In January 2020, a citizen-initiated measure, Medical marijuana 2020, to legalize medical marijuana in Mississippi qualified for the November 2020 ballot as measure 65, and it was overwhelmingly approved by 74% of voters. After some legislative issues in 2021, the revised Bill 2095 was approved in January 2022 and signed by the governor on Feb 2, 2022. With the medical marijuana program now approved, Mississippi is the 37th state to have legalized cannabis for medical use.
Under Mississippi’s cannabis dispensary laws, The Mississippi State Department of Health is in charge of planning out all the requirements to implement a successful medical marijuana program for the state and will be regulating all laws and licensing requirements for the same. All Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers will be registered with, licensed, and regulated by the Mississippi Department of Health.
MSDH officials said the department plans to begin accepting online applications for patients, medical practitioners, cannabis cultivation facilities, and others by June 2022. The MDOR issues licenses for medical cannabis dispensaries. The state has not put any limit on the number of legal licenses that will be awarded, and the medical marijuana market in Mississippi is expected to grow rapidly. The state officially launched its medical cannabis market in the last week of January 2023, with Cova's client, The Cannabis Company, making the first legal marijuana transaction in Mississippi. Keep checking the MSDH website for updated information on the state’s medical-marijuana program.
Below, we’ve provided answers to as many questions as possible relating to Mississippi’s medical dispensary laws and licensing process. We will continue to update this page as new information becomes available. This page is informational only and should not be considered legal advice.
At Cova, we’re on top of cannabis compliance so you can focus on what really matters. Our automated compliance cannabis POS system provides in-built ID barcode scanners and purchase limits to ensure legal sales only to patients or caregivers with a valid medical marijuana card to remain compliant with the law.