Pass Christian and Ridgeland became the first two cities in Mississippi to opt out of the state’s medical cannabis program this week.
City leaders decided March 1 that they will not host cannabis cultivators, processors and dispensaries, according to a SuperTalk Mississippi Media report.
The Board of Alderman in Pass Christian said it is too early to opt-in, the news outlet reported, and expressed interest in seeing how other municipalities deal with Mississippi’s medical cannabis program before they welcome the industry.
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The state’s medical cannabis law, signed Feb. 2 by a reluctant Gov. Tate Reeves, allows counties and municipalities to opt out within three months of the bill being signed into law. Residents can then petition for a local election to overturn their city’s decision, SuperTalk Mississippi Media reported.
Registered medical cannabis patients who live in cities that have opted out of hosting the medical cannabis industry are still permitted to purchase and use medical cannabis, the news outlet pointed out, but they must travel to a city with a dispensary.
