About 1,800 registrations have been submitted online for Mississippi’s new medical marijuana program.About 85% of those who registered are patients, health officials said Monday.The applications opened Wednesday for licenses and registration for practitioners, caregivers, patients and businesses, and work permits are available online at the Mississippi State Department of Health. The applications cover everything except dispensaries, said Melvin Robinson III, with the Mississippi Cannabis Trade Association.Pre-application checklist | User GuideHealth officials said 15 businesses and nine practitioners were among those who have registered as of Monday.There is a list of diseases and ailments for patients looking for relief from chronic pain and to help them cope. Eligible conditions include cancer, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease, sickle-cell anemia, PTSD, autism and chronic pain. Full list here.There is a five-day approval time for program patients, who, once approved, will be allowed to buy 3.5 grams a day, six days a week. That’s about 3 ounces each month. State health officials said products would not be available at dispensaries until the end of the year.”We’re asking for our patients to be patient,” said Angie Calhoun, founder of the Mississippi Cannabis Patients Alliance. Those who start the application process now won’t be approved for a medical cannabis card until they’ve been certified by a licensed practitioner, who must first take an eight-hour health department class.”So, there’s going to be a little bit of a lag time, most likely, before those patients can get their medical cannabis card,” Calhoun said. Calhoun said patients will have to submit specific documentation.”Like a digital photo and that photo has to be representative — say something like a passport-style photo — that they require. Also, they’re going to submit two forms of residency documentation,” Calhoun said.Patients will also have to have medical records to prove they qualify for a card if they suffer from one of the two dozen debilitating diseases the cannabis program covers.”It’s very, very important to establish a relationship with that practitioner, and with those records,” Calhoun said.While medical marijuana is now legal in Mississippi, under federal law, marijuana is still classified as illegal. That’s why Medicaid and Medicare won’t cover the cost of medical cannabis. Private insurance companies are likely to do the same.Business owners could also face hurdles getting financing and insurance because marijuana is illegal under federal law. There is a 30-day approval time for licensure applications.
About 1,800 registrations have been submitted online for Mississippi’s new medical marijuana program.
About 85% of those who registered are patients, health officials said Monday.
The applications opened Wednesday for licenses and registration for practitioners, caregivers, patients and businesses, and work permits are available online at the Mississippi State Department of Health. The applications cover everything except dispensaries, said Melvin Robinson III, with the Mississippi Cannabis Trade Association.
Pre-application checklist | User Guide
Health officials said 15 businesses and nine practitioners were among those who have registered as of Monday.
There is a list of diseases and ailments for patients looking for relief from chronic pain and to help them cope. Eligible conditions include cancer, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease, sickle-cell anemia, PTSD, autism and chronic pain. Full list here.
There is a five-day approval time for program patients, who, once approved, will be allowed to buy 3.5 grams a day, six days a week. That’s about 3 ounces each month. State health officials said products would not be available at dispensaries until the end of the year.
“We’re asking for our patients to be patient,” said Angie Calhoun, founder of the Mississippi Cannabis Patients Alliance.
Those who start the application process now won’t be approved for a medical cannabis card until they’ve been certified by a licensed practitioner, who must first take an eight-hour health department class.
“So, there’s going to be a little bit of a lag time, most likely, before those patients can get their medical cannabis card,” Calhoun said.
Calhoun said patients will have to submit specific documentation.
“Like a digital photo and that photo has to be representative — say something like a passport-style photo — that they require. Also, they’re going to submit two forms of residency documentation,” Calhoun said.
Patients will also have to have medical records to prove they qualify for a card if they suffer from one of the two dozen debilitating diseases the cannabis program covers.
“It’s very, very important to establish a relationship with that practitioner, and with those records,” Calhoun said.
While medical marijuana is now legal in Mississippi, under federal law, marijuana is still classified as illegal. That’s why Medicaid and Medicare won’t cover the cost of medical cannabis. Private insurance companies are likely to do the same.
Business owners could also face hurdles getting financing and insurance because marijuana is illegal under federal law.
There is a 30-day approval time for licensure applications.
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