Registered patients would be subject to purchase limits that would restrict them to no more than 3.5 grams of cannabis flower, 1 gram of concentrate, or up to 100 milligrams of THC in infused products.

A new bill to legalize medical marijuana was introduced in Mississippi on Tuesday and on Wednesday afternoon, the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee approved the measure by a voice vote. The bill is expected to be taken up on the floor as soon as Thursday, reported Marijuana Moment. A medical cannabis program could start in 2022.

For some time after the Supreme Court shot down a vote of the people to create a Mississippi medical marijuana, it appeared fait accompli that lawmakers would enact a program, per the “will of the voters.”

Legislative leaders got to work over the summer to draft a bill. Gov. Tate Reeves said he would call lawmakers into special session to pass it once there was general agreement on the plan.

The new legislative session began on Tuesday. At the top of the list for state lawmakers to discuss is the medical marijuana program.

Mississippi patients hoping on a green light for the state’s medical marijuana program before year’s end are likely to be disappointed.

The situation to date: In 2020, the state’s lawmakers put together a ballot initiative to legalise medical cannabis – and 69.2% of voters supported it in November last year.  But Mississippi governor Tate Reeves wasn’t thrilled with the prospect and that meant trouble lay ahead.

In May this year, hopes for the program kicking off in 2021 were dashed by a Supreme Court decision ruled the ballot initiative invalid due to a technicality – and the state’s voters were overwhelmingly unhappy with the court’s decision. 70% wanted the legislature to pass the law with wording exactly matching the amendment approved by voters.

Mississippi is not moving ahead with medical cannabis, as the governor has yet to approve a special session to discuss.

There’s a standoff over medical cannabis in Mississippi, with the governor and state lawmakers still at odds over provisions in the proposed legislation.

It is up to Republican Governor Tate Reeves to call a special legislative session that is necessary to pass a bill that would implement a new medical marijuana law in the state––something Mississippi voters approved at the ballot last year. 

But Reeves has yet to give the green light to such a session, saying Monday that there are portions of the bill written by Mississippi legislators that he simply cannot get behind.

STATE WIDE–Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday that state lawmakers are not done negotiating a new medical marijuana bill to replace Initiative 65, which was voted on by the people and thrown out by the state Supreme Court. The main hang-up is how strong the medical cannabis could actually be.

"How much marijuana could any one individual get at any point in time, and what is the THC content of that medical marijuana,” he said at a Monday news conference.

Reeves has not called a special session and that might not happen because lawmakers are just two months away from their regular yearly stint in Jackson, and a special session costs for each day lawmakers are in session.

Reeves also said it is not clear how long negotiations on the bill might take.

 Mississippians prepare to protest in front of the governor’s mansion in Jackson, demanding Governor Tate Reeves to call a special session for the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act.

Reeves told lawmakers that if both sides, Republican and Democrat, were able to come to a consensus and draft a bill for a medical cannabis program, he would call a special session.

It’s been three weeks since a consensus was reached and a bill submitted, and Reeves has yet to call a special session, prompting this upcoming protest.

“I hope he’s ready for karaoke because we’ve got loudspeakers; we’ve got tents. We’re going to be there until we get our session,” said Zack Wilson, Vice President of We are the 74.

A group of investors who call themselves The Hemp Professors visited the state to discuss the future of the hemp industry in one Mississippi county and the surrounding region. The Hemp Professors, from Wisconsin, offers Hemp-derived products for patients dealing with seizures, pain, anxiety, cancer, diabetes, sleep issues, and other ailments.

A breakfast was held with the Jefferson Davis County Economic Development and Chamber Partnership directors to introduce The Hemp Professors.

Somebody was playing games when a football full of weed and a tennis ball packed with methamphetamine was thrown over the wall of a North Carolina prison, but the intended play fell short when the contraband was intercepted. (Photo by Mississippi Department of Corrections)

Guards at the Morrison Correctional Institution noticed the suspicious packages “out-of-bounds” between the inner and outer fences of the medium-security prison near Rockingham last week.

Checking things out, the guards found “concealed inside were tobacco, marijuana and crystal meth,” notes a tweet this week from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS).

Legislative leaders in Mississippi have requested that Republican Governor Tate Reeves convene a special legislative session in the coming days to address medical marijuana access.

The request comes after lawmakers last week revealed that they have reached an agreement on a draft legislation to regulate medical marijuana access in the state. If the Governor agrees to convene a special session, it would likely begin on Friday October 1.