The Oregon Medical Marijuana Program is a state registry run by the Oregon Health Authority that lets patients with qualifying conditions legally possess and grow cannabis for medical use. A card costs $200 a year at the standard rate, with reduced fees for low-income patients and veterans, and it gives you higher possession limits than recreational users along with the right to cultivate at home. It does not shield you from federal law, employer drug policies, or landlords in federally subsidized housing.
Who Qualifies
You need a diagnosis from a licensed Oregon provider of at least one condition the state recognizes as debilitating. Five named diseases qualify on their own: cancer, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS, agitation related to Alzheimer’s disease, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
You also qualify if a medical condition or its treatment causes any of these symptoms:
- Severe pain
- Cachexia (wasting syndrome)
- Severe nausea
- Seizures, including those caused by epilepsy
- Persistent muscle spasms, including those caused by multiple sclerosis
A side effect caused by treating one of the named diseases counts as a qualifying condition in its own right. The OHA can add new conditions through rulemaking or a public petition process, so the list may grow.
Who Can Sign Your Attending Provider Statement
The Attending Provider Statement (APS) is the core document in your application, and Oregon allows seven types of licensed providers to sign it:
- Doctors of Medicine (MD)
- Doctors of Osteopathy (DO)
- Physician Associates
- Nurse Practitioners
- Clinical Nurse Specialists
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists
- Naturopathic Physicians
The provider must have primary responsibility for your care, hold an active Oregon license, and attest in writing that you have a debilitating condition that may benefit from medical cannabis.1Oregon Health Authority. Oregon Medical Marijuana Program – Attending Providers
What to Submit and What It Costs
Your application packet needs three things: the OHA application form with your legal name and physical residential address (no P.O. boxes), a legible copy of valid government-issued photo ID such as an Oregon driver’s license or passport, and the signed APS listing your provider’s state license number and your qualifying condition. If you plan to designate a primary caregiver or a person responsible for a grow site, include their name and address on the application.
The standard annual registration fee is $200. Reduced fees apply if you qualify:
- SNAP recipients: $60, with current proof of enrollment
- Oregon Health Plan members: $50, with current OHP proof
- Veterans: $20, with proof of military service
- Disabled veterans: no fee, with proof of at least a 50% service-connected disability rating and a discharge under other than dishonorable conditions
If you designate a grower at a separate grow site, there is an additional $200 grow site registration fee. Budget for costs the state fee doesn’t cover: a provider visit to get your APS signed typically runs $75 to $350, and no health insurance, public or private, covers medical marijuana evaluations or the cannabis itself.
Submitting the Application
You can apply through the OHA’s online portal, where you create an account, upload documents, and pay electronically, or you can mail the packet with a check or money order to the OMMP office in Portland.
Once the OHA receives a complete application and payment, you get a receipt that functions as a temporary medical marijuana card for 30 days. The receipt carries the same legal protections as the permanent card, including the right to purchase and possess medical cannabis. As of spring 2026, the OHA is processing complete, error-free applications within roughly one to two weeks.3Oregon Health Authority. Oregon Medical Marijuana Program
Missing signatures, expired identification, and providers whose licenses aren’t in good standing are common causes of delay. Check every field before you send.
Renewing Each Year
OMMP cards expire after one year. You can submit a renewal as early as 90 days before expiration but no earlier, and your provider must sign a new APS within that same 90-day window.
If the OHA doesn’t receive your complete renewal by your expiration date, your card becomes invalid immediately. There is no grace period, and possessing marijuana without a valid card can expose you to the same penalties as any other unlicensed possession.4Oregon Health Authority. Renewing Your Registration
Possession and Cultivation Limits
A cardholder and their designated primary caregiver may jointly possess up to 24 ounces of usable marijuana, well above the one-ounce limit for recreational users.5Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 475C – Cannabis Regulation
Each cardholder (together with their caregiver) may grow up to six mature plants and twelve immature plants. The total allowed at any single address depends on the zoning:
- Residential zones inside city limits: 12 mature plants and 24 immature plants (24 inches or taller), no matter how many cardholders are at the site
- Non-residential zones: 48 mature plants and 96 immature plants
Grow sites registered before January 1, 2015 may qualify for grandfathered higher limits. New registrations are capped at the standard numbers.
Designating a Caregiver or Grower
You may designate one primary caregiver and one person responsible for a marijuana grow site (PRMG). They can be the same person or two different people, but if your caregiver will also cultivate for you, they need to be registered as your PRMG.
A caregiver can help with anything related to your medical use, including buying from dispensaries and transporting cannabis for you. Caregivers cannot use the marijuana themselves or purchase for anyone other than their patient.
The PRMG must be at least 21. They are disqualified if they have a Class A or Class B felony conviction for manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance within the past two years, or more than one such conviction at any point in their history.7Legal Information Institute. Oregon Code 333-008-0025 – Person Responsible for a Marijuana Grow Site Criteria; Grow Site Registration Application Review Process Growers may only recover the actual cost of producing your marijuana. No markup, no profit.
Where Your Card Won’t Protect You
The OMMP card is state protection only. It does not reach into federal property, federal employment, federal housing programs, or any other state’s borders.
On federal property, including national parks, federal courthouses, post offices, and military installations, possession can bring federal charges regardless of your Oregon registration. Simple possession under 21 U.S.C. ยง 844 carries up to one year in jail and a minimum $1,000 fine for a first offense, with steeper penalties after that.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 21 US Code 844 – Penalties for Simple Possession
At work, your card does not override a private employer’s drug-free workplace policy. Oregon has no broad statute barring employers from firing or refusing to hire someone for off-duty medical cannabis use, so a positive THC test can cost you the job even with a valid card. The Department of Transportation still prohibits marijuana use for safety-sensitive transportation employees and had not updated its testing rules as of late 2025.9U.S. Department of Transportation. DOT Medical Marijuana Notice
In federally subsidized housing, HUD has historically prohibited admission of marijuana users to public housing and Section 8 programs based on the Controlled Substances Act, and has taken the position that it has no discretion to accommodate medical users regardless of state law. No updated guidance has been issued as of this writing.10HUD Exchange. Can a Public Housing Agency (PHA) Make a Reasonable Accommodation for Medical Marijuana?
Driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal in Oregon regardless of your OMMP status. Oregon does not set a specific THC blood-level threshold the way it does for alcohol, so impairment is judged on officer observations and field testing.
Travel is its own problem. The TSA does not actively search for marijuana at airport screenings, but officers who find it are required to refer the matter to law enforcement, and the decision rests with the individual officer.11Transportation Security Administration. Medical Marijuana Crossing state lines with marijuana is a federal offense regardless of the destination state’s own program, and most states do not honor out-of-state medical cards.
What the 2026 Federal Rescheduling Changed
On April 28, 2026, the DEA moved marijuana that is subject to a state medical marijuana license from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. Cannabis used under a state program like the OMMP now sits in the same scheduling category as anabolic steroids and certain prescription medications.12Federal Register. Schedules of Controlled Substances: Rescheduling of Food and Drug Administration Approved Products Containing Marijuana From Schedule I to Schedule III
What the change did not do matters just as much. Unlicensed marijuana and synthetic THC remain Schedule I. State-licensed dispensaries and growers now face a new DEA registration pathway on top of their state licenses. And the federal property, employment, housing, and travel restrictions above have not been formally updated, even though their legal foundation has shifted. For a cardholder, daily rules look much the same as before the rescheduling.