Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed legislation late Wednesday making Mississippi the 37th state to legalize medical marijuana. The law goes into effect immediately.
"There is no doubt that there are individuals in our state who could do significantly better if they had access to medically prescribed doses of cannabis," Reeves said in a statement after signing the bill, reported local media outlets.
Senate Bill 2095, the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act, will regulate the production and distribution of cannabis flowers and concentrates to patients with "debilitating medical conditions" such as cancer, refractory pain, post-traumatic stress, spinal cord disease and other qualifying ailments.
The law also sets taxes on the production and sale of cannabis and specifies that plants must be grown indoors under controlled conditions.
“For all the people who are touched in some way by a loved one or someone they know who benefits from medical cannabis, this brings their quality of life back,” said Ken Newburger, executive director of the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association, a group that pushed for legalization.
NORML’s State Policies Manager Jax James also issued a statement via email.
“Marijuana access is long overdue for Mississippi’s patients. The overwhelming majority of voters decided in favor of this policy change over a year ago, and for the past 14 months the will of the people has been denied.”
In November 2020, nearly 75% of Mississippi voters approved a medical marijuana initiative, which was invalidated six months later by a state Supreme Court ruling that the process was outdated and had not been properly placed on the ballot.
Under the new law, state regulators have 60 days following enactment to begin issuing registry ID cards to qualifying patients. Officials are to begin providing licenses to dispensary operations within 150 days.
