Michigan

A LEGAL MEDICAL CANNABIS PATIENT ...

1. Is a Michigan resident and at least 18 years of age.

2. Has been diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition and holds a completed Physician Certification Form signed by a Michigan-licensed physician. Qualifying conditions include:

• Cancer
• Glaucoma
• HIV/AIDS
• Hepatitis C
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Crohn’s disease
• Agitation of Alzheimer’s disease
• Nail patella syndrome
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Tourette’s syndrome
• Parkinson’s disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Spastic quadriplegia
• Cerebral palsy
• Any chronic or debilitating disease or its treatment causing: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe and chronic pain; severe nausea; seizures including those characteristic of epilepsy; or severe and persistent muscle spasms including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis

Additional conditions may be added through a petition to the Cannabis Regulatory Agency.

3. Is enrolled in the MMMP and holds a valid registry identification card. The state fee is $40. 

4. Enrollment is up to date.

ENROLLMENT PROCESS

Step 1: Schedule an appointment with a Michigan-licensed MD, DO, or Expedited Medical Compact (EMC) physician. 

The physician must conduct a full assessment and establish a bona fide physician-patient relationship.

Step 2: Obtain a completed and signed Physician Certification Form.

The form must be signed and dated within 6 months of your application date.

Step 3: Submit your application.

Apply online at michigan.gov/mmp if you do not have a caregiver. If you have or need a caregiver, submit a complete paper MMMP Application Packet.

Step 4: Pay the fee and submit proof of residency.

Include a copy of your valid Michigan driver’s license or Michigan personal ID card and pay the $40 application fee.

A patient registry identification card is valid for two years. The expiration date is listed on the patient registry identification card.

Caregiver’s cards expire on the same date as each of his/her patients. 

PATIENT RENEWAL

Renewal is available online at michigan.gov/mmp for patients without a caregiver, or by paper application. A new Physician Certification Form signed and dated within 6 months of the renewal application date is required. You may submit a renewal application beginning 90 days before the expiration date on your patient registry identification card.

You may now apply for or renew your registry card online.  You must:

• Be a patient without a caregiver (or remove caregiver upon renewing)
• Have a secure online account
• Have a medical evaluation from an active Michigan physician within the last six months who will certify your need for medical marijuana

Instructions and the online portal are available on our website at www.michigan.gov/mmp.

If you are a patient with a caregiver or choose to designate one, you must also renew by submitting a paper application. You must submit, in one envelope, a complete MMMP Application Packet, which can be found on our website at www.michigan.gov/mmp.

• A complete Application Form
• A complete Physician Certification Form (the form is part of the Application Packet)
• Proof of Michigan residency, which means one of the following:
  • A copy of your valid, lawfully obtained Michigan driver license issued under the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.1 to 257.923, or
  • A copy of your valid, lawfully obtained Michigan personal identification card issued under 1972 PA 222, MCL 28.291 to 28.300, or
  • A copy of your valid Michigan voter registration
    • Note:  If you submit a voter registration as proof of Michigan residency, you must submit proof of your identity. Proof of identity can be any government-issued document that includes your name and date of birth.
• The required $40 application fee (check or money order made payable to: State of Michigan- MMMP)

• If you are designating a caregiver, proof of the caregiver’s identity, which means one of the following:
  • A copy of the caregiver’s valid state-issued driver license, or
  • A copy of the caregiver’s valid state-issued personal identification card
• Any other documents that are required when completing the application (see instructions on Application regarding legal guardianship and Medical Durable Power of Attorney).

ENROLLING MINOR PATIENTS 

Minor patients (under 18) require two Physician Certification Forms, each completed and signed by a separate Michigan-licensed MD or DO. Both forms must be signed within 6 months of the application date. A parent or legal guardian who is at least 21 years of age must serve as the minor’s designated primary caregiver.

The parent or legal guardian of a minor patient (under 18 years old) must submit, in one envelope, a complete MMMP Minor Application Packet, which can be found on our website at www.michigan.gov/mmp.

• A complete Minor Application Form
• Two (2) complete Physician Certification Forms signed by two (2) different physicians (the forms are part of the Application Packet)
• A complete Declaration of Person Responsible Form (the form is part of the Application Packet)
• Proof of parentage or legal guardianship (example: a copy of minor’s government-issued birth certificate)
• Proof of Michigan residency for the minor’s parent or legal guardian, which means one of the following:
  • A copy of the parent or legal guardian’s valid, lawfully obtained Michigan driver license issued under the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.1 to 257.923, or
  • A copy of the parent or legal guardian’s valid, lawfully obtained Michigan personal identification card issued under 1972 PA 222, MCL 28.291 to 28.300, or
  • A copy of the parent or legal guardian’s valid Michigan voter registration
    • Note: If you submit a voter registration as proof of Michigan residency, you must submit proof of your identity for verification purposes. Proof of identity can be any government-issued document that includes your name and date of birth.
• The $40 required application fee (check or money order made payable to: State of Michigan- MMMP)

A caregiver

• must be at least 21 years of age
• must not have been convicted of any felony within the past 10 years or any prior felony conviction involving illegal drugs or an assaultive crime.

A caregiver may assist up to 5 registered qualifying patients and may cultivate up to 12 cannabis plants per registered patient in an enclosed, locked facility. 

Caregiver registration: michigan.gov/cra/sections/mmp

• You must meet the requirements in the statutory definition of “caregiver” in MCL 333.26423(h). The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA) can be found on our website at www.michigan.gov/mmp.
• A patient must submit one of the following to designate you as their caregiver:
  • A complete Application Packet (if the patient is within 90 days of his or her registry card expiring OR the person is not a current patient with an active registry card)
  • A complete Add or Change Caregiver Form (if the patient already has an active registry card)
• Your valid state-issued driver license or personal identification card must be submitted with the patient’s Application Packet or Add or Change Caregiver Form.

Dispensaries: 

Registered patients may purchase cannabis from licensed provisioning centers. 

What to bring:

• Your valid MMMP registry identification card
• Government-issued photo ID
• A list of your current medications (recommended for your first visit)
• Payment for your medicine. Insurance does not cover the cost of medical cannabis.

Possession Limits

A registered qualifying patient may possess up to 2.5 ounces of usable cannabis. A registered caregiver may possess up to 2.5 ounces per registered patient.

Home Cultivation:

• Registered patients may use medical cannabis in permitted private locations.

  Patients may NOT use or possess medical cannabis in:

  • Any public place
  • Any school bus or the grounds of any preschool, primary, or secondary school
  • Any correctional facility
  • Any motor vehicle (as operator or passenger)
  • Any private residence used for licensed childcare, foster care, or similar social service care

  [INSERT — Note any Michigan-specific smoking or vaporization restrictions and applicable fines or penalties.]

Michigan has an adult-use cannabis program, but registering as a medical cannabis patient still offers important benefits. While the medical program may require additional steps, registration can provide patients and caregivers with added support, stronger protections, and access to medical guidance.

Federal Protections Apply Only to Registered Patients

Some federal protections are now available, but only to patients who are officially registered in their state’s medical cannabis program.

A federal order issued April 28th,2026,  AG Order No. 6754-2026, treats a state medical cannabis certification or registration as similar to a prescription under federal law.  This means that being registered is not just a state requirement; it may also affect whether a patient qualifies for federal protections.

To receive these protections, a patient’s registration must stay active, current, and in good standing. Learn more here.

Legal Protections:

Registered qualifying patients are protected from arrest, prosecution, civil penalty, and disciplinary action by any professional licensing board solely for conduct that complies with the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. Patients must carry both their valid registry ID card and a valid photo ID to benefit from these protections.

Privacy Protections:

The marijuana regulatory agency shall maintain a confidential list of the persons to whom the marijuana regulatory agency has issued registry identification cards. Except as provided in subdivisions (3) and (4), individual names and other identifying information on the list are confidential and are exempt from disclosure under the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246.

Civil Protections:

• Employment: Michigan does not have broad statutory employment protections for medical cannabis patients.
• Child Custody: Patients shall not be denied custody or visitation rights based on their enrollment as medical cannabis patients.

Tax Benefits:

Exempt from all special excise and wholesale marijuana taxes. Patients pay only the 6% state sales tax.

Keeping the Medical Program Strong:

Enrollment helps demonstrate continued patient need for Michigan's medical cannabis program. A strong registry helps protect and sustain the program, supports continued access for patients with serious health needs, and reinforces the importance of maintaining a medical pathway alongside adult-use access.

A registry identification card, or its equivalent, that is issued under the laws of another state, district, territory, commonwealth, or insular possession of the United States that allows the medical use of cannabis by a visiting qualifying patient, or to allow a person to assist with a visiting qualifying patient's medical use of cannabis shall have the same force and effect as a registry identification card issued by the department.

For more information about traveling as a medical cannabis patient, check out our Travel Guide.

*UPDATE: AG ORDER NO. 6754-2026 CHANGED FEDERAL CANNABIS LAWS  ON APRIL 28, 2026: Learn more here.

Federal cannabis laws affect far more than whether a patient can access medical cannabis. For decades, federal prohibition has limited protections for medical cannabis patients under laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Fair Housing Act (FHA). As a result, patients have often been denied the basic protections that people with other serious health conditions expect in employment, housing, healthcare, and access to federal programs.

Federal prohibition has also affected patients’ access to essential healthcare, housing, and financial support programs, sometimes forcing patients to choose between the medicine they need and the benefits they depend on. It has also created barriers to federal employment, healthcare autonomy, firearm ownership, and other aspects of daily life.

As federal and state cannabis laws change, implementation matters. Advocates must stay vigilant to ensure public agencies, private institutions, employers, housing providers, and healthcare systems update their policies in ways that respect patient rights and protect safe, legal access to medical cannabis.

It is important to stay active, engaged, and informed. Sign up to get ASA updates and learn more about ending patient discrimination. 

Rights and protections for medical cannabis patients are evolving. In some cases, outdated policies may impact how patients are treated. In other cases, like those in the military, policy changes will have to come from Washington, DC. In the case of organ transplants, stigma still plays a role in medical cannabis patients having access to life-saving treatment, even if state laws ban discrimination.  Please use the resources below to better understand patient rights and how to navigate these programs and services.