North Carolina Medical Marijuana Qualifying Conditions

North Carolina Qualifying Conditions: Detailed Guide

Qualifying Conditions for the North Carolina (EBCI) Medical Cannabis Card

North Carolina has no state-run medical marijuana program, so the state publishes no qualifying-conditions list and issues no card. The only medical cannabis card available to North Carolina residents is issued by the sovereign Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Cannabis Control Board under the Cherokee Code, and it is valid for one year and only on EBCI Tribal land. The conditions below are the EBCI program's qualifying conditions, not a North Carolina state list.

To qualify, you must be a North Carolina resident, at least 21 years old, and have written documentation of at least one of the 18 qualifying conditions. The EBCI Cannabis Control Board does not require a prescription or a formal recommendation; it requires documentation, such as the EBCI Doctor's Attestation signed by a medical provider or a medical summary, confirming the diagnosis.

The 18 EBCI Qualifying Conditions

Under the Cherokee Code (17 CAR 14.04), the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Cannabis Control Board recognizes these 18 chronic or debilitating medical conditions:

• Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

• An anxiety disorder

• An autism spectrum disorder

• An autoimmune disorder

• Anorexia nervosa

• Cancer

• Dependence upon or addiction to opioids

• Glaucoma

• A medical condition (or its treatment) that produces one or more of the following:

  • Cachexia

  • Muscle spasms, including, without limitation, spasms caused by multiple sclerosis

  • Seizures, including, without limitation, seizures caused by epilepsy

  • Nausea

  • Severe or chronic pain

• A medical condition related to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

• A neuropathic condition (whether or not the condition causes seizures)

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Crohn's disease

• Sickle cell anemia

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

• Parkinson's disease

• A condition resulting in hospice care

• A terminal illness (remaining life expectancy of less than six months)

How Qualification Works in the EBCI Program

The EBCI Cannabis Control Board does not require a prescription or a formal physician recommendation. It requires written documentation that you have one of the 18 conditions above. A North Carolina-licensed physician can confirm a qualifying condition during a telehealth visit and sign the EBCI Doctor's Attestation, which you submit, along with a North Carolina ID and the EBCI patient-card fee, to the Cannabis Control Board. Your full medical record is not required, only enough documentation to establish a qualifying condition. The board reviews the application and issues the patient card.

Important Program Details

• Issuing authority: Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Cannabis Control Board (not a North Carolina state agency)

• Eligibility: North Carolina resident, 21 or older, with one of the 18 qualifying conditions

• Card validity: 1 year

• EBCI patient-card fee: $100 for North Carolina residents, $50 for enrolled EBCI members (renewal $100 / $25); cash, check, or money order only

• Evaluation: a $149.99 MMJ.com telehealth visit with a North Carolina-licensed physician produces the EBCI Doctor's Attestation

• Where the card is valid: EBCI Tribal land only (the Qualla Boundary and other trust lands); off Tribal land, cannabis remains illegal under federal and North Carolina state law