Congratulations, Magnolia State. It seems like every week brings news to remind us that our medical marijuana market will soon be up and running while providing safe, natural medicine to people who get a Mississippi Marijuana Card.
Although you won’t be able to buy medical marijuana here until until later this year or early next, we are continuously reminded just how close we are to finally joining the twenty-first century and the thirty-seven other states that have their own medical marijuana markets.
This time, the reminders come from both the public and private sectors, as within the last couple of weeks the Mississippi Department of Revenue began accepting applications from would-be dispensary owners and business owners from across the state gathered in Biloxi for an unprecedented medical marijuana conference.
Both events underscore a simply joyous fact: Medical marijuana is coming to Mississippi soon, and nothing can stop it now.
Department of Revenue Begins Processing Dispensary Licensing Applications
The biggest reminder of medical marijuana’s momentum here came with the announcement that on July 5th, the Department of Revenue would begin processing applications from businesses hoping to open cannabis dispensaries.
Combined with the news last month that the Mississippi Department of Health began processing applications from doctors, patients, and medical marijuana businesses other than dispensaries, this is the biggest step the state has taken towards opening its cannabis market since the passage of the state’s medical marijuana law.
Medical Marijuana Advocate Sees Dispensary Applications As a Big Step Forward for Mississippi’s Cannabis Market
Ken Newburger, the Executive Director of the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association, told WDAM that this announcement from the Department of Revenue is monumental news for the state’s medical marijuana market, because it signals a move away from talking about and planning for cannabis and a step towards the actual implementation of the law.
“We are at the end of the initial lawmaking and rulemaking, and we’re now at the point where the program is launching,” Newburger told WDAM, “so the plane is getting off the ground.”
WDAM described Newburger as having “relentlessly pushed for medical marijuana in the Magnolia State” since the beginning of Initiative 65, the medical marijuana ballot issue that Mississippians overwhelmingly approved before the state Supreme Court decided to suppress democracy on a technicality.
And while it no doubt took longer than he would have liked, Newburger told WDAM that he was pleased with Mississippi’s medical marijuana law and the progress being made towards opening the state’s market. “At this point, I think we’re moving very much towards what the spirit of Initiative 65 was, which is to get patients medical marijuana,” Newburger said.
The next major stop on Mississippi’s road to medical marijuana will be the availability of the medication in the state’s dispensaries. Estimates for the day when patients will be able to buy their medicine will be adjusted based on the growth rates of the first cannabis plants legally grown here, which is set to begin this month. Newburger told WDAM that he expects patients will be able to buy medicine by early December this year or early January 2023.
Cannabis Companies Hold Medical Marijuana Conference in Biloxi
In another sign of medical marijuana’s momentum in Mississippi, businesses looking to enter the state’s cannabis market held the Mississippi Marijuana Business Conference in Biloxi on June 23rd. According to WXXV, Gulfport’s Fox and NBC affiliate, the aim of the conference was “to educate business owners on how to be successful in the industry.”
Steve Marritt, who is opening Southern Sky Brands cannabis distribution center in Canton and has been involved in cultivation facilities nationwide, told WXXV that “The fun part about Mississippi is that it’s a new market so there’s a lot of education and that’s what we’re hoping to do.”
Marritt also said that he and his company are interested in medical marijuana not just for the profit potential but for the good it does for suffering patients. “We’re here to help get more people in the industry because we really believe in the medicine. I’ve actually seen it with real people and I know there’s a lot of (value in the) medicine.”
Or as another conference attendee, Tommy Guillory, put it to WLOX, Biloxi’s ABC and CBS affiliate, “We have to understand that this plant has more benefits to the human body versus just getting you high.”
Guillory owns Hemp Boutique, a CBD retailer, but is now hoping to become licensed to operate a medical marijuana facility. He said he was attending the conference to learn as much as he can while he waits to hear about his license application.
“We’re going to grow it, we’re going to process it, we’re going to package it, and we’ll sell it to the customers through our dispensaries,” Guillory said of his company’s plans for medical marijuana. Of course an operation of that size will require a sizeable investment, and Guillory’s company is just one of many that is looking to give Mississippi’s economy a boost by investing in cannabis.
“The facility that we’re looking at right now is 37 acres,” Guillory told WLOX. “It’s a little under 30,000 square foot. It will cost a little under five million dollars to break ground and get from conception to actual production.”
Medical Marijuana Is Good for the State’s Economy and for the Health of Its People
Of course as good as medical marijuana has been already and will continue to be for the state’s economy, the real reason to celebrate these milestones is the good that cannabis will do for the health of Mississippians. As Guillory said, “this plant has more benefits to the human body versus just getting you high.” Don’t you want to experience those benefits?
Reserve an evaluation online today, and we’ll book an appointment for you with one of our knowledgeable, compassionate doctors just as we’re cleared to.
You’ll meet with your new doctor virtually, using your smartphone or computer, for a telemedicine appointment, and you will discuss your conditions.
Then, they’ll determine whether you qualify for a Mississippi Marijuana Card, all without even leaving your home. And by reserving an evaluation online today, you can 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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