A Mississippi senator holds a bag of hemp products used by Senator Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven to illustrate to lawmakers the specific parts of the Medical Cannabis Equivalency Unit What Mississippi will look like in January.
Rogelio V. Solis / AP
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Rogelio V. Solis / AP
A Mississippi senator holds a bag of hemp products used by Senator Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven to illustrate to lawmakers the specific parts of the Medical Cannabis Equivalency Unit What Mississippi will look like in January.
Rogelio V. Solis / AP
JACKSON, Ms. Mississippi is legalizing medical marijuana for people with debilitating illnesses like cancer, AIDS, and sickle cell disease.
Republican Governor Tate Reeves signed the bill Wednesday, and it became law immediately. It could be months before the first cannabis dispensaries open.
“There is no doubt that there are individuals in our state who could do significantly better if they had access to medically prescribed doses of cannabis,” Reeves wrote in a statement. on Twitter. “There are also people who really want a recreational marijuana program that could lead to more smokers and fewer people working, with all the social and family ills it brings.”
The National Conference of State Legislatures says 36 states and four territories have authorized the medical use of cannabis. Mississippi becomes the 37th state.
Ken Newburger, executive director of the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Association, a group that promotes: “For all those who have been touched in some way by a loved one or someone they know benefit from, benefits from medical marijuana. to legalize.
A majority of Mississippi voters passed the medical marijuana initiative in November 2020, and it will allow people to buy up to 5 ounces a month. The state’s Supreme Court invalidated it six months later by ruling that the state’s initiative process was outdated and the measure was not correctly placed on the ballot.
The state House and Senate, both controlled by Republicans, passed the final version of Senate Bill 2095 last week.
The new law will allow patients to purchase up to 3.5 grams of cannabis per day, up to six days a week. That’s about 3 ounces per month. It imposes taxes on the production and sale of cannabis, and it requires that the plant be grown indoors under controlled conditions.
As a result of the reduction from 5 ounces a month in the initiative to 3 ounces a month in the new law, “there will be hundreds of millions of fewer street joints because of this improvement,” Reeves said.
The new law prohibits the state from providing economic development incentives to the cannabis industry. The state often reduces taxes and provides financial support for roads or water lines to industrial sites.
The law gives cities and counties 90 days to refuse permission to grow or sell medical marijuana. However, people in those communities can petition for an election to override the decisions of local officials and allow them.
Clint Patterson is the chief executive officer of Mockingbird Cannabis, which plans to operate in the state. He said cannabis products can ease pain and suffering.
“We look forward to serving Mississippians as they seek to improve their health and quality of life through responsible cannabis use,” Patterson said in a statement.
