Lawmakers in both the Mississippi Senate and the House have approved SB 2095, the bill that would legalize medical cannabis for qualifying patients. The House added on a few amendments to SB 2095, which sent the bill back to the Senate. Instead of holding a full chamber vote, a bicameral conference committee was held. This committee is made up of both Senators and Representatives who have worked closely with the bill to make any necessary changes and confirm added amendments. 

There has only been one major change so far. Previously, the House added on an amendment regarding zoning. This amendment said processors and cultivators could also operate in commercial zones in addition to industrial and agriculture zones. The bicameral conference committee did remove this amendment as there had been some outcry against it from the Mississippi Municipal League (MML).

Governor Reeves

After the bicameral conference committee confirms that SB 2095 is a version that both the House and the Senate can agree on, it moves to Governor Reeves, R. Previously, Governor Reeves has opposed the daily purchase amount written in the bill. According to his calculations, this would put over one million joints in the Mississippi streets. Therefore, the governor demanded that lawmakers lower the amount of cannabis a patient can purchase a day. 

Lawmakers

However, lawmakers across Mississippi have opposed this provision, saying that 3.5 grams, the amount they had written into their bill, was a standard amount. “An eighth of an ounce is an industry standard,” Representative Lee Yancey, R, said last October. He has been a key representative working towards medical cannabis legalization. 

“Medical marijuana machines are calibrated on eighths of an ounce,” Representative Yancey continued. “We have told the governor, no, we are not going to change, that we are going to do just like 37 other states and the District of Columbia, and use the industry standard and allow people with debilitating conditions the same relief as other states with medical marijuana.”

Potential Veto

With SB 2095 going to Governor Reeves, the question of a potential veto is in the air. Governor Reeves has previously said he would veto a bill that came to his desk if it didn’t restrict the daily purchase. However, a veto wouldn’t make a difference in turning the bill into a law. A supermajority in both chambers passed SB 2095, meaning that if the governor does veto the bill, the chambers will override the veto to make it a law. 

This leaves Governor Reeves with two options. First, he could sign the bill into law as lawmakers have written it. Second, he could send it back to the senate with objections and recommended changes. Once he receives the bill, Governor Reeves will have five days (except for Sundays) to either sign the bill or send it back. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest.

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