Zia Health and Wellness

The Medical Cannabis Program of New Mexico (or MCP) was designed to provide compassionate care for people that have medical illnesses and prefer to use cannabis (or marijuana as commonly known) as a natural remedy to alleviate their symptoms. The Medical Cannabis Program was voted into law by the People of New Mexico in 2007 through the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act which allows people to use medical cannabis to treat a wide variety of medical conditions including both mental and physical health conditions.

There are currently 20 medical conditions recognized by the State of New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program. The qualifying medical conditions for cannabis use in New Mexico are:

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
• Cancer
• Crohn’s Disease
• Epilepsy
• Glaucoma
• Hepatitis C Infection currently receiving antiviral treatment (proof of current anti-viral treatment required)
• HIV/AIDS
• Huntington’s Disease
• Hospice Care
• Inclusion Body Myositis
• Inflammatory autoimmune-mediated arthritis
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord, with (proof of objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity required)
• Painful Peripheral Neuropathy
• Parkinson’s disease
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Severe Chronic Pain
• Severe Anorexia/Cachexia
• Spasmodic Torticollis (Cervical Dystonia)
• Ulcerative Colitis

If you have a medical condition that is not on the list of qualifying medical conditions you can petition Medical Cannabis Advisory Board to add your medical condition to the list of qualifying medical conditions.

 In order to get a medical cannabis card (or MCP Registry ID) in New Mexico you must have medical records showing that you have one of the qualifying medical conditions. If you have not received a diagnoses from a medical practitioner we have medical marijuana doctors available that can diagnose your medical condition and provide you the necessary paperwork in order to obtain a certification. We have specialist that can meet with you in house to diagnose your condition.

If you already have medical records showing that you have been diagnosed with one of the qualifying medical conditions you still need to have a medical practitioner sign a certification form stating that you have one of the qualifying conditions and that the medical practitioner believes that you will benefit from the use of medical cannabis. Along with the certification and medical records you will also need to have a valid New Mexico ID and a signed Release of Information form.

Once all the forms are properly filled out and submitted to the New Mexico MCP along with documentation you should receive a reply back within 30 days. If your application has been approved you should receive a New Mexico MCP Registry ID. However, if your application is denied the New Mexico MCP will send you a letter stating the reason for denial. If your application was not filled out correctly or if there are any missing documents required the New Mexico MCP will notify you with a request for more information or ask to resubmit the application once it has been properly filled out. If your medical cannabis application has been denied you will not be able to resubmit an application for 6 months unless otherwise authorized by the New Mexico Department of Health.

If you have not received a response to your medical cannabis application within 30 days you may email or call the New Mexico MCP for an update on the status of your application or to make sure your medical cannabis application was received. Due to privacy concerns the New Mexico MCP will only provide a response to your request for a status update over the phone.

The New Mexico MCP Registry ID is only valid for one year. If you want to keep your cannabis card valid after one year you must submit a re-enrollment form to extend your New Mexico MCP Registry ID for an additional year. You may continue to re-enroll in the program each year as long as your medical provider approves.

Once your application has been approved and you have received your New Mexico MCP Register ID (or cannabis card as it's commonly called) you may purchase medical cannabis from a Licensed Non-Profit Producer (LNPP). You may possess up to six ounces of usable cannabis within a three month period. If you want to possess more than 6 ounces then you must have your medical provider submit a letter to the Department of Health requesting the limit to be raised along with a statement as to how much the medical provider feels is necessary on a monthly basis for the patient.

When you receive your enrollment card in the mail after being approved you will also be provided with a list of licensed nonprofit producers that you may purchase cannabis from anywhere in the state of New Mexico. The list will include contact information for each of the licensed nonprofit producers. You can either purchase cannabis from them directly or your primary caregiver may purchase the cannabis on your behalf and deliver it to you. A caregiver is someone empowered by the patient to help manage the patient’s medical care and medication. In order to become a caregiver the person must enroll in the program and complete a federal background check. The caregiver must also have certification from the patient's medical provider. Unlike other states, in New Mexico, a caregiver is not allowed to grow or sell cannabis. The caregiver may however assist the patient with growing cannabis at the patient's home or property as long as the patient has a Personal Production License (PPL). A caregiver may be enrolled in the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program themselves as a patient and may also have their own PPL, however it is illegal for a caregiver to take cannabis from there own grow and redistribute it any way. Only a licensed nonprofit distributor may distribute cannabis to patients in New Mexico.

You cannot go to a pharmacy and buy medical cannabis. Since pharmacies are regulated by the federal government and cannabis is still considered to be a Schedule I substance pharmacies are not allowed to sell cannabis for medical purposes. Medical cannabis may only obtained through Licensed Non-Profit Producers unless you decide to grow your own.

If you would like to grow your own cannabis you must first obtain a Personal Production License (PPL). When you submit your application to obtain a PPL you must provide a description of where you will be growing the cannabis plants and how you plan to keep your grow area secure. Once your PPLApplication has been approved and you have received your PPL you may grow up to 16 plants, with 12 of them being seedlings (or non-flowering plants) and only 4 mature flowering plants. A medical cannabis patient may only grow medical cannabis at his primary residence or any residence that is owned by the qualified patient. Personal Production Licenses (PPLs) are only valid while the patient has a valid New Mexico MCP Registry ID and the PPL must be renewed each year along with the your re-enrollment forms.

If you decide to grow your own cannabis and have received a valid PPL from the New Mexico MCP you may not sell or distribute the cannabis to any other person, including other qualified patients. If you want to grow medical cannabis and distribute it to other medical cannabis patients you must obtain a Non-Profit Producer License (NPPL) instead.

You should also be warned that the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program offers no protection under federal law. That being said, it is still illegal to carry cannabis with you in any federal building or anywhere outside the state of New Mexico. You may not possess cannabis in any of the following locations:

• in a public vehicle
• on school grounds or property
• in the workplace of the patient or primary caregiver
• at a public park
• recreation center, youth center or other public place

In other words you must keep your cannabis use discreet and out of public view.