Mississippi House approves amended medical marijuana bill, sending it back to Senate

The Mississippi House of Representatives approved an amended version of the Senate's medical marijuana bill, lowering the amount of cannabis a person can purchase each month.

The House voted 104-14 in favor of the bill after over an hour of spirited debate.

The bill will head back to the Senate where the changes can either be accepted or the two chambers can negotiate a compromise.

"This bill has been vetted probably more than any bill in my history for sure," said Rep. Lee Yancey, R-Brandon, chair of the House Drug Policy Committee. 

More:A billion joints? Lawmakers say Tate Reeves is moving the medical marijuana goal posts

Yancey and Sen. Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven, worked closely on the language of the bill through last summer and fall.

Thorough vetting aside, Yancey made three changes to the bill Wednesday afternoon during an impromptu drug policy committee meeting.

Yancey lowered the amount of marijuana a patient can purchase each month to 3 ounces from 3.5 ounces. A patient can still purchase 3.5 grams of marijuana at a time, but only six times a week.

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The decrease in the amount of cannabis a person can purchase in a given month comes after Gov. Tate Reeves repeatedly called for lawmakers to lower the amount. In December, Yancey didn't seem open to the change, telling the Clarion Ledger he thought Reeves was playing politics.

Wednesday, Yancey said the lowered amounts are just a starting point, and he expects the legislature to increase the amount of marijuana a person can purchase each month in future years.

"This is an effort to start small and grow rather than start big and reduce," Yancey said.

More:Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson wants no part of medical marijuana program

The amendment also allows for dispensaries to open in commercial districts and puts the entirety of the program under the Mississippi State Department of Health. Under the Senate version, the Department of Agriculture and Commerce would have overseen the licensing, inspection and oversight of cannabis cultivation facilities, processing facilities, transportation and cannabis disposal entities in the state.

Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson was outspoken about his desire to be left out of any medical marijuana program.

"It's not what my oath of office required, and it's not what the people in Mississippi elected me to do, to be be the marijuana kingpin of the state of Mississippi," Gipson said in September.

All cannabis facilities must be 1,000 feet from schools, churches and daycares, according to the bill. It can not be grown outside or for personal use.

The bill would apply the state's 7% sales tax and a new 5% excise tax to cannabis sales. Meaning, if a person bought $100 of cannabis they would pay $12 in taxes. No other prescription medication is subject to a tax in Mississippi.

People who receive medical marijuana cards will not be able to purchase new firearms as long as cannabis is illegal at the federal level, according to federal law. However, a person would be allowed to keep any guns and permits they had before becoming a medical marijuana patient, Yancey said.

The House's passage comes 14 months after voters in Mississippi overwhelmingly approved a medical marijuana program at the ballot box, and nine months since the state supreme court overturned the referendum and nullified the state's ballot initiative process. 

Lee O. Sanderlin is an investigative and political reporter covering the state of Mississippi. Got a story tip? You can call him at 601-559-3857, send it to LSanderlin@gannett.com or message him on Twitter @LeeOSanderlin.