification for medical marijuana. To write the certification your physician must be licensed by the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure. In addition, the physician must be registered by the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) prior to issuing the certification.
You and your doctor must have a relationship and a face-to-face meeting before you can be certified for medical marijuana. Once you have physician certification, you can start your application process. The application is located exclusively on the MSDH website and a 30-day approval or denial request process — including a background check — will take place after submission. After that, the MSDH has five days to approve the patient or deny with reasoning for the decision. The initial cost of the certification is $25 with a renewal fee of $25 each year.
How much marijuana can I possess?
A cardholder cannot not possess or obtain more than a total of six Mississippi Medical Cannabis Equivalency Units (MMCEU), which equates to 24.5 grams of medical cannabis, in one week. Furthermore, a cardholder cannot obtain more than 24 MMCEUs in 30 days from one or more dispensaries. Medical Marijuana certification allows for treatment centers and dispensaries to track the amount of cannabis purchased within the medical marijuana database.
What happens if I get caught with marijuana possession?
If you are a cardholder and get stopped by the police, a verification process ensures you are a registered cardholder, this typically takes a few moments for the officer to find you in the system. For cardholders who are intentionally selling medical marijuana, one can be convicted and face a felony for up to two years of prison or a $3,000 fine.
