Mississippi

Mississippi legislators recently passed a bill to allow medical cannabis access in the state. There are no provisions for personal cultivation by patients or caregivers. Patients will be allowed a monthly allotment of 3 ounces but will only be allowed to purchase a single 1/8th per day from state licensed retailers. This means to meet their monthly allotment, they would have to make 24 separate trips to the dispensary. Licenses are set to be awarded in August 2022, but zoning restrictions and heavy local control are likely to severely impact where businesses can operate. Patients shouldn't expect legal access before the summer of 2022, but it will likely be even longer than that.

Patient Rights and Civil Protections	20/100
Arrest Protection 0/25 Affirmative Defense 20/20 Parental Rights Protections 0/20 DUI Protections 0/10 Employment Protections 0/20 Explicit Privacy Standards 0/5
Access to Medicine	0/100
Authorizes Retail Access 0/10 Alternative Accessibility Methods 0/20 - Authorizes Delivery 0/10 - Authorizes Curbside Pickup 0/10 Personal Cultivation 0/15 Collective Gardening 0/5 Sufficient Number of Licenced Retailers 0/30 Reciprocity 0/20
Program Functionality	20/100
Legal Protections Within Reasonable Time Frame 0/20 Reasonable Possession Limits 10/10 Reasonable Purchase Limits 0/10 Telemedicine for Physician Certifications 0/15 Patient and Physician Representation in Program Decision Making 0/20 Reasonable Caregiver Standards 3/5 - Background Checks 2/2 - Number of Caregivers 1/3 Reasonable Physician Standards 5/5 Access to Administration Methods 2/10 - Allows Dried Flower 0/5 - Allows Edibles, Concentrates, and Other Forms 2/5 Provides Access to Minors on School Grounds 0/5
Affordability	40/100
Sales Tax Break for Patients and Caregivers 0/20 Covered by State Insurance or Health Aid 0/20 Reasonable Registration Fees 20/20 Financial Hardship Waivers or Discounts 20/20 Donation Program 0/10 Allows Multi-Year Registrations 0/10
Health and Social Equity	11/100
State Program Protections 0/25 Housing Protections 0/25 Access for Minors 10/10 Access in Underserved Areas 0/10 List of Qualifying Conditions is Exhaustive or All Inclusive 1/10 Allows Patients to Medicate Where they Choose 0/10 Organ Transplants 0/5 Ownership or Employment Restrictions 0/5
Consumer Protection and Product Safety	91/200
Cultivation Operations 23/50 Quality Management Systems 0/10 Staff Training 10/10 Standard Operating Procedures 0/8 - Facility and Equipment Sanitation 0/1 - Workplace Safety 0/1 - Storage 0/1 - Batch and Lot Tracking 0/1 - Security 0/1 - Waste Disposal 0/1 - Water Management 0/1 - Records Management 0/1 Pesticide Usage Limitations 2/2 Environmental Impact Regulations 0/2 Required Testing 8/8 - Cannabinoids 1/1 - Terpenes 1/1 - Microbials 1/1 - Aflatoxins 1/1 - Pesticides 1/1 - Heavy Metals 1/1 - Foreign Matter 1/1 - Moisture Content/ Water Activity 1/1 Packaging and Labeling 3/3 - Cannabinoids 1/1 - Terpenes 1/1 - Pesticides 1/1 Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting, and Recall Protocol 0/7 Manufacturing Operations 24/50 Quality Management Systems 0/10 Staff Training 10/10 Standard Operating Procedures 0/7 - Facility and Equipment Sanitation 0/1 - Workplace Safety 0/1 - Storage 0/1 - Batch and Lot Tracking 0/1 - Security 0/1 - Waste Disposal 0/1 - Records Management 0/1 Environmental Impact Regulations 0/3 Required Testing 9/10 - Cannabinoids 1/1 - Terpenes 1/1 - Microbials 1/1 - Aflatoxins 1/1 - Pesticides 1/1 - Heavy Metals 1/1 - Residual Solvents 1/1 - Homogeneity 0/1 - Foreign Matter 1/1 - Water Activity 1/1 Packaging and Labeling 5/5 - Cannabinoids 1/1 - Terpenes 1/1 - Ingredients 1/1 - Allergens 1/1 - Nutritional Content 1/1 Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting and Recall Protocol 0/5 Dispensary Operations 0/50 Staff Training 0/20 Standard Operating Procedures 0/7 - Facility Sanitation 0/1 - Workplace Safety 0/1 - Storage 0/1 - Batch and Lot Tracking 0/1 - Security 0/1 - Waste Disposal 0/1 - Records Management 0/1 Product Testing 0/10 - Product Meets Requirements Before Sale 0/5 - COA Disclosure 0/5 Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting and Recall Protocol 0/13 Laboratory Operations 44/50 Independent or Third-Party 5/5 Laboratory Sampling 5/5 Method Validation 4/4 Quality Management Systems 5/5 Staff Training 20/20 Standard Operating Procedures 5/7 - Facility and Equipment Sanitation 0/1 - Equipment and Instrument Calibration 1/1 - Workplace Safety 0/1 - Sample Tracking 1/1 - Security 1/1 - Waste Disposal 1/1 - Records Management 1/1 Result Reporting 0/4
Score Penalties	40/100
Gives Regulatory Preference to Adult Use 0/20 Classifies Cannabis as a Medicine of Last Resort 15/15 Administrative or Supply Problems 15/15 Requires Vertical Integration 0/10 Creates New Criminal Penalties for Patients 0/10 Limits Patients to a Single Retailer 0/10 No System for Adding Qualifying Conditions 0/10 Imposes Bans or Limits on THC 5/5 Imposes Bans or Limits on CBD 5/5
Excerpted from ASA's 2022 State of the States Report.