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The Mississippi State Department of Health began accepting applications for medical marijuana cards on Wednesday, opening the doors for Mississippi residents to begin purchasing legal cannabis.

Governor Tate Reeves signed the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Program into law back in February, which gave local municipalities 90 days to opt out of the program.

Adams County and the City of Natchez each opted-in to the program, however, the city is looking to limit the location of dispensaries to a designated medical district.

Patients seeking a medical marijuana card must go through an extensive application process that includes a background check, fingerprinting and photographing.

Once an application is submitted there is a five-day approval time for patients. All applications require a physician’s approval that confirms the patient suffers from one of the following prescribed conditions:

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

Alzheimer’s Disease

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Autism

Cancer

Chron’s Disease

Dementia

Diabetic/Peripheral Neuropathy

Glaucoma

Hepatitis

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

Huntington’s Disease

Muscular Dystrophy

Pain refractory to appropriate opioid management

Parkinson’s Disease

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Sickle-Cell Anemia

Spastic Qudriplegia

Spinal cord disease or severe injury

Ulcerative Colitis

Patients with terminal or debilitating diseases or medical conditions that produce cachexia, chronic pain, seizures, severe or intractable nausea or severe and persistent muscle spasms can also qualify for the program.

Additional details on applying for a medical marijuana card can be found at the Mississippi State Health Department’s website, msdh.ms.gov.