Mississippi Legislators Propose Expanded Medical Cannabis Regulations |

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

Republican Senator Kevin Blackwell tabled a 445-page bill Tuesday, according to Clarion Ledger, and the bill was promptly referred to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee for lieutenant review. Governor Delbert Hosemann.

The Clarion Ledger reported that the chairman of that committee, Democratic Senator Hob Bryan, has said he intends to put the bill up for debate on Wednesday.

So Blackwell’s bill must overcome four more hurdles to become law: get the approval of the health committee; leave the State Senate; leave the state house; and to be signed by Republican Governor Tate Reeves.

In other words, get stuck.

Still, the mere filing of the bill itself is a breakthrough after a year of disagreement and delays surrounding the law.

Nearly 70 percent of Mississippi voters voted in 2020 to legalize medical cannabis in the state for patients with qualifying conditions like cancer, epilepsy or other seizures, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s Disease, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis.

But despite this widespread public approval, the proposal has met with resistance ever since. Last May, the Mississippi Supreme Court rejected the initiative and declared it unconstitutional for formal reasons.

Following that decision, state lawmakers spent months negotiating with Reeves to submit a medical cannabis bill in place of the court-annulled bill.

In August, Blackwell expressed confidence that lawmakers could get a bill off the ground for medical cannabis.

“Well, I’m tired of saying that, but we’re getting very close,” Blackwell told Mississippi Today. And I’m sure there are people out there who want to use these products for medicinal purposes, and certainly for the kids with some of their seizure disorders (which are frustrating to them). But we work on it every day and try to get so far that we can present something to the governor. “

Legislators drafted a bill in September, but Reeves never convened a special session to review the bill, citing concerns about the draft bill.

“I am confident that we will hold a special session of the legislature when we learn the details of some outstanding items,” Reeves said at a news conference in October. “Again we have made great strides in working with our legislative leaders.”

In November, Reeves cited part of the proposal that “bans the Department of Public Security from playing a role in the state’s potential medical marijuana industry” as the main reason for disagreement.

“Obviously I didn’t want to agree, so we’ve made some necessary improvements to the bill, but we’re not where I feel sure we have a program that really is.” Medical marijuana, for strict rules apply, “said Reeves, quoted by Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

The governor has also raised concerns about the amount of pot a patient can buy at one time. Now that the Mississippi Legislature officially met last week, lawmakers will seek to get the bill passed in a regular session.
The Clarion Ledger reported that the new bill submitted this week “allows medical marijuana card holders to purchase 3.5 grams of the substance per day,” although Reeves said he would “in most cases Lowering this number to 2.7 grams I wish ”. . “