Mississippi becomes 37th U.S. state to legalize medical marijuana
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[February 03, 2022]
(Reuters) - Mississippi joined 36
other U.S. states in legalizing marijuana for medical use on Wednesday,
as the governor signed legislation permitting cannabis for treatment of
severe, debilitating health conditions such as cancer, AIDS and
Alzheimer's disease.
Announcing enactment of the bill, Governor Tate Reeves said the final
version passed last week by the Republican-controlled legislature was
designed to curb recreational marijuana use, such as by allowing
patients to obtain no more than 3 ounces of cannabis per month, or 3.5
grams a day.
Reeves, a first-term Republican, said that limit alone would result in
"hundreds of millions of fewer joints on the streets" compared with the
original, more permissive version of the bill. The new law becomes
effective immediately.
Under it, an individual can legally obtain medical marijuana only if
diagnosed with one of approximately two dozen qualifying conditions,
including cancer, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, muscular
dystrophy, Alzheimer's, autism, post-traumatic stress disorder and
severe injury.
The measure also permits cannabis to be prescribed for any "pain state
in which the cause of the pain cannot be removed or otherwise treated
... and which no relief or cure of the cause of the pain is possible."
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![](../images/020322pics/news_I51.jpg)
Marijuana plants for sale are displayed at the medical marijuana
farmers market at the California Heritage Market in Los Angeles,
California July 11, 2014. REUTERS/David McNew
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Feb/03/images/ads/current/beltone_lda_LUAL_2021.png) Written certification must be
provided by a licensed healthcare professional with whom patients
have a bona fide relationship, and the bill requires an in-person
office visit to obtain one.
Only a physician can prescribe for young adults between the ages of
18 and 25, and parental consent is also required for minors.
Mississippi voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to
establish a medical cannabis program in November 2020, but it was
later invalidated when the state Supreme Court struck down the
state's entire ballot initiative process.
According to the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL),
Mississippi becomes the 37th of 50 states to allow some form of
medical marijuana program, even though cannabis remains classified
as an illegal narcotic under U.S. federal law.
As of November, 18 states and the District of Columbia have enacted
measures to regulate cannabis for non-medical use by adults, the
NCSL said.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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