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Cancer and cannabis in Michigan

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
2.5 oz usable cannabis;…
POSSESSION
$40/yr
STATE FEE
7–21 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.

Michigan statute and program

The Michigan Medical Marihuana Program is the operating authority for Michigan patient certification. The authoritative legal text is: Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act (MRTMA, 2018). The program portal is at Michigan Medical Marihuana Program.

What the evidence says about cannabis and Cancer

Cancer is a group of more than 100 diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. Treatment commonly combines surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and increasingly targeted or immunotherapeutic agents. Symptom burden (pain, nausea, appetite loss, sleep disruption, anxiety) is substantial and often persists beyond active treatment.

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

How to qualify in Michigan

The Michigan Medical Marihuana Program requires the following registration steps for a Cancer patient (or any qualifying diagnosis):

  1. Get a written certification from a Michigan-licensed physician. Any Michigan-licensed physician (MD or DO) may certify a patient under the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA, Initiated Law 1 of 2008). The physician must establish a bona-fide physician-patient relationship and certify a debilitating medical condition under MCL 333.26423 (cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, ALS, Crohn’s, agitation of Alzheimer’s, nail patella, cachexia, severe and chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, severe and persistent muscle spasms, PTSD, autism spectrum, and others added by the LARA Cannabis Regulatory Agency).
  2. Apply through the Cannabis Regulatory Agency online portal. The patient creates an account in the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) Medical Marihuana Program portal, uploads the physician written certification, a Michigan driver license or state ID, and a passport-style photograph. Caregivers register separately and pass a state and federal criminal background check.
  3. Pay the $40 state registration fee. The annual Michigan medical marihuana patient registry card fee is $40 (reduced from $100 under 2018 LARA rules). Veterans receiving health benefits through the VA, Medicaid recipients, and recipients of SSI or food assistance pay a reduced fee of $25. Caregivers pay $40 with the background check fee separate.
  4. Receive the card and purchase from a Michigan provisioning center. Michigan medical marihuana patient registry cards are issued within roughly 15 business days of complete application. With the card, patients may purchase up to 2.5 ounces every 14 days from any of the licensed Michigan medical provisioning centers and may cultivate up to 12 plants for personal medical use. Adult-use retail also operates statewide for adults 21+; medical patients retain lower 3% medical excise tax versus the 10% adult-use excise tax.
State registration fee
$40
Physician visit (typical)
$150–$250
Certification to card
7–21 days
Out-of-state patients
Not eligible
Minors
Eligible with caregiver

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

ICD-10 code

A certifying physician documenting Cancer for the Michigan medical cannabis program will typically record ICD-10 C80.1 or SNOMED-CT 363346000 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 Michigan list Cancer as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis?

Yes. Michigan explicitly lists Cancer as a qualifying condition under Michigan Medical Marihuana Program. A patient with a documented Cancer 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.michigan.gov/cra 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 Michigan rules.

How do I get a Michigan medical marijuana card for Cancer?

Step one is finding a physician licensed in Michigan who is registered with Michigan Medical Marihuana Program and willing to evaluate Cancer 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. Michigan does not honor out-of-state cards, so the certification process has to originate inside the state. Verify the patient minimum age with the state program before applying. The authoritative source for the current process is the Michigan Medical Marihuana Program site at https://www.michigan.gov/cra; the state updates fees, forms, and physician registration rules periodically.

What does the evidence say about cannabis for Cancer?

For Cancer, evidence is described as moderate (supportive controlled studies exist but the picture is mixed). The mmjnow condition page for Cancer 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 Cancer should review the underlying evidence (linked on the condition page) and discuss expected benefit, dosing, and risk with a clinician familiar with both Cancer and cannabinoid pharmacology. Cannabis is not a substitute for evidence-based first-line treatments for Cancer; the evidence position above describes whether trial data supports its use, not whether it should replace standard care.

Sources

  1. Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act (MRTMA, 2018)accessed May 15, 2026
  2. Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MCL 333.26421 et seq.)accessed May 15, 2026
  3. Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA)accessed May 15, 2026
  4. NASEM: The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids (2017)accessed May 15, 2026

    “Conclusive or substantial evidence that oral cannabinoids are effective antiemetics in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.”

  5. NIH National Cancer Institute: Cannabis and Cannabinoids (PDQ)accessed May 15, 2026