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Mississippi medical cannabis industry to launch July 1

by Travis C | Jun 28, 2022 | Blog, Cannabis Law, Cannabis Law and Compliance, Cannabis News, Legalization, Marijuana, Medical Marijuana, Politics

Mississippi medical cannabis legalization

After months of lengthy legal battles, legislation effectively legalizing cannabis for medicinal use in Mississippi will become law on July 1, 2022. The Mississippi Department of Revenue will be running the licensing process.

The agency has said that it will begin accepting applications for dispensaries starting July 5. Patients and medical practitioners will be able to begin applying for applications and registrations on July 1, along with some cannabis production licenses. These licenses specifically will be handled by the Mississippi Department of Health (MSDOH).

Both agencies’ responsibilities stem from the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act (MMCA), which was passed in February of this year. Medical cannabis legalization was delayed by nearly a year in the state after a voter initiative to legalize, Initiative 65, was overturned by the Mississippi Supreme Court in May of 2021.

Now patients with conditions covered under the MMCA can go to their physician and complete a medical certification from the MSDOH. If approved, patients will be able to apply to join the medical cannabis program. Once accepted they will receive patient ID they can use to purchase cannabis from a licensed dispensary.

While patients may be accepted as early as next month, plants won’t go in the ground in Mississippi until the bill is officially law, i.e. July 1. With dispensary applications being accepted starting July 5, it will certainly be several months before we see any dispensaries open with cannabis product on their shelves.

Estimates claim that purchasing could begin by December this year, or January 2023.

For those seeking a license, the state plans to hand them out within 30 days of receiving a completed application, meaning dispensary construction could begin within the next two months. The state is also accepting applications for a variety of other medical cannabis industry licenses:

Cultivator/Grower
Processor/Wholesaler
Transporter (local freight)
Transporter (long distance)
Testing Facility
Waste Disposal

Mississippi medical marijuana legalized by Governor

by The Real Dirt | Feb 3, 2022 | Blog, Cannabis Law, Cannabis Law and Compliance, Cannabis News, Legalization, Medical Marijuana, Politics

Mississippi is legalizing medical marijuana for people with debilitating conditions such as cancer, AIDS and sickle cell disease.

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed the legislation Wednesday and it became law immediately. It could be months before the first marijuana 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 posted to Twitter. “There are also those who really want a recreational marijuana program that could lead to more people smoking and less people working, with all the societal and family ills that that brings.”

The National Conference of State Legislatures says 36 states and four territories already allowed the medical use of cannabis. Mississippi becomes the 37th state.

“For all the people who are touched in some way by a loved one or someone they know who benefits from medical cannabis, this brings their quality of life back,” said Ken Newburger, executive director the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association, a group that pushed for legalization.

A majority of Mississippi voters approved a medical marijuana initiative in November 2020, and it would have allowed people to buy up to 5 ounces a month. The state Supreme Court invalidated it six months later by ruling that the state’s initiative process was outdated and the measure was not put properly 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 buy up to to 3.5 grams of cannabis per day, up to six days a week. That is about 3 ounces per month. It sets taxes on production and sale of cannabis, and it specifies that plants must be grown indoors under controlled conditions.

Read Full Story on ABC News

Mississippi medical marijuana bill introduced

by The Real Dirt | Jan 13, 2022 | Blog, Cannabis Law, Cannabis Law and Compliance, Cannabis News, Medical Marijuana, Politics

After months of debate and back-and-forth, lawmakers in Mississippi have finally produced a bill to implement a new medical cannabis law in the state.

After months of speculation and hand-wringing, the Mississippi Legislature is set to take up a medical marijuana bill in the Senate as soon as Thursday, lawmakers said.

Sen. Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven, filed the long-awaited bill late Tuesday afternoon. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann referred the 445-page bill to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee for review.

Wednesday afternoon, the bill was passed by the Senate public health committee. Should it pass the Senate, it would head to the House and then to the governor.

Speaker of the House Philip Gunn said at the start of the legislative session medical marijuana was not a top priority of his. Bryan’s committee held two hearings over the summer about what a proposed medical marijuana bill would look like in Mississippi.

Gov. Tate Reeves said in June 2021 he would call a special session of the legislature if the House and Senate could agree on a bill.

In September, Gunn and Hosemann announced their two chambers had reached an agreement, but Reeves never called a session, objecting to portions of the bill. A draft version was made public in September, and lawmakers worked to address most of Reeves concerns.

Read Full Story from Clarion Ledger

Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association launches

by The Real Dirt | Dec 18, 2020 | 420 News, Blog, Cannabis Law, Cannabis Law and Compliance

The Mississippi medical marijuana association launched this week

The Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association (3MA) is now accepting membership applications from business owners in the medical marijuana industry.

“We are so excited to officially launch this association,” said Ken Newburger, Executive Director for the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association. “We already have over 50 members, and our goal is to make sure we give these businesses access to tools and information to give Mississippi a top-tier medical marijuana program. Our team worked so hard alongside Mississippi voters to pass Initiative 65 at the polls, and now we want to do all we can to assure the program operates in the best way possible for patients in Mississippi.”

The primary focus of the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association is to monitor legislative and regulatory activity, to advocate for its members, and to be a single and coherent political voice representing the interests of the industry. Membership provides access to educational and informational resources, networking opportunities, and governmental affairs representation.

The association is holding its first event for members, the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Convention, on February 19, 2021.

“We worked tirelessly for two years educating voters to help get Initiative 65 passed,” said Newburger, “and now our team is moving forward to make sure patients who qualify to be treated with medical marijuana can get it in the safest and most secure way possible through prepared, reliable businesses. We have assembled a team of experienced professionals in the legal and communication industries, who also worked closely with the Initiative 65 campaign, to help assure that medical marijuana businesses in Mississippi are set up for success right from the beginning.”

Read the full story on WJTV

The States Voting on Legal Cannabis in 2020

by Travis C | Oct 16, 2020 | 420, 420 News, Blog, Cannabis Law, Culture

Updated on 11/5/20 to include results.

states voting on legal cannabis on November third

Every year there’s more states voting on legal cannabis. 2020 is no exception.

It’s become a regular trend. Each year, several states add an initiative to their ballot to vote for the legalization of cannabis. 33 states have legalized medical cannabis, and 11 of those states have legalized marijuana for recreational use.

It doesn’t mean that all of the initiatives are what we would ideally like, and there’s a couple states who have suffered from bad legislation.

For example, even though Vermont and Main legalized cannabis in 2018, neither had an actual regulated marketplace for legal cannabis until 2020. In other words even though cannabis was legal, there was nowhere to buy it, and selling it was still illegal.

But states voting on legal cannabis with some issues in the legislation is better than states not voting on legal cannabis at all. With that said, here’s the states voting on legal cannabis on November 3rd.

Mississippi

There are two measures on the ballot in Mississippi that aim to legalize cannabis for medical purposes.

Initiative 65 would make medical marijuana available for people with very specific qualifying conditions, according to WJTV. Patients could possess up to 2.5 ounces of medical marijuana at one time. The initiative also sets a state tax rate. This initiative basically fully legalizes medical and recreational cannabis in the state.

Initiative 65A does not specify qualifying conditions or possession limits. Regulations would need to be set by state lawmakers. This initiative is the more restrictive option, only specifying the use of medical marijuana for chronic illnesses and terminally ill patients.

RESULT: PASSED

Arizona

Proposition 207 would legalize the possession and use of marijuana for adults who are 21 or older. People would be permitted to grow six marijuana plants at their home as long as the plants aren’t in public view. The Arizona Department of Health Services would be responsible for regulating marijuana facilities and stores.

Four years ago, voters narrowly rejected a measure to legalize recreational marijuana. It is looking like this year’s vote will have more support and is likely to pass.

RESULT: PASSED

Montana

Montana definitely isn’t a state that comes to mind when people think of states voting on legal cannabis, but Montana actually has two different initiatives on the ballot.

CI-118 or “Allow for a Legal Age for Marijuana Amendment” would make 21 the legal age to purchase cannabis for recreational use. In other words it would amend the Montana Constitution to authorize the state to set 21 years of age as the minimum legal age for marijuana consumption.

I-190 would be the actual regulated industry proposal that CI-118 would allow for. According to Ballotpedia, the measure would legalize the possession and use of one ounce or less or 8 grams or less of marijuana concentrate by people at least 21.

It also puts a 20% tax on legalized marijuana that would flow into the state’s general fund. But that’s not all. In fact, I-90 is actually quite comprehensive. In addition to the above, I-90 would also:

Direct the Montana Department of Revenue to license and regulate the cultivation, transportation, and sale of marijuana and marijuana-infused products and to inspect premises where marijuana is cultivated and sold.
Require licensed laboratories to test marijuana and marijuana-infused products for potency and contaminants.
Allocate 10.5% of the tax revenue to the state’s general fund, with the remainder dedicated to accounts for conservation programs, substance abuse treatment, veterans’ services, healthcare programs, and local governments where marijuana is sold.
Allow an individual currently serving a sentence for a prior low-level marijuana offense to apply for resentencing or an expungement of the conviction.
Prohibit advertising of marijuana and related products.
Strictly regulate the packaging and labeling of marijuana products to prevent accidental ingestion and access by children.
Require that marijuana provider licenses only be issued to Montana residents.
Permit localities to regulate, ban, or restrict marijuana businesses within their jurisdiction.

RESULT: PASSED

New Jersey

Question No. 1 on the ballot would make pot legal for adults 21 and older. Medical marijuana is already legal in New Jersey, and the group that oversees the regulation of medicinal cannabis would also regulate recreational pot.

The constitutional amendment would take effect on January 1 and would make New Jersey the first state in the Mid-Atlantic to legalize marijuana.

Because of the economic impact expected to be brought in by residents of neighboring states, it’s believed passage in New Jersey could put pressure on other states in the region to pass similar measures. Unfortunately, Question No. 1 is very short and vague, which likely implies while cannabis could be legal on January 1, 2021, it might be some time before a regulated industry is operating in the state.

RESULT: PASSED

South Dakota

The state will be voting on both medicinal and recreational marijuana during the general election.

Amendment A would legalize recreational cannabis for anyone 21 or older. The measure would also require state lawmakers to pass laws that create a medical marijuana program by early 2022.

Measure 26 would only allow for the sale of medical marijuana to people with “debilitating medical conditions.” Patients cleared for the program could possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana and grow plants in their homes.

While strict, South Dakota is one of the most conservative states when it comes to cannabis, being one of the only in the nation to still not have passed any legislation regarding cannabis. For these same reasons many are unhopeful that Measure 26 or Amendment A will pass.

RESULT: PASSED