Get certified by a New Mexico-licensed practitioner, in person or by telehealth. Enrollment is free, your digital card lasts two years, and patients skip the adult-use excise tax.
The New Mexico Department of Health runs the Medical Cannabis Program through its Online Patient Portal.
A New Mexico-licensed practitioner approved by the program evaluates you in person or by telehealth and starts your application if you qualify.
Finish your part in the Online Patient Portal and upload your documents. The state charges no fee.
Review typically takes about five business days. Your digital card is valid for two years.
Silver City is the gateway to the Gila National Forest, the Gila Wilderness, and Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. All of it is federal land, and cannabis remains illegal under federal law there — even for enrolled New Mexico patients.
Many Grant County residents are retirees managing more than one health condition. A few practical points make the process safer and easier.
Certifications and renewals can happen by telehealth, so there's no long drive for an appointment.
Share every prescription and supplement with your practitioner. Cannabis can interact with some medications, including sedatives and blood thinners, and your pharmacist can help too.
A New Mexico resident 18 or older, approved by you and your practitioner, can shop for you as your registered caregiver.
Adults 21 and older can shop without a card, but New Mexico's medical program keeps real advantages.
Adult-use pays 14% as of July 2026, rising a point each July to 18%.
About 15 ounces of flower, versus 2 oz per adult-use sale.
No charge to enroll or renew with the Department of Health.
A digital card you can reapply for 30 days before it expires.
You'll need a diagnosis of one of these. The program doesn't accept write-in conditions.
On Silver Heights Boulevard, open daily with free parking. Silver City has about a dozen licensed stores, including Ultra Health on US-180 East — confirm hours before you go.
Floods in the late 1800s scoured the town's original Main Street into a deep channel; today it's a shaded downtown park with an easy walking path.
“I retired here for the mountains, not the arthritis. The practitioner went over all my medications before anything else.”
— Margaret H., Silver City“I work outdoors in the forest, so I appreciated them being clear that federal land is off-limits.”
— Luis A., Silver CityPractitioners licensed in New Mexico to prescribe controlled substances and approved by the Department of Health's Medical Cannabis Program.
Yes, for both new certifications and renewals.
Nothing with the state. Your practitioner's visit fee is separate.
Not necessarily, but share your full list with your practitioner. Cannabis can interact with some medications, including sedatives and blood thinners.
Yes. A registered primary caregiver — a New Mexico resident 18 or older, approved by you and your practitioner — can buy for up to four patients.
Cards last two years. You can reapply starting 30 days before yours expires.
No. National forests, wilderness areas, and national monuments are federal land, where cannabis remains illegal.
Carrying cannabis across state lines is illegal under federal law, regardless of either state's rules.
On the Department of Health's Medical Cannabis Program site.
Founded after a silver strike around 1870, Silver City is the seat of Grant County, with a historic downtown, Western New Mexico University, and a thriving arts scene. Copper mining still shapes the area, and the Gila National Forest — including the world's first designated wilderness area — begins just north of town. Residents follow the same statewide medical cannabis process as all New Mexicans.
The Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act created New Mexico's program in 2007. The Department of Health enrolls patients and caregivers through its Medical Cannabis Program, and the Cannabis Control Division licenses dispensaries.
Excise-tax exemption, a larger purchase allowance, caregiver support, and eligibility from 18 keep enrollment worthwhile. See the Medical Cannabis Program for current rules.
Appointments with New Mexico-licensed practitioners.
Book Your Visit