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Opioid Use Disorder and cannabis in New Hampshire

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 oz of usable ca…
POSSESSION
$50/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.

New Hampshire statute and program

The New Hampshire Therapeutic Cannabis Program is the operating authority for New Hampshire patient certification. The authoritative legal text is: New Hampshire RSA Chapter 126-X: Use of Cannabis for Therapeutic Purposes. The program portal is at New Hampshire Therapeutic Cannabis Program.

What the evidence says about cannabis and Opioid Use Disorder

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic, relapsing condition characterized by compulsive opioid use, opioid tolerance and withdrawal, and continued use despite significant harm. Three evidence-based pharmacotherapies are collectively known as Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD): methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. MOUD reduces mortality, illicit drug use, and overdose risk.

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

How to qualify in New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Therapeutic Cannabis Program requires the following registration steps for a Opioid Use Disorder patient (or any qualifying diagnosis):

  1. Get certified by a New Hampshire-licensed provider. A New Hampshire-licensed physician, APRN, or physician assistant must complete the Provider Written Certification Form documenting a qualifying medical condition under RSA 126-X (PTSD, cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, ALS, MS, Parkinson’s, chronic pain, severe nausea, or other enumerated conditions). The provider must have an established provider-patient relationship.
  2. Submit your application to the NH Therapeutic Cannabis Program. The patient mails or uploads the completed Patient Application Form, the Provider Written Certification, a copy of a New Hampshire driver license or state ID, and a passport-style photograph to the Therapeutic Cannabis Program at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.
  3. Pay the $50 state registration fee. The annual registry identification card fee is $50, payable by check or money order to "Treasurer, State of New Hampshire." Caregiver registration is an additional $50 per caregiver and requires a criminal background check.
  4. Receive the card and purchase from an Alternative Treatment Center. Registry identification cards are issued within roughly 5 to 15 business days of complete application receipt. New Hampshire honors out-of-state medical cannabis cards under RSA 126-X for purchase at the four licensed Alternative Treatment Centers (ATCs). Cards expire annually and require fresh provider certification at renewal.
State registration fee
$50
Physician visit (typical)
$200–$300
Certification to card
7–21 days
Out-of-state patients
Eligible
Minors
Eligible with caregiver

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

ICD-10 code

A certifying physician documenting Opioid Use Disorder for the New Hampshire medical cannabis program will typically record ICD-10 F11.20 or SNOMED-CT 5602001 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 New Hampshire list Opioid Use Disorder as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis?

Yes. New Hampshire explicitly lists Opioid Use Disorder as a qualifying condition under New Hampshire Therapeutic Cannabis Program. A patient with a documented Opioid Use Disorder 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.dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/health-care/therapeutic-cannabis-program 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 New Hampshire rules.

How do I get a New Hampshire medical marijuana card for Opioid Use Disorder?

Step one is finding a physician licensed in New Hampshire who is registered with New Hampshire Therapeutic Cannabis Program and willing to evaluate Opioid Use Disorder 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. New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire Therapeutic Cannabis Program site at https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/health-care/therapeutic-cannabis-program; the state updates fees, forms, and physician registration rules periodically.

What does the evidence say about cannabis for Opioid Use Disorder?

For Opioid Use Disorder, evidence is described as insufficient (no high-quality controlled data is available either for or against). The mmjnow condition page for Opioid Use Disorder 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 Opioid Use Disorder should review the underlying evidence (linked on the condition page) and discuss expected benefit, dosing, and risk with a clinician familiar with both Opioid Use Disorder and cannabinoid pharmacology. Cannabis is not a substitute for evidence-based first-line treatments for Opioid Use Disorder; the evidence position above describes whether trial data supports its use, not whether it should replace standard care.

Sources

  1. New Hampshire RSA Chapter 126-X: Use of Cannabis for Therapeutic Purposesaccessed May 16, 2026
  2. New Hampshire RSA §318-B:2-c: Decriminalization of Personal-Use Quantitiesaccessed May 16, 2026
  3. New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services: Therapeutic Cannabis Programaccessed May 16, 2026
  4. Wikipedia: Cannabis in New Hampshireaccessed May 16, 2026
  5. SAMHSA: Medications for Opioid Use Disorderaccessed May 15, 2026
  6. NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse: Opioid Use Disorderaccessed May 15, 2026