State lawmakers are waiting to find out if the governor will call a special session on medical marijuana.The proposal is different from the voter-approved Initiative 65 in two key ways. First, medical marijuana products would be subjected to the state sales tax and cities and counties would be able to opt-out.”If the city elected officials choose to opt-out, the people who live in that city can call for referendum and have a popular vote and that will be the ultimate decider,” State Senator David Blount said. Lawmakers in the House and Senate have reached a deal on legislation that would place no limit on the number of medical marijuana licenses that could be issued and expands who is eligible to issue a license.”We actually have three additional coverages that were not in 65 before,” Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Friday. “We have a very structured way to do this. This is medical marijuana. This is not recreational marijuana.”Highlights of the draft legislation include: •Allowing medical cannabis use for all the conditions listed in Initiative 65, as well as hepatitis, Alzheimer’s disease and spastic quadriplegia; •Allowing physicians, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants and optometrists to certify a patient’s use of medical cannabis; •Requiring a bona fide doctor-patient relationship for the issuance of a 12-month medical cannabis certification and requiring a six-month follow-up visit; •Requiring the Mississippi Departments of Revenue, Health, and Agriculture and Commerce to share in the responsibility of overseeing the program, including a seed-to-sale tracking program; •Allowing “micro-cultivators” and “micro-processors” with lower licensing fees, in addition to larger-scale operations, to encourage wide participation; •Allowing local governments to exercise reasonable zoning laws related to the location of medical cannabis facilities; and •Allowing local governments to opt-out of the program within 90 days, and allowing citizens to overrule such a decision through a referendum process.Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson slammed the 100-page proposal for what he called “huge taxation.”“Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. It looks like a Democrat drafted bill,” Gipson wrote in a statement. “Both the Speaker of the House, lieutenant governor, the committee chairman are all Republicans. And frankly look, the people want this. Democrats voted for this. Republicans voted for this,” Blount said. Lawmakers want the governor to call the special session next Friday. They believe they could get everything done in one day and reduce the extra cost to taxpayers. The team 16 WAPT reached out to the governor’s office to ask if he would call a special session.“Staff from the Governor’s office and legislature met together to discuss it today, and we are looking forward to engaging further,” Tate Reeves’ office said in a statement. Lawmakers also want to use a special session to use money from the American Rescue Plan to pay retention bonuses to frontline healthcare workers including nurses.
State lawmakers are waiting to find out if the governor will call a special session on medical marijuana.
The proposal is different from the voter-approved Initiative 65 in two key ways. First, medical marijuana products would be subjected to the state sales tax and cities and counties would be able to opt-out.
“If the city elected officials choose to opt-out, the people who live in that city can call for referendum and have a popular vote and that will be the ultimate decider,” State Senator David Blount said.
Lawmakers in the House and Senate have reached a deal on legislation that would place no limit on the number of medical marijuana licenses that could be issued and expands who is eligible to issue a license.
“We actually have three additional coverages that were not in 65 before,” Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Friday. “We have a very structured way to do this. This is medical marijuana. This is not recreational marijuana.”
Highlights of the draft legislation include:
•Allowing medical cannabis use for all the conditions listed in Initiative 65, as well as hepatitis, Alzheimer’s disease and spastic quadriplegia;
•Allowing physicians, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants and optometrists to certify a patient’s use of medical cannabis;
•Requiring a bona fide doctor-patient relationship for the issuance of a 12-month medical cannabis certification and requiring a six-month follow-up visit;
•Requiring the Mississippi Departments of Revenue, Health, and Agriculture and Commerce to share in the responsibility of overseeing the program, including a seed-to-sale tracking program;
•Allowing “micro-cultivators” and “micro-processors” with lower licensing fees, in addition to larger-scale operations, to encourage wide participation;
•Allowing local governments to exercise reasonable zoning laws related to the location of medical cannabis facilities; and
•Allowing local governments to opt-out of the program within 90 days, and allowing citizens to overrule such a decision through a referendum process.
Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson slammed the 100-page proposal for what he called “huge taxation.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. It looks like a Democrat drafted bill,” Gipson wrote in a statement.
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“Both the Speaker of the House, lieutenant governor, the committee chairman are all Republicans. And frankly look, the people want this. Democrats voted for this. Republicans voted for this,” Blount said.
Lawmakers want the governor to call the special session next Friday. They believe they could get everything done in one day and reduce the extra cost to taxpayers.
The team 16 WAPT reached out to the governor’s office to ask if he would call a special session.
“Staff from the Governor’s office and legislature met together to discuss it today, and we are looking forward to engaging further,” Tate Reeves’ office said in a statement.
Lawmakers also want to use a special session to use money from the American Rescue Plan to pay retention bonuses to frontline healthcare workers including nurses.
