The Nevada Medical Marijuana Program

In order to be eligible for the NMMP, a licensed doctor must first determine that you suffer from a chronic, painful condition such as AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, or epilepsy. At that point, you may contact the Nevada State Health Division at (775) 687-7594 for instructions on how to obtain an NMMP application. It is suggested that you retain a lawyer to ensure you complete the application correctly.

If the Nevada State Health Division approves your application, you'll be given a Registry Identification Card, which is good for a year-long membership in the NMMP. As a cardholder, you may lawfully possess up to 1 oz. of usable marijuana. In addition, you may possess up to 3 mature (blooming) marijuana plants and up to 4 immature plants. Possessing more than that amount at any one time makes you vulnerable to arrest for marijuana possession.

NMMP members must follow several other rules as well or risk prosecution: The only people who are allowed to handle or administer the marijuana are you and your NMMP-approved primary caretaker. Furthermore, you may never use the medical marijuana in public. And since marijuana is an illegal drug, doctors may not prescribe it to you. Nor are you allowed to buy or sell it. Therefore, NMMP members usually obtain their marijuana through patient support programs, where it's dispensed for free. (Contact the Nevada Hemp & Cannabis Foundation for more information at (702) 202-0249.)

Although cardholders may not pay money for medical marijuana, membership in the NMMP can be pricey. The initial application costs $50, and if you're accepted, it costs another $150 to register. In order to secure an NMMP card, you'll need to pay fingerprinting fees (usually $20) and a DMV fee (about $22). If you can't afford these costs and your insurance company won't cover them, write the local chapter of the Marijuana Policy Project at P.O. Box 82333, Las Vegas, NV 89180 to request financial aid.

Currently, Nevada is one of fourteen states that have a medical marijuana program (the others being Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington). However, Nevada does not allow medical marijuana users from other states to possess marijuana in Nevada. Conversely, only Montana and Rhode Island allow NMMP cardholders to possess medical marijuana lawfully within their borders.

Even though the federal government still does not recognize the legality of state-sanctioned medical marijuana, NMMP members probably won't face federal prosecution in any state: The Drug Enforcement Administration is more concerned with cracking down on professional drug lords than Nevada's few hundred ailing NMMP members.

If you're considering joining the Nevada Medical Marijuana Program, consider hiring an attorney to explain your rights and responsibilities.