Mississippi to vote on medical marijuana in 2020

The Mississippi Medical Marijuana Amendment has officially qualified for the ballot and was filed with the Mississippi State Legislature on January 7, the first day of the 2020 legislative session. The legislature must act on the measure within four months. The measure will appear on the 2020 ballot regardless of whether the state legislature adopts, rejects, or ignores the measure. The legislature may also choose to approve an amended or alternative version of the measure. In this case, both the original and legislative alternative versions would appear on the ballot together, giving voters the choice to reject both measures or approve one. For approval, an initiative in Mississippi must receive a majority of the total votes cast for that particular initiative and must also receive more than 40% of the total votes cast in that election.

The amendment would establish a medical marijuana program in Mississippi for individuals with a debilitating medical condition (as defined). Medical marijuana could be recommended for patients with at least one of the more than 20 qualifying conditions under the measure including cancer, epilepsy or seizures, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Crohn’s disease, HIV, and more. Patients could possess up to 2.5 ounces of medical marijuana at one time. [Read more att Ballotpedia News]