Skip to main content

Crohn's Disease and cannabis in Maine

The state explicitly lists this condition under its medical cannabis program. A certifying physician can pursue state registration for a patient with this diagnosis under the program rules.

Listed qualifying condition
✓ Yes
LEGAL
Up to 2.5 oz of harvest…
POSSESSION
$0/yr
STATE FEE
1–14 d
TIMELINE
Listed qualifying condition. The state explicitly lists this condition under its medical cannabis program. A certifying physician can pursue state registration for a patient with this diagnosis under the program rules.

Maine statute and program

The Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program is the operating authority for Maine patient certification. The authoritative legal text is: Maine Revised Statutes Title 28-B: Adult Use Cannabis. The program portal is at Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program.

What the evidence says about cannabis and Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation of the digestive tract, leading to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, and malnutrition. The inflammation can occur anywhere from the mouth to the anus, often in patchy distributions. Severity varies widely; some patients experience prolonged remissions on biologic therapy, while others require multiple surgeries.

For the full evidence base, including the NASEM tier, randomized trial summaries, and symptom-domain breakdown, read the mmjnow Crohn's Disease page.

How to qualify in Maine

The Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program requires the following registration steps for a Crohn's Disease patient (or any qualifying diagnosis):

  1. Get a written certification from a Maine medical provider. Any Maine-licensed physician, certified nurse practitioner, or physician assistant authorized to prescribe controlled substances may issue a written certification stating that the patient has been diagnosed and that medical cannabis may provide therapeutic or palliative benefit. Maine moved to a provider-discretion program in 2018 (LD 1539) — the state no longer maintains an enumerated qualifying-condition list.
  2. Keep the certification with your government-issued ID. Maine eliminated the mandatory state patient registry for adult patients in 2018. Adult patients are not required to enroll with the Office of Cannabis Policy; the provider-issued written certification combined with a valid government ID is sufficient legal documentation at dispensaries and during any law-enforcement encounter. Minors must enroll in the registry.
  3. Optional registry enrollment (zero state fee for adult patients). Patients may voluntarily enroll in the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy patient registry to receive a physical Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program identification card. There is no state fee for adult patient enrollment. Caregiver registration is separate and carries an annual fee under OCP rules.
  4. Purchase from licensed Maine medical caregivers or dispensaries. With a current written certification, patients may purchase from any licensed Maine medical caregiver storefront or registered dispensary. Maine honors out-of-state medical cards from any state under its reciprocity provision; out-of-state patients may purchase medical cannabis in Maine using their home-state registration for up to 30 days. Adult-use retail also exists statewide for purchasers 21 and older.
State registration fee
$0
Physician visit (typical)
$150–$300
Certification to card
1–14 days
Out-of-state patients
Eligible
Minors
Eligible with caregiver

For full Maine registration steps, fees, and reciprocity rules, see the Maine cannabis-laws page.

ICD-10 code

A certifying physician documenting Crohn's Disease for the Maine medical cannabis program will typically record ICD-10 K50.90 or SNOMED-CT 34000006 in the patient's record. The state registry does not itself collect ICD-10 codes in most programs, but the physician's chart is the audit trail if the certification is later reviewed.

Frequently asked questions

Does Maine list Crohn's Disease as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis?

Yes. Maine explicitly lists Crohn's Disease as a qualifying condition under Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program. A patient with a documented Crohn's Disease diagnosis can pursue state-program certification with a physician registered in the state. The qualifying-condition list is published by the state at https://www.maine.gov/dafs/omp/medical-use and may change as regulators add, remove, or refine entries. Inclusion on the list does not guarantee certification — a physician still has to evaluate the patient and decide that medical cannabis is appropriate for that specific case under Maine rules.

How do I get a Maine medical marijuana card for Crohn's Disease?

Step one is finding a physician licensed in Maine who is registered with Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program and willing to evaluate Crohn's Disease cases. Step two is collecting your records (diagnosis documentation, treatment history, and the ICD-10 code your physician will use) and bringing them to the certification visit. Step three is the physician's certification through the state registry, followed by the patient registration application, state fee, and waiting period before the card is issued. Maine honors out-of-state medical cards under its reciprocity rules — uncommon, and worth verifying before relying on it. Verify the patient minimum age with the state program before applying. The authoritative source for the current process is the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program site at https://www.maine.gov/dafs/omp/medical-use; the state updates fees, forms, and physician registration rules periodically.

What does the evidence say about cannabis for Crohn's Disease?

For Crohn's Disease, evidence is described as limited (a small number of supportive studies, often underpowered or focused on narrow symptom domains). The mmjnow condition page for Crohn's Disease lays out the current evidence base, including the citations underlying that evidence tier — typically the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus reports, federal agency guidance, and peer-reviewed reviews. Evidence quality is independent of state law: a state can list a condition for which evidence is limited, and a state can decline to list a condition for which evidence is strong. Patients deciding whether to pursue medical cannabis for Crohn's Disease should review the underlying evidence (linked on the condition page) and discuss expected benefit, dosing, and risk with a clinician familiar with both Crohn's Disease and cannabinoid pharmacology. Cannabis is not a substitute for evidence-based first-line treatments for Crohn's Disease; the evidence position above describes whether trial data supports its use, not whether it should replace standard care.

Sources

  1. Maine Revised Statutes Title 28-B: Adult Use Cannabisaccessed May 16, 2026
  2. Maine Revised Statutes Title 22 Chapter 558-C: Medical Use of Cannabisaccessed May 16, 2026
  3. Maine Office of Cannabis Policyaccessed May 16, 2026
  4. Wikipedia: Cannabis in Maineaccessed May 16, 2026
  5. NASEM: The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids (2017)accessed May 15, 2026
  6. Crohn's & Colitis Foundation: Cannabis and IBDaccessed May 15, 2026