Do you live in New Mexico? Both medical cannabis and adult use are now legalized. But there are many advantages for patients who want to get a New Mexico medical marijuana card. If you have a qualifying chronic health condition, you are eligible to apply for a medical card in New Mexico. There are no fees for patients who apply. There are also no fees for patients to replace a lost card or for the annual renewal of their New Mexico medical card. Patients also pay no tax on cannabis products when they have a valid MMJ card.
In June 2021, New Mexico legalized adult use. This made New Mexico the eighteenth (18th) state to legalize recreational cannabis for adults aged twenty-one (21) and older. That means patients with a New Mexico medical marijuana card can also purchase cannabis at adult-use dispensaries when they open. However, adult-use dispensaries may not open until late in 2022 or early 2023.
For patients, having a medical card is essential to access medical marijuana in New Mexico right now. And residents who purchase at adult-use dispensaries will also have to pay tax. Patients with a medical card enjoy no sales tax on cannabis products.
Before you schedule your appointment with a doctor, make sure that you have been diagnosed with at least one of the following twenty-eight health conditions:
Your New Mexico medical card application is subject to the approval of a health practitioner or physician. And then, the application is reviewed by the New Mexico Department of Health (DOH).
Medical cannabis dispensaries provide a variety of products for patients with a New Mexico medical card. In addition to different medical marijuana intake choices, there are different strains and potencies.
At a medical dispensary, patients must show a government-issued photo identification and a valid medical card. The patient may then select from the following medical marijuana products:
At a New Mexico medical dispensary, patients can get expert suggestions about different strains and potencies to help them realize their wellness goals. The amount of units that a patient can purchase is tracked. And there are maximum amounts that patients can buy and use within 90 days. Learn more about the NMDOH Medical Cannabis Program Unit Reports for more information.
You must be eighteen (18) years or older. Minors require the registration of a caregiver or custodial parent and legal guardian. Patients with an NM medical card do not have to pay tax.
No. Currently, New Mexico does not allow patients to apply online. Patients can, however, find the forms they need on the New Mexico Medical Marijuana Program website.
Patients must download the forms, fill them out and attach copies of the documents needed. Then mail or drop off the New Mexico medical card application form at an NMDOH office.
There is a “Patient Guide” provided by the New Mexico Department of Health available online. It has some helpful information for patients who are applying for the first time.
Yes. If you are the legal guardian of a minor, you can register the child for a New Mexico medical card. There are special application processes, including designating a caregiver.
Yes. New Mexico has a caregiver program. That means parents and legal guardians can register to provide assistance to a minor. Both the child and the parent or guardian must be registered with the New Mexico Department of health.
New Mexico does not charge patients to apply for a medical card or to renew the card annually. Patients can apply by mail with a paper form.
The New Mexico MCP has a replacement form. You must download it, fill it out, and submit it by mail. You can also drop it off at an MCP office location. There is no cost to replace the medical card.
At licensed cannabis dispensaries. In 2020, New Mexico was ranked 7th in the country for having the most medical cannabis dispensaries per capita. There are many located across the state.
The legalization of New Mexico medical marijuana was endorsed in 1999 by then-governor Gary Johnson. But it was not legalized until April 2007 by NM Gov. Bill Richardson.
New Mexico has been the first state to pass legislation to decriminalize cannabis and legalize medical marijuana. Like many other states, the move to decriminalize cannabis came first, with several communities making changes ahead of state legalization.
November 1978—New Mexico became the first jurisdiction to pass legislation that would legalize medical marijuana. The Controlled Substances Therapeutic Research Act received cannabis provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The first trial was administered to 250 patients with cancer through the Lynn Pierson Therapeutic Research Program.
Source Web 2021: nmlegis.gov
August 2014—The City Council of Santa Fe, New Mexico, voted to decriminalize personal-use amounts of cannabis. It made small amounts of cannabis a civil citation with a fine of $25.
By November 2014, both Bernalillo and Santa Fe held voter referendums. Putting cannabis decriminalization on the ballot was fought by then-Secretary of State Dianna Duran. However, the measures made it to the ballot and were passed in both jurisdictions.
Source Web 2021: reuters.com
April 2019—Senate Bill 323 was signed by New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham. The law made the possession of up to one-half an ounce (14 grams) of cannabis a $50 fine and petty misdemeanor offense. New Mexico was also the first state to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia the same year.
Source Web 2021: governor.state.nm.us
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New Mexico Department of Health
Medical Cannabis Program
1190 Saint Francis Drive Suite 200
Santa Fe, NM 87505
Phone: (505) 827-2321
Email: medical.cannabis@state.nm.us
Website: New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program
The State of New Mexico has a legalized medical marijuana program, which allows patients to receive a medical marijuana recommendation from a certified physician, and apply for a state-issued New Mexico Medical Marijuana Card, permitting the patient to purchase marijuana for medicinal use, as per New Mexico state guidelines.
Since the New Mexico medical marijuana program is still changing their laws and new New Mexico medical marijuana laws are being enacted on a regular basis, please be sure to visit our site frequently to get the most updated laws as it pertains to the New Mexico medical marijuana program. Please click a corresponding link to find out more about New Mexico’s Medical Marijuana Program. We have compiled the following New Mexico medical marijuana index of information to serve as a medical library to our users for legal reference of New Mexico’s laws, guidelines and program details regarding medical cannabis use in New Mexico.
Please note: In order to become a legal medical marijuana patient you must first have a qualifying condition as outlined by the department of health services and/or department of justice. For a comprehensive list of New Mexico’s qualifying medical marijuana conditions, please visit our qualifying conditions section located on the top of our menu under “legal states”.
A bill that passed the state Senate in 2017 would expand the qualifying conditions to include substance abuse disorder. Patients suffering from a wide range of conditions are currently eligible. These include:
MarijuanaDoctors.com provides comprehensive information on who qualifies for New Mexico medical marijuana, and we will update this section as more conditions are added.
Although many states have decriminalized possession of small amounts of weed, New Mexico is not one of them. Having as little as an ounce can result in a jail term of 15 days as well as a fine of up to $100.
There was an effort in the state legislature to decriminalize pot in 2015, but the measure died after the House refused to take a vote on it. Voters in two counties, Bernalillo and Santa Fe, voted in support of decriminalization in 2014.
Legislators introduced a bill during the 2017 session to legalize marijuana for recreational use, citing the fact that New Mexico residents routinely go to neighboring Colorado (where recreational use of cannabis is legal) and bring weed back into the state. Our section on New Mexico’s marijuana laws provides further information.
In order to be eligible for a medical marijuana card in New Mexico, a doctor must not only certify that a patient has a qualifying condition, but he or she must also certify that the condition is debilitating. In addition, the doctor must certify that the patient cannot benefit from traditional treatment methods and that the benefits of cannabis will outweigh the disadvantages for that patient.
If a patient wishes to use medical cannabis due to chronic pain, he or she will not only need a recommendation from a family doctor, but also from a specialist. Our section on obtaining a New Mexico marijuana card provides more information.
One of the more interesting – and also unfortunate – aspects of the laws governing the use of medical marijuana in New Mexico is that landlords are not required to accommodate a tenant’s use of medicinal weed. As a result, if you are renting an apartment and your landlord knows you take medical weed, he or she has the legal right to evict you.
In addition, out-of-state residents are not afforded legal protection for possessing medical pot. Check out our New Mexico medical marijuana facts section to learn more.
Learn more about medical marijuana doctors in New Mexico by checking out our listings in your city:
Learn more about dispensaries in New Mexico by checking out our listings in your city:
Finally, a helpful & informative website! MarijuanaDoctors.com answered all of my medical marijuana questions and helped me schedule an appointment with an accredited doctor in my area.~Susan - Denver, CO
