The governor of Mississippi is suggesting he may veto a medicinal cannabis measure that lawmakers have been negotiating unless they sharply reduce the amount of cannabis it would permit consumers to buy.
Tate Reeves (R), Governor of Mississippi, stated in a Facebook blurb that he feels that ⅛ (or 3.5 grams) per day per consumer is too excessive, and the lawmakers in power ought to “simply cut that quantity in half to begin the program” and reevaluate after a few years (if applicable.)
The governor’s order is the latest misstep for lawmakers in Mississippi as they try to legislate a medicinal cannabis program in line with what Mississippians backed in 2020 prior to the state’s Supreme Court’s canceled the initiative for bureaucratic reasons.
“I’ve constantly informed the members of the Mississippi Legislature that I am ready to sign a measure that is comprehensively medicinal cannabis,” Reeves stated. “One that has expected restrictions to assure that it doesn’t have any side effects on Mississippi’s financial wellbeing. One that has suitable impediments to ensure that it doesn’t infringe upon Mississippi families. A program that assists those Mississippians who actually require it for a medical condition.”
“In numerous ways, the labor done on the original composition of the Mississippi Legislature’s measure supported address some of these matters,” Reeves expressed. “There is one unresolved matter in question that is EXTREMELY important: how much cannabis any one patient can purchase in any given day.”
Mississippi lawmakers have made numerous concessions to Reeves as they’ve continued debates on legislation to return the voter-approved ballot measure, and cannabis reform advocates wished everything would be fixed in time for the Governor of Mississippi to convene a unique legislative session to pass the measure this year, as he hinted he’d do. However, that doesn’t seem like it will be the case with only a few days left in the year.
The Governor of Mississippi expressed on Tuesday that the measure that lawmakers have produced thus far supplies “virtually unrestricted access to cannabis once qualified.” Later, Reeves crunched some numbers to calculate how many typical unit cannabis joints could be lawfully distributed each year in Mississippi, considering 300,000 patients purchased the maximum.
According to Reeves, Mississippi would be slanging “1.2 million legal joints.” Most would agree that this would be ideal for Mississippi’s economy. Over the course of modern history, Mississippi has been recorded as the ‘poorest state in the country’ on multiple occasions by numerous reputable news outlets.
“Call me wild, but I just feel that’s too wide of a catalyst,” the governor, who has continuously gone back to the congress with demands for changes as they’ve worked to pen the measure throughout the year, expressed.
The Mississippi House and Senate leaders revealed earlier this Summer that they had come to an understanding of the cannabis reform bill. Despite this, the governor came back with numerous objections, demanding legislators to go back and make the necessary compromises. Even after Mississippi lawmakers made changes, Reeves held staunch on what the administration says are “outrageous demands.”
“If you dissent, I respect your sentiment. We can sit down a few years from now and take a meticulous review of the tangible developments. However—as the dad of three daughters that I love with all of my heart—I cannot put my autograph on a measure that puts that much weed on the streets of Mississippi,” he stated in the new Facebook status. “I hope that Mississippi legislative executives will see fit to consider changing the excessive amount of cannabis they seek to make accessible by law so that I can mark their measure and we can put this matter to bed once and for all.”