You’re one step closer to being able to get a Mississippi Marijuana Card, because the state House of Representatives has passed their version of the bill that the Senate passed on January 13.
The Clarion Ledger reports that the House passed the bill January 19 with a 104-14 vote.
The Ledger also reports that the House added three amendments to the bill in an attempt to address Governor Tate Reeves’ concerns and improve the bill’s chances of passing.
Representative Lee Yancey has been representing the House in negotiations over the bill with Senator Kevin Blackwell through the summer and fall, ever since Reeves called on legislators to craft a bill so that he could then call a special session to pass it. Once negotiations were complete, however, Reeves refused to call the special session.
Yancey lowered the amount of medicine patients can purchase each month from 3.5 ounces to 3. Patients will still be able to buy 3.5 grams of medical marijuana at a time, with a limit of six purchases per week.
Yancey said he expects the legislature will increase purchasing limits in the future, saying “This is an effort to start small and grow rather than start big and reduce.”
The bill was also amended to allow dispensaries to open in commercial districts, and to place the state’s medical marijuana program under the authority of the Mississippi State Department of Health rather than placing oversight of cannabis cultivation, processing, and transportation under the authority of the Department of Agriculture and Commerce.
The move from Agriculture to Health seems to have been in response to Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson’s public and vocal objections to the idea of overseeing the state’s medical marijuana program. The Ledger reports that in September Gipson had said “It's not what my oath of office required, and it's not what the people in Mississippi elected me to do, to be the marijuana kingpin of the state of Mississippi.”
The House’s amended version of the bill may have increased the odds of the bill passing, as Governor Reeves signaled in an interview on the Supertalk Mississippi radio network on January 18th that he approves of the revisions he has seen. Reeves said that “as each version has come out, it’s gotten better—it’s gotten closer to medical marijuana.”
You Don’t Have to Wait for Governor Reeves’ Approval to Get Started with Medical Marijuana
While you have to wait for the legislature and governor to work out their differences before you can get medical marijuana in Mississippi, you don’t have to wait to get started on your journey with medical cannabis.
Reserve an evaluation online today, and we’ll book an appointment for you with one of our compassionate doctors just as soon as Mississippi’s medical marijuana market is up and running.
You’ll meet with your new doctor virtually, using your smartphone or computer for a telemedicine appointment. You’ll learn if you qualify for a Mississippi Marijuana Card and find out what medical marijuana could do for you, all without even leaving your home. You’ll even save $25 off the cost of the evaluation!
Doctors Who Care.
Relief You Can Trust.
Helping everyone achieve wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana. Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce the stigma for our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
If you have any questions, call us at (833) 781-6635, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
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