MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Mississippians have voted to legalize medical marijuana – but with it already legal in Arkansas is it a matter of time before Tennessee catches up?
Initiative 65 on the Mississippi ballot was the less restrictive of two options for voters to choose from.
The program kicks of next summer.
“I am thankful and very humble and very excited for the families in Mississippi that this is going to help,” said Jamie Grantham, the communications director for Medical Marijuana 2020 which was behind Initiative 65.
It allows for a doctor to prescribe 5 ounces of marijuana per month.
“The department of health will put forth the rules and regulations for the program,” shared Grantham. “Those have to be completed by July of 2021.”
In August of 2021 businesses can begin applying for licenses to the department of health and those licenses will begin being issued.
Patients with a debilitating medical condition including cancer and more than 20 others must go to a Mississippi licensed physician for an in-person examination to be certified.
“The patient would turn that physician certification in to the department of health to receive their medical marijuana id card and then they would be able to go to the licensed treatment centers which will be the only places that medical marijuana will be available,” said Grantham.
But what about Tennessee? State Representative Antonio Parkinson fears it’s being left out.
“I’m actually excited for the citizens of Mississippi,” said Parkinson (D). “Here in Tennessee, we’re still living in an archaic time where we’ll still charging people that may want to seek relief for medical issues with felonies.”
The representative said he plans on running legislation this year on medical marijuana.
Parkinson said he was the only legislator in the history of the state to get a marijuana bill to the house floor – it was 6 votes shy of passing.
“Illinois passed legal marijuana. Arkansas now Mississippi. Here we are as lawmakers for the state of Tennessee and we seem to always be the last to the table.”
Tennessee does not have a voter initiative process so any steps toward marijuana legalization would have to go through elected officials.