Mississippi Becomes 37th State To Legalize Medical Marijuana

“Bravo!

Mississippi is all set to start its medical marijuana licensing by June.

Indeed, good news for the Mississippi Residents!

It has finally become the 37th state to decriminalize medical marijuana use, and the state’s Health Department is working to develop the Medical Marijuana Program.

This means that by June, they plan to start accepting the online applications for applicants, medical professionals, cultivations of cannabis, and other essentials, said the department in a news release.

Mississippi now serves as the newest example that cannabis legalization can improve the quality of life. This victory of cannabis decriminalization allows almost ten thousand Mississippians with debilitating conditions to be able to access a natural remedy legally and safely that can mitigate the pain.

Toi Hutchinson, the president and CEO of Marijuana Policy Project, further stated, “We are hopeful that this move towards the cannabis legalization policy reform will add the developing momentum.”

The medical authorities are functioning, intending to provide an accessible yet safe marijuana program that fulfills the patient’s requirements while taking care of the safety of the state residents.

However, the highlights of the program in the news release indicate several laws to be passed in order to ensure the safe use of marijuana.

A few of them include:

• The state allows medical marijuana use for people with qualifying debilitating conditions like AIDS, Sickle Cell Disease, Cancer.
• The law will permit the patient to purchase up to 3.5 grams of cannabis per day, up to 6 days a week.
• This concludes around 3 ounces per month.
• The law sets taxes on the sale and production of cannabis.
• The cannabis cultivation must be grown indoors only under controlled conditions only.
• This law gave a time of 90 days to the cities and counties to opt-out of permitting medical cannabis facilities for selling or growing

However, the people in this community petition for an election to overrule the decisions of the local officials and permit them to do the same.

How did it all start?

On 3rd November 2020, 69 percent of the state voters cast their votes supporting the medical cannabis program.

However, on the same ballot, almost 74 percent of voters voted for the broad program known as initiative 65 while rejecting the more restrictive alternative placed on the ballot known as initiative 65 A.

However, the State’s Supreme Court nullified it six months later by declaring the initiative process outdated, and this measure was not mentioned on the ballot.

Though the legislature used up several months negotiating the bill signed, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves pushed the legislatures to diminish the quantity of cannabis patients can obtain each month in order to manage the widespread recreational use of marijuana.

Summarizing

Despite receiving tremendous support from the locals, the residents still experienced a real uphill battle for the medical marijuana program. But fortunately, patients who are seriously ill can access the treatment legally and no longer be subject to criminal penalties.