The Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act is the product of significant work by Senator Kevin Blackwell and Representative Lee Yancey who began working on the bill after the Mississippi Supreme Court overturned the results of the 2020 ballot where Mississippi voters overwhelmingly approved medical marijuana through Initiative 65. These legislators, and many stakeholders, hoped that Governor Reeves would call a special session to give Mississippians a medical program as the voters intended. When that did not occur, the Mississippi Legislature moved swiftly in the 2022 regular session to pass the bill, which received a huge amount of support in both chambers.

Major changes that the House made to the Senate version are: (1) reducing the monthly amount from 3.5 oz per month to 3 oz per month; (2) removing the responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture and Commerce and giving those responsibilities to the Department of Health; and (3) giving municipalities more discretion to allow grow facilities to locate in commercial areas, not just agricultural and industrial zones.

McLaughlin, PC continues to advise clients in the medical cannabis industry, along with trade associations and non-profits that support medical cannabis. If you have questions about entering this industry, please call us at 601-487-4550 or send an email to Conner@McLaughlinPC.com.