Yes, there is medical marijuana in Mississippi. Those who demonstrate qualifying medical conditions and obtain a proper recommendation can legally get their hands on Mississippi medical marijuana likely starting by the end of the year.

Finding a medical marijuana caregiver in Mississippi is easy. Typically, those who are underage will have their parent or guardian act as a caregiver. If you’re elderly and have a caregiver at home, this person can also act as your MMJ caregiver. They just have to have the following qualifications:

• Be at least 21 years old

• Be a current Mississippi resident.

• Don’t have any license, ID, or state-issued document that the MMJ program has revoked

• Cannot have been convicted of a disqualifying criminal condition in the last five years

• If they have a medical license, the license must be in good standing

• Cannot already be a caregiver to a qualified patient

Once Mississippi medical marijuana patient applications open this summer, so will the applications for caregivers. Patient cards are available for qualified patients that meet with a practitioner. Visit Mississippi Cannabis Patients Alliance for more information.

Mississippi medical cannabis law states that you can get a medical card for the following

qualifying conditions:

• Cancer

• Parkinson’s disease

• Huntington’s disease

• Muscular dystrophy

• Glaucoma

• Spastic quadriplegia

• HIV/AIDS

• Hepatitis

• ALS

• Crohn’s disease

• Ulcerative colitis

• Sickle-cell anemia

• Alzheimer’s disease

• Agitation of dementia

• PTSD

• Autism

• Pain refractory to appropriate opioid management

• Diabetic/peripheral neuropathy

• Spinal cord injury or disease

• Chronic, terminal, or debilitating disease or medical conditions (or its treatment) that produce the following conditions:

• Cachexia

• Chronic pain

• Severe or intractable nausea

• Seizures

• Severe or persistent muscle spasms, including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis

Qualifying patients, regardless of age, are allowed to buy 3.5 grams a day, six days a week- that's about 3 ounces each month. The MSDH is setting up a process for physicians to recommend medical marijuana to patients with certain debilitating conditions and allow such patients or their caregivers to purchase and possess cannabis as medicine.

Marijuana can be consumed at the patient’s discretion but at no one time shall a qualified patient possess more than 2.5 ounces of medical marijuana to prepare edible products, topicals, ointments, oils, tinctures, or other products.

Possession of up to 30 grams of cannabis or 10 grams of synthetic cannabinoids, without a qualifying medical patient card, is punishable by a fine of $100 to $250 for the first offense, and penalties are higher for any subsequent offenses.

Cannabinoids may help treat certain rare forms of epilepsy, nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, loss of appetite, and weight loss associated with HIV/AIDS.

In addition, some evidence suggests the benefits of cannabis or cannabinoids for chronic pain and multiple sclerosis symptoms.