The following are required when submitting your application:
Your registry identification card will be valid for up to one year from the date it is issued. Your card may be issued for less than one year if designated by your physician.
You can renew your card up to 60 days prior to your card’s expiration date.
You need the same documents for new applications and renewals:
It may take up to 14 days to process your renewal from the date we receive your application and payment. Incomplete applications or applications with errors will be returned and will take longer.
To apply as a visiting out-of-state patient, you must have a medical marijuana card or equivalent from another state. In addition, the condition(s) for which you were approved in another state must also be a condition(s) approved in Arkansas. You can submit an online application. The non-refundable application processing fee is $50. Application processing time is up to 14 days after you submit your application and payment. After your application is reviewed, you will receive an e-mail alerting you to log back in and print your card. Visiting patient cards are issued for 90 days per application.
Yes. The information received and records kept by the Arkansas Department Health Medical Marijuana Section are subject to all applicable federal privacy laws, are confidential, are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act and are not subject to disclosure to any individual or public or private entity, except as necessary for authorized employees of the department to perform official duties for the medical marijuana program. Law enforcement will have the ability to confirm only the validity of an ID card.
No. Using medical cannabis is prohibited in a school bus, on the grounds of any preschool or primary or secondary school, in any correctional facility, in any motor vehicle, in a private residence used at any time to provide licensed childcare or other similar social service care on the premises and in any public place where an individual could reasonably be expected to be observed by others. A public place includes all parts of buildings owned in a whole or in part, or leased, by the state or local unit of government. A public place does not include a private residence unless the private residence is used to provide licensed childcare, foster care, or other similar social service care on the premises. Using medical marijuana is also prohibited in a health care facility or any other place where smoking is prohibited by the Clean Indoor Air Act of 2006 and knowingly in close physical proximity to anyone under the age of 18.
A visiting qualifying patient may obtain marijuana from a dispensary with approval as a visiting patient.
A visiting patient application is $50.00 (non-refundable). If approved, a visiting patient may purchase medical marijuana in Arkansas for a 90-day period, per application.
No. Legislation passed in 2017 prohibits members of the Arkansas National Guard and the United States military from obtaining a qualified patient or designated caregiver registry ID card.
Processing time is up to 14 days from the date we receive your application and payment. Cards are mailed through the post office the next working day after the card is issued.
The Arkansas Department of Health does not issue temporary medical marijuana cards. Patients who apply online can print a copy of their cards after their applications are reviewed and approved.
If the application was submitted online, you may print a replacement using your online account. If you do not have an online account, you may call our office and request a replacement card.
You call our office to request a change to your card.
No. When your card expires, the legal protection offered by the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment is expired. You may still submit your renewal application. You will not be able to purchase medical marijuana until your renewal card is issued.
A physical card will be mailed automatically to you once your application has been approved. Cards will not be sent over email. If you applied online, you could log on to the and print a copy of your card.
A petition to add a new qualifying medical condition can be submitted. Petition applications are reviewed and forwarded for a hearing. The department shall approve or deny a petition within one hundred (120) days of submission of the petition. View petition information.
An official physician written certification must be obtained from a medical physician and submitted with the application.
The medical provider must be a Doctor of Medicine or osteopathy licensed in the state of Arkansas, have a controlled substances license on file with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), be in good standing to practice medicine in Arkansas, and have a bona fide physician-patient relationship with the patient they are certifying for medical cannabis.
The department does not recommend physicians. Patients are responsible for locating their own physician.
No, a physician is not required to provide a patient with a certification.
Yes. A physician can complete medical marijuana recertification in compliance with the Arkansas Medical Board rules for telehealth.
The physician certification is valid for 30 days from the date the doctor signs the form. If a patient gets a certification and fails to submit it to the ADH within 30 days, they must get a new certification.
Yes. To be protected under the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment, your marijuana must be purchased from one of the licensed Arkansas dispensaries.
No. Qualifying registered patients and their designated caregivers cannot grow or cultivate medical marijuana. Marijuana-infused products must be purchased through the licensed Arkansas medical marijuana dispensaries.
Qualified registered patients are allowed to purchase up to 2.5 ounces from a dispensary in a 14-day period. Each individual purchase counts against the patient’s balance for 14 days; the patient balance does not reset every 14 days. Patients who apply online can check their real-time balance by clicking the battery icon in the top right corner of the home page after they log in.
Please contact your insurance provider or Medicaid official for an answer.
Please contact the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission for information about licensure for cultivation. Please contact the Arkansas Beverage Control Agency for information about dispensary licensure. Questions about cultivation and dispensing requirements should be directed to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.
A designated caregiver is a person who is selected by a qualifying patient as the person authorized, on the qualifying patient’s behalf, to possess, obtain from a certified medical marijuana dispensary, dispense, and assist in the administration of medical marijuana. Caregivers must apply for a registry card. A designated caregiver is issued a medical marijuana registry identification card that allows him/her to possess up to 2.5 ounces of medical marijuana on behalf of their patient. It is not legal for caregivers to consume, by any means, medical marijuana that has been dispensed on behalf of a registered qualifying patient. A criminal background check is required for most caregiver applicants. Parents applying to be caregivers for their own children do not have complete a criminal background check.
Yes. Qualified patients under 18 years of age cannot purchase medical marijuana from a dispensary. The legal guardian or parent is required to register as a caregiver to buy medical marijuana for a minor.
Yes. A caregiver may serve more than one patient. A caregiver must apply for a registry card for each patient and pay $50 for each registry card.
Yes. Each caregiver must apply separately and pay the non-refundable application processing fees and complete a criminal background check if applicable.
Yes. A caregiver may be a registered qualifying patient.
Arkansas Department of Health
Medical Marijuana Section
4815 W. Markham St., Slot 50
Little Rock, AR 72205
Toll Free: 1-833-214-8619
adh.medicalmarijuana@arkansas.gov