Mississippi is one of the 19 states that have decriminalized personal possession of weed. The first offense for possession of 30 grams, which is a little more than an ounce, results in a $250 fine instead of jail time.
Anything more, however, is considered a felony offense. But efforts are under way to change and legalize weed in Mississippi.
In 2014, the state joined others and passed laws allowing for the medicinal use of marijuana, specifically possession of oil derivatives in certain medical cases. Voters are also working to take measures into their own hands in 2015.
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The Mississippi Alliance for Cannabis is currently working on collecting signatures to get a measure on the ballot that would allow voters to make the choice on whether to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana for adults.
With pot such a hot topic, many lawmakers are sharing their thoughts about legalizing weed:
1. “Change is hard for people in Mississippi,” state Sen. Deborah Dawkins, D-Pass Christian,
in The Daily Mississippian. “Six or eight years ago, legislators were afraid to even say the word ‘marijuana.’ The idea is becoming more mainstream all over the country, and although we move slowly here, it is moving in that direction.”
Dawkins has been a long-time advocate of changing the state’s pot laws.
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2. “This isn’t even really medical marijuana,” said Sen. Josh Harkins of the Miss. House of Representatives,
according to The Reflector. “It should really be called CBD oil because that is the main ingredient within the oil, and it is the ingredient that will be functioning. What people don’t realize is methamphetamines and toxins are more available to patients in hospitals, and there are different derivatives of awful drugs that are available to our people today. This oil is something that will help.”
3. While medical marijuana has gained some headway,
recreational use is facing some opposition, WAPT News reported.
"We're not going to consider it in Mississippi as long as I'm governor," said Gov. Phil Bryant.
Mississippi is currently one of 23 states with medical marijuana laws on the books, although marijuana remains a federally controlled substance.
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