ACMPR Licence Requirements 2026: The Full Eligibility Checklist

Growing your own medical cannabis in Canada is legal with the right registration. The process is still widely called an ACMPR licence, although the rules now sit in Part 14 of the federal Cannabis Regulations and what Health Canada issues is a registration certificate.

In 2026 the process is more closely scrutinized than it used to be. This checklist sets out everything you need, and the areas where applications most often go wrong.

Why 2026 is different

Health Canada has been tightening oversight of personal and designated production. As of 31 March 2025, it had refused or revoked more than 4,100 medical cannabis registrations, around 3,400 of them on public health and public safety grounds. The number of people registered to grow for their own medical use fell by 28 percent in a single quarter, from 15,767 in December 2024 to 11,304 in March 2025.

Our article on why Health Canada is limiting medical growers explains the background in more detail.

Checklist 1: Personal eligibility

To register to produce cannabis for your own medical purposes, you must:

• Ordinarily live in Canada.
• Be 18 years of age or older.
• Attest that you have not been convicted of a cannabis-related offence in the past 10 years.
• Not be registered more than once at the same time.

Checklist 2: The medical document

Your application is built on an original medical document from an authorized healthcare practitioner. It must state:

• Your daily amount of dried cannabis, expressed in grams.
• The period of use, which cannot be longer than one year.
• The practitioner’s details and signature.

Health Canada can contact your practitioner to confirm the document is valid and to ask about the daily amount. Our complete guide to cannabis prescriptions in Canada explains how the assessment works, and the step-by-step process guide covers the sequence.

Checklist 3: The application form

• The completed Health Canada registration form for personal production, or for designated production if someone else will grow for you.
• The original medical document, not a copy.
• The address of the production site and the storage site.
• Whether you will grow indoors, outdoors, or both.
• If you do not own the property, the property owner’s consent.

Checklist 4: Plant count and storage

You do not choose your plant count. Health Canada calculates it from your authorized daily amount and whether you grow indoors, outdoors or both, using a formula based on average plant yields. Your registration certificate then states:

• The number of plants you may grow.
• The amount of dried cannabis you may store.
• The approved production site.
• The approved storage site.

Health Canada publishes a calculator you can use to estimate your numbers before applying.

Checklist 5: Before you grow

• Do not start growing until you receive your registration certificate.
• While your production gets established, you can register with a licensed producer for starting materials, such as seeds and plants, and for an interim supply.
• Plan secure storage that keeps cannabis away from children and visitors.
• Keep your certificate accessible, because it is what proves your production is lawful.

Designated growers

If you cannot grow yourself, you can designate another person to produce for you. The designated person must also be 18 or older and must not have a cannabis-related conviction in the past 10 years. Both of you are responsible for keeping production within the terms of the registration.

Common reasons applications are refused or returned

• Sending a copy of the medical document instead of the original.
• Missing or incomplete site details.
• No property owner consent where the applicant is renting.
• A daily amount the practitioner cannot support when Health Canada asks for more information.
• Public health or public safety concerns about the application.

Our article on mistakes to avoid when applying covers the practitioner side of this in more detail.

Is growing right for you?

Growing can reduce long-term cost, but it takes space, equipment, time and a learning curve. It also affects coverage: programs such as WSIB and Veterans Affairs Canada do not reimburse home-grown cannabis. If you expect to qualify for coverage, check our eligible for coverage page before committing to production. The full process is covered in our ACMPR licence guide.

Frequently asked questions

Next step

If you want to grow your own medical cannabis, the first step is a medical assessment and a medical document you can rely on. Apply now, browse our resources, or contact our team with questions.