If Ballot Initiative 65 or 65a pass, it will become part of the Mississippi constitution and allow for the use of medical marijuana. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs says that initiative 65 would be very broad, and he believes it would bring the state closer to the legalization of recreational marijuana. “It’s going to make kids at risk. It’s gonna increase the supply of marijuana broadly. It’s going to bring a bunch of marijuana stores into your town whether you want it or not,” says Dr. Dobbs. “Is there a benefit to having a medical cannabis program? Yes. Is this the right way to do it? The first time I get a telephone call with someone mad about this in a couple of years I’m gonna send them a video of this conversation right here.”
Jamie Grantham is with Medical Marijuana 2020, a group advocating for initiative 65. She says 65 would create a safe program that is tightly regulated. “It would be a conservative program under 65, and if there is a child who is certified for medical marijuana, it would be the parent as a caregiver facilitating that to their children just like they would any other medication,” says Grantham. “Opponents really like to criticize initiative 65 and say that there’s not zoning. And that is 100% false.”
If initiative 65 passes, oversight and administration would be under the State Department of Health. If 65a passes, the state legislature will be required to create a medical marijuana program.
