The Mississippi State Department of Health will start accepting applications for medical marijuana registry cards on June 2, marking 120 days since Governor Tate Reeves signed the bill into law. However, the journey to obtain a card and access medical cannabis may be more prolonged than anticipated.
Application Process
“All applications will be submitted online. The Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act requires that patients be certified by a registered practitioner to participate in the medical cannabis program,” stated Kris Jones, director of the Medical Cannabis Program at the health department.
Every application necessitates written certification from a registered health practitioner with whom patients have an established relationship. Practitioners themselves will only be able to register with the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) starting June 2 when all aspects of the program, including patients and vendors, become operational.
Qualifications and Registration
The first step for patients is to confirm that their designated practitioner is willing and able to register. Qualified practitioners can include physicians, certified nurse practitioners, physician assistants, or optometrists licensed to prescribe medications. Before becoming registered practitioners, they must complete eight hours of continuing education focused on medical cannabis.
The initial list of qualifying courses is available on the MSDH website, covering topics such as mental health symptoms in adolescent marijuana users. After the first year, practitioners are required to complete five hours of continuing education on the topic annually.
Bona Fide Practitioner-Patient Relationship
Practitioners can provide written certification for medical cannabis only to established patients or those with a bona fide practitioner-patient relationship. This entails the practitioner conducting an in-person assessment of the patient’s medical history and current mental health and documenting the certification in their medical record.
If a patient’s current practitioner is not planning to register, they will need to establish a bona fide relationship with another practitioner before acquiring the written certification.
Monthly Dosage Limits
A Mississippi resident cardholder cannot possess more than 24 Mississippi Medical Cannabis Equivalency Units (MMCEUs) per month. One MMCEU equivalently represents 3.5 grams of cannabis flower, 1 gram of cannabis concentrate, or 100 milligrams of THC-infused products. The state will implement a seed-to-sale tracking system to monitor the cannabis distributed to registered users.
Each patient must return for a follow-up consultation at least six months after receiving their certification so the practitioner can evaluate the treatment’s effectiveness. Written certifications expire after one year, or sooner if specified by the practitioner.
Costs Involved
The MSDH will impose application fees for both practitioners and patients. The following fees will apply:
- Registry Identification Card: $25
- Designated Caregiver Registry Identification Card: $25
- Designated Caregiver Criminal Background Check: $37
- Renewal or Replacement Fee for Cards: $25
- Nonresident Card: $75
- Qualifying Patient Registry Identification Card Application for Medicaid Participants: $15
- Renewal Fee for a Medicaid Participant’s Card: $15
- Application Fee for Disabled Veterans or First Responders: Free
Before submitting an application, patients should confirm with their practitioner that 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 elaborated. Once submitted, applications will be approved within five days per health department guidelines.
