The year 2020 was destined to be a banner year for marijuana producers and dispensaries. That is, until COVID-19 reared its ugly head. 

If you’re wondering how COVID-19 is affecting marijuana legislation, you’re not the only one. The reality is that the coronavirus pandemic has, unfortunately, hampered some marijuana legalization efforts in the short term, but it shouldn’t have any long-lasting effects. 

Marijuana legalization initiatives are still taking place in US states despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus outbreak has taken a toll on the global markets and the economy. Countries and the World Health Organization are trying to contain the virus. Meanwhile, legalization efforts continue in US states. Mississippi has been trying to put a legalization initiative on the November ballot. However, lawmakers have a new strategy to make marijuana legalization difficult in the state.

Mississippi voters may have not one, but two medical marijuana proposals to decide on come November.

Members of the state’s House of Representatives passed a resolution on Tuesday to place another measure on this year’s ballot as an alternative to Initiative 65, which qualified for the ballot in January.

National Institute of Health (NIH) spends an estimated $150 million per year on marijuana research. All of which is sourced from one farm at the University of Mississippi.

Even though marijuana stocks had a miserable 2019, cannabis momentum marches on in North America. For instance, by no later than April 30, we should see Mexico officially become the third country in the world to legalize adult-use weed. That follows the country's Supreme Court ruling mandating that Congress come up with rules to regulate a retail cannabis market in Mexico.

Mississippi became the latest state this week to add a medical marijuana question to its 2020 ballot.

Voters there will have the opportunity to decide on Ballot Initiative 65, which, if approved, will grant access to medical cannabis for patients suffering from various conditions like cancer and epilepsy. 

Mississippians for Compassionate Care, the group that spearheaded the ballot initiative, announced the news Wednesday on its Facebook page, saying that the Secretary of State in Mississippi certified the signatures submitted.

A proposed measure legalizing medical cannabis access in Mississippi has qualified for the 2020 ballot.

Mississippi’s Secretary of State’s Office notified lawmakers on Tuesday that petitioners, Mississippians for Compassionate Care, had gathered a sufficient number of signatures to place Measure 65 before voters this November.

This year has been momentous for cannabis reform, from the Illinois General Assembly becoming the first state legislature to pass a bill to regulate cannabis like alcohol to the U.S. House of Representatives passing the SAFE Banking Act and forging ahead with the MORE Act. 

It’s important to celebrate these victories, but with the end of 2019 comes the beginning of 2020, which is already shaping up to be the biggest year ever for marijuana-policy reform. 

The numbers 11 and 33 come up quite often when the topic of marijuana legalization is discussed. Currently, 11 U.S. states allow the legal use of recreational marijuana, while 33 states have legalized medical cannabis. But those numbers could soon change.

Nine states could be on track to hold key votes on some form of marijuana legalization in 2020. Here are the states that could be next on the marijuana map -- and the stocks that could be poised to profit the most.

An expert says growing hemp could be risky in Mississippi because of the wet climate and because there's no federally approved pesticide for the plant.