Mississippi continues growing medical marijuana, but the legislature has not acted to protect the state's patients
For the fifth straight year, Sen. Deborah Dawkins (D-Pass Christian), a compassionate legislator, introduced medical marijuana legislation this year. Sadly, the bill — SB 2369 — did not get the fair hearing it deserved: The Senate Judiciary Committee voted it down without even granting it a hearing. Legislators often think medical marijuana is politically risky, and it’s crucial you let them know that protecting patients is not only the right thing to do, it’s also what their constituents want.
Please email your representatives in Jackson today and ask them to support patients!
In the irony of ironies, the University of Mississippi has been growing marijuana for the federal government's little-known medical marijuana program, the Compassionate Investigational New Drug program, for decades. Each month, the federal authorities send four patients a tin canister filled with about 300 pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes. If the federal government can grow medical marijuana for out-of-state patients in Mississippi, why can't Mississippi's seriously ill patients access the medicine they need?
Did you know Mississippi is a "decrim" state?
Mississippi is one of the 15 states that has decriminalized personal use marijuana possession. First offense possession of 30 grams (a little more than an ounce) is punishable by a $250 fine instead of jail time and a civil summons as opposed to arrest, as long as the offender provides proof of identity and a written promise to appear in court.
Unfortunately, new evidence suggests that Mississippi’s marijuana laws are not being evenly enforced. A 2013 study by the American Civil Liberties Union found that although blacks and whites use marijuana at nearly identical rates, blacks in Mississippi are 3.9 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession.
Please write your state legislators to ask them to end marijuana prohibition in the state and replace it with a taxed and regulated system, as Colorado and Washington state have done.
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