Mississippi hears testimony about cannabis legalization

This week, Mississippi held a meeting to discuss legalizing cannabis and heard testimony from people in other states who vouched for legalization. The testimony was presented to the Mississippi Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee. This is the second time they have met after the May ruling that voter-approved cannabis was void due to the initiative process.

In addition, some of the testimony came from two state doctors who urged “guard rails” to be necessary if medical cannabis is to become legal. They were concerned about the availability of products that have not been tested by the FDA and that products are available for children.

On the other side of the spectrum, a cannabis advocate spoke about children from Mississippi who had seizures and wanted access to legal cannabis. These children, like many others in the country, have tried FDA approved drugs with no great success.

Meanwhile, a patient advocate shared the stories of three Mississippi children who have had seizures and want access to medical marijuana for treatment. The attorney said they tried FDA-approved drugs and none of them helped.

“I will tell you that as you move forward with the legislation, make sure you protect agriculture and rural land from foreign investment because they are going to come into your state and devastate your rural areas with large outdoor crops,” he said Utah Senator Evan Vickers. The program in his state uses cannabis dispensaries, and pharmacies are not allowed.

Some Mississippi lawmakers have supported legal cannabis all along, claiming that they want the will of the voters to be supported and honored. However, since the vote was overturned, they must seek the approval of Republican Governor Tate Reeves. Although he agrees to have a special session to investigate legal cannabis, he has stated that he doesn’t want it to last too long.

Legislators gathered on Monday did not discuss in detail what a medical marijuana program might look like in Mississippi or whether they believe there should be a medical marijuana program in the state.

Mississippi goes medical

Amy Smoot, a DeSoto County patient advocate, shared the stories of three families who wanted access to medical marijuana to help alleviate their children’s suffering. She said the family of a nine-year-old girl finally went to Colorado in 2017 when prescription drugs were not working. After starting on THC oil, she has not had a seizure in three years.

“I beg you to give these children a chance,” said Amy Smooth, a cannabis patient from Mississippi, who spoke about families who need access to cannabis to help their children. She talked about parents who moved to Colorado and their child is now seizure free.

Cannabis advocates in the state are still angry with Initiative 65, which should have been a legalized state change. If it had passed, the Department of Health would have launched a program to bring cannabis to people with debilitating conditions like cancer, epilepsy, and sickle cell anemia.

Still, some in the state are concerned about what could happen if legal cannabis hits Mississippi. Dr. Jennifer Bryant, chair of the board of trustees of the Mississippi State Medical Association, said medical cannabis was of concern because she viewed it not as a drug but as a substance that had yet to be studied. She claimed that calling cannabis a drug was “an attempt to make it more benign than it really is”.

“We’re trying to keep guard rails on the program, but it’s a slippery slope,” she added.

It is clear that there is still no consensus on medical cannabis, but when legal cannabis comes into the state there will be a lot of regulations.