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.

Lafayette County and the city of Oxford each opted-in to the program, and will allow both the production of medical cannabis as well as licensed dispensaries.

Several industrial cannabis growers, such as Good Day Farms, have already expressed interest in building facilities in Lafayette County. The Arkansas-based company recently purchased property in the Max D. Hipp Industrial Park off Old Highway 7, and intends to build a fully-indoor production facility that will produce flower, tinctures, gummies, edibles and other cannabis products.

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.