Registry card

In order to qualify for a registry card to legally purchase medical marijuana, one must meet the following qualifications:

■ Be 18 years of age or older or be a minor patient with parental consent.

■ Be diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition.

■ Have the official written certification from a physician.

■ Be an Arkansas resident with proof of residency. (AR Driver’s License or AR State ID card).

■ State law prohibits members of the Arkansas National Guard and U.S. military from obtaining a registry ID card.

Here’s a look at the medical conditions that qualify for a medical marijuana card in Arkansas:

■ Cancer

■ Glaucoma

■ Positive status for human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome

■ Hepatitis C

■ Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

■ Tourette’s syndrome

■ Crohn’s disease

■ Ulcerative colitis

■ Post-traumatic stress disorder

■ Severe arthritis

■ Fibromyalgia

■ Alzheimer’s disease

■ Cachexia or wasting syndrome

■ Peripheral neuropathy

■ Intractable pain, which is pain that has not responded to ordinary medications, treatment or surgical measures for more than six months

■ Severe nausea

■ Seizures, including without limitation those characteristic of epilepsy

■ Severe and persistent muscle spasms, including without limitation those characteristic of multiple sclerosis

■ And, any other medical condition or its treatment approved by the Department of Health

The most prevalent qualifying medical condition among medical marijuana registry ID card recipients, 31 percent, is intractable pain unresponsive to medicines, treatment or surgery.

The second and third most prevalent conditions are severe arthritis, 16.1 percent, and post-traumatic stress disorder, 10.5 percent, followed by peripheral neuropathy, 9.8 percent, and fibromyalgia, 9.4 percent.

The least prevalent medical conditions reported were amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, 0.1 percent, Alzheimer’s, 0.3 percent, and Tourette’s syndrome, 0.3 percent.