Medical Cannabis Advisory Board
The Medical Cannabis Advisory Board (MCAB) convenes at least twice each calendar year to conduct public meetings. The Advisory Board is made up of nine practitioners recommended by various New Mexico medical associations and societies. Each member is appointed by the Secretary of Health. Please see the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board Roster for a list of current members. The board is responsible for reviewing and recommending to the department additional conditions that would benefit from the medical use of cannabis, accepting and reviewing petitions to add medical conditions, medical treatments or diseases to the list of debilitating medical conditions that qualify for the use of medical cannabis; recommending quantities of cannabis necessary to constitute an adequate supply, and issuing recommendations concerning rules to be promulgated for the issuance of registry identification cards. The Statute and Rules are available in the NMAC 7.34.2 section of the NMAC.
Any New Mexico resident may submit a petition requesting the addition of a new medical condition, treatment, or disease to the Board. The petition is delivered to the Medical Cannabis Program staff for processing. It is then forwarded to the Board and scheduled for the next available meeting. At the public hearing the petitioner may present evidence and answer questions from Board members. In most cases the Board will vote during the hearing to recommend or not. The Advisory Board will submit its decision to the Secretary of the Department of Health for consideration and to determine the outcome. Public comment is available to people in attendance who would like to present statements in support of or in opposition to the petition.
Any individual wanting to submit a petition to the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board is advised to review the Medical Cannabis Petition Requirements.
Meetings
The public meeting is conducted to accept and review petitions received by the 30-day public notice deadline; review and recommend to the Department for approval additional debilitating medical conditions that would benefit from the medical use of cannabis; accept and review petitions to add medical conditions, medical treatments or diseases to the list of debilitating medical conditions that qualify for the medical use of cannabis; review conditions previously reviewed by the Board and approved by the Secretary for the purpose of determining whether to recommend the revision of eligibility criteria for persons applying under those conditions; or to review new medical and scientific evidence pertaining to currently approved conditions. In addition, changes in the regulations as they relate to the medical cannabis patient registry, reciprocity, and adequate supply may be discussed.
Petitions to add conditions may be accepted at any time. Those received 30 days prior to the meeting, by end of business, will be scheduled for the next meeting.
Any member of the public may submit written comment regarding a petition. No prior notification is required to present general non-technical statements in support of, or in opposition to a petition.
Any individual who wishes to present technical evidence concerning a petition must submit a statement of intent to present technical evidence no later than 15 days prior to the hearing to the following address:
Medical Cannabis Program
New Mexico Dept. of Health
PO Box 26110
Santa Fe, NM 87502
A statement of intent to present technical evidence must include the name of the person submitting the statement, the name of any person who will speak regarding the statement, whether the person filing the statement supports or opposes the petition at issue, an estimate of the length of the person’s anticipated testimony, a list of exhibits to be offered into evidence at the hearing, and a summary or outline of the anticipated testimony.
If you are an individual with a disability in need of special assistance to participate in the public hearing, please contact Elizabeth Bisio @ (505) 827-2386 or Gary J. French, MD @ (505) 827-2362. The Department requests at least ten (10) days advanced notice to provide requested special accommodations.
Petitions to Review
Please ensure petitions are complete and include: name, address, telephone number of petitioner, are unbound, and includes copies of all materials cited and materials the petitioner wants the Medical Advisory Board to consider. Instructions of how to submit a petition are available in the Medical Cannabis Petition Requirements document.
Next Meeting
- Monday, May 13, 2024 @ 9:00 AM (Mountain). Petitions for this meeting must be received by end of business on Monday, April 15, 2024.
Prior Meetings
Meeting records from previous Medical Cannabis Advisory Board Meetings are available here.
Recent Activity
News Articles
Latest
- Medical Cannabis Program adding insomnia as a qualifying condition (May 16, 2023)
- Medical Cannabis Program launches access to electronic patient ID cards through the online patient portal (December 7, 2022)
- Medical Cannabis Program adding anxiety disorder as qualifying condition (December 6, 2022)
Publications
Latest
- Meeting Agenda (Meeting)
- Meeting How to Join (Meeting)
- Supplemental 2 (Meeting)
Popular
- Medical Cannabis Petition Requirements (Policies, Protocols & Procedures)
- Secretary Decision - Anxiety Disorder (Policies, Protocols & Procedures)
- Medical Cannabis Program - Program Update 12/10/2021 (General)
Resources
Latest
- Medical Cannabis Advisory Board Meeting Recording - 12/04/2023
- Medical Cannabis Advisory Board Meeting - May-20230516
- MCPHS Meeting Recording 09/13/2022