Mississippi’s Medical Marijuana program officially began Wednesday as the Mississippi State Department of Health began accepting applications.
Applications being accepted Wednesday were for cultivation, processing, transportation, disposal, research testing, patient ID cards, and physician certification. Businesses and people wanting to apply for work permits could also apply as of Wednesday.
However, the Mississippi Department of Revenue will not begin accepting applications for dispensaries until July.
A 30 days lag time exists between application windows because there can be no dispensaries without product.
Getting the product up and started first was the priority for the state. All applications are digital at the Mississippi Department of Health website.
There is one kink in the process, however.
Those wanting to apply for a patient ID card must first be certified by a doctor.
However, Wednesday was also the first day a doctor can apply for certification with the State of Mississippi.
The physician also has to register with the Department of Health. Even to certify a patient, a doctor has had to complete eight hours of medical cannabis continuing education through the Department of Health online system.
In theory, someone could have applied for a patient ID card as of Wednesday. However, that can’t happen until a patient has seen and been certified by a physician. Yet, physicians couldn’t have registered for the program until Wednesday.
Therefore, it is unlikely there will be any completed patient applications because physicians’ applications must be completed first.
The Department of Health said it is hopeful to be able to approve a full or completed application within five days of it having been submitted. Depending on the license type, though, it could take up to 30 days for state regulators to approve.
In the meantime, a handful of cultivators have already begun construction on their facilities in the hopes of having products available by late 2022.
After a turbulent year and a half, when it was unclear whether efforts to legalize medical marijuana in the state would be possible, Mississippi passed a law in February.
Unlike neighboring programs in Louisiana and Arkansas, Mississippi’s program does not have caps on business licenses. It includes a tiered licensing fee structure that allows smaller businesses to participate in the program for lower fees.
Under the law, communities had until May 3 to decide whether they wanted certain marijuana businesses to operate in their communities. The provision explicitly targets dispensaries, cultivators and marijuana processing facilities. City and county leaders can opt back in at any time under the law. Residents also can request a special election to decide to opt back in.
Below is a list of counties and municipalities which have opted out.
County
Carroll
Calhoun
Choctaw
George County
Jones (opted in for cultivation; opted out for processing and dispensaries)
Lauderdale
Leflore
Lincoln
Madison County (opted in for cultivation, processing, and transportation; opted out for dispensaries)
Montgomery
Neshoba
Newton
Pearl River County
Pontotoc
Tippah
Webster
Municipalities
Amory
Ashland
Belmont
Brandon
Caledonia
Carrollton
Clinton
D’Iberville
Ecru
Flora
Greenwood
Gluckstadt
Horn Lake
Lucedale
Madison
New Albany
Noxapater
Pass Christian
Pontotoc
Ridgeland
Southaven
Sumrall
Tishomingo
Vaiden
Winona (opted in for dispensaries; opted out for processing and cultivation)
Ross Reily can be reached by email at [email protected] or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter @GreenOkra1.
