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Marijuana in Mississippi has taken on more significance in the last two years since it was legalized in January of 2022.
So as April 20 has become a day celebrated by cannabis converts the world over, Mississippians in the business reflect on the date known as 4/20 as a mark of how far things have come and how far there still is to go.
The unofficial holiday involves a celebration of pot in its various forms, including a growing category of edibles and drinks infused with THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (Cannabidiol), two chemicals found in the marijuana and hemp plants.
“I can say that I have seen amazing, beautiful things happen (since medical marijuana was legalized in Mississippi) and I have seen some things that leave me a little disappointed,” said Jenni Sivils, who is co-owner of the Jackson dispensary Uptown Funk. “All in all, though, it has been an honor and a privilege to have a part in this.”
Gov. Tate Reeves signed the bill creating the program into law in 2022, which made Mississippi the 37th state to legalize medical marijuana in the United States.
Just over a year ago, the first dispensaries began to pop up around Mississippi and there was a slow, almost painful, process of Mississippians being able to complete the process of getting a license to buy medical marijuana. At one point, last Spring as dispensaries were beginning to open, there were fewer than 1,000 people that were able to even purchase the product.
That left many to wonder about the sustainability of the business.
Today, there are nearly 40,000 Mississippian on the rolls and more and more dispensaries are opening every day. According to the latest figures from the State of Mississippi, there are nearly 400 dispensaries licensed in the state.
“I definitely can remember the days when it was myself and one other employee, and I was ordering our products and we were stocking our little shelves. It was just us,” Sivils said. “Now, we have 15 employees. They are so knowledgeable and it awesome to be able to watch them grow in this industry. Sure, it has been a slow go at times with people getting their license to purchase, but we can see the future now.”
Nearly half of the states have legalized recreational marijuana. And changes in the federal 2018 Farm Bill, which allowed for the sale of hemp, have resulted in a growing category of drinks and edibles with THC and CBD derived from hemp.
There have been bumps in the road, however.
There was the issue in December of 2023 when a Jackson-based cannabis testing lab announced that potentially deadly toxins have been detected in over-the-counter cannabis products widely available throughout Mississippi.
Many of Mississippi’s marijuana dispensaries had to work through not being able to sell a large percentage of their product. Mass re-testing of certain medical cannabis products were placed on an administrative hold..
The Department of Health and the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Program said it anticipated that cleared product would be back on dispensary shelves soon. While many are back on the shelves, many still are not.
“That put a lot of dispensaries right on their butt,” Sivils said. “Even we are still recovering from that. There are still lists of products we release back to the public ever week and it has been many months since that happened. There are still products on hold and more being recalled. That was very difficult to make it through.”
She said that was difficult for the dispensaries, the people who grow the flower, the manufacturers as well as the testing facilities.
Sivils said that if there were one thing she would like to see more attention paid to is how much the dispensaries can advertise,
“I totally understand that we don’t want packaging that attracts children or that makes people think that it is candy or that it is fun. It is medicine. It really is,” Sivils said. “But there are ways for marketing and advertising and package to help educate people on how this product helps people. There needs to be more leniency.”
In honor of 4/20, many dispensaries are offering special deals. However, they are not able to get that information to the public other than word of mouth.
In the end, Sivils said she is proud to be able to help people who are in need of the product for health purposes.
“I am honored to be able to have formed personal relationships with our patients,” she said. “More than 98% of the people we see desperately needed this opportunity and they are having beautiful growth and health benefits regarding a regimen of cannabis. That has been a gift to see how their lives are changing.”
Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter @GreenOkra1.
