Team Brytemap is proud to add yet another medical cannabis state to our service area as we’ve been Metrc approved to run our POS cannabis software to dispensaries in Mississippi! Here’s a little background on the cannabis situation in the Magnolia State:
Mississippi voters approved a medical cannabis program two years ago, in November of 2020, rejecting a much more restrictive version of the legislation placed on the ballot simultaneously by lawmakers. Resolving the differences took some time, but final approval from the state legislature came in January of 2022, with widespread approval from both houses.
Patients must have at least one qualifying medical condition from a specific list that ranges from cancer to chronic pain. They may then apply to the health department for a registration card costing $25 or less. That registration is valid for no more than one year.
Certifying practitioners include physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and optometrists, all of whom must have completed eight hours of initial continuing education on medical cannabis, plus five hours in each subsequent year.
Patients may not grow their own cannabis, even for medicinal purposes, and may not smoke or vape in public or in vehicles. The legislation does not require insurers to cover the use of medical cannabis, nor does it require employers to allow its use or to refrain from drug testing.
Mississippi had issued 107 medical cannabis dispensary licenses as of August 2022, with no cap on the number of licenses that may be issued.
And while recreational cannabis remains illegal, Mississippi was well ahead of the curve in decriminalizing it. Recreational possession was reduced to misdemeanor status in the 1970s.
We look forward to being a part of the evolving cannabis landscape in Mississippi.
