As we predicted back in April, disputes between medical cannabis businesses and counties or municipalities over local zoning ordinances and permits are starting to arise. Participants in Mississippi’s medical cannabis program...more
In late 2018, my esteemed partner, Whitt Steineker, recruited me to join the firm’s newly formed Cannabis Industry team. Around that time, groups in Mississippi were actively seeking signatures to get a ballot initiative in...more
May 4th celebrates Star Wars, and May 5th is Cinco de Mayo. While not as popular, May 3rd still likely means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. But, in Mississippi, in 2022, May 3rd was a date circled on...more
5/6/2022
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Deadlines ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licenses ,
Local Ordinance ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Municipalities ,
Opt-Outs ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
Zoning Laws
Attorney General Merrick Garland has reiterated that the Department of Justice will not prioritize prosecuting marijuana use, a position that Garland expressed during his confirmation hearings. In remarks in front of a Senate...more
5/3/2022
/ Attorney General ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Cole Memorandum ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Legalization ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
SAFE Act ,
State and Local Government
What promises to be the first of a litany of legal interpretations of the new Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act (MMCA), Attorney General Lynn Fitch released an official attorney general’s opinion on April 15, 2022, regarding...more
4/25/2022
/ Amended Regulation ,
Business Operations ,
Cannabis Act ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Mixed-Use Zoning ,
Municipalities ,
Property Owners ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
State Attorneys General
The Mississippi Department of Revenue (MDOR) released information on Friday, April 15, regarding the licensing and operations of dispensaries under the medical cannabis regime in Mississippi. We feel like a broken record, but...more
4/22/2022
/ Alcohol Beverage Control ,
Applications ,
Business Licenses ,
Business Plans ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Dispensaries ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Proposed Regulation ,
State and Local Government
On April 8, the Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH) used a Friday news dump to release good news on the Mississippi medical cannabis front. We now have a clearer and fuller picture of how the state will regulate testing...more
4/14/2022
/ Advertising ,
Applications ,
Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Comment Period ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Marketing ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Proposed Regulation ,
State and Local Government ,
Testing Requirements ,
Work Permits
As the world turns in the new and exciting world of legal medical cannabis in Mississippi, momentum and progress coexist alongside impediments.
The Good -
Yesterday, the Mississippi Department of Health made two...more
4/7/2022
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Governor Reeves ,
Legalization ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
When you do what we do, you get a lot of calls and a lot of questions. Many of the calls and questions are not fruitful. Quite honestly, some of the calls are from folks whose interest in and experience with cannabis is, we...more
Municipalities in Mississippi are electing to opt out of allowing medical cannabis establishments to operate under the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act or, at a minimum, are holding public hearings to explore that option or...more
Medical cannabis has arrived in Mississippi. What does that mean for Mississippi banks? The implications of this development are enormous for the financial services industry in Mississippi, as each institution will soon have...more
Gov. Tate Reeves signed the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act into law yesterday, making Mississippi the 37th state to adopt a medical marijuana program. The 445-page law is dense, and we previously summarized its...more
Despite leadership of both chambers of the Mississippi legislature agreeing on the text of a bill for a Mississippi medical marijuana program a few months back, Governor Tate Reeves did not call a special session before the...more
Earlier this week, leadership from both chambers of the Mississippi Legislature agreed to a draft bill for a Mississippi medical marijuana program. Lawmakers have asked Gov. Tate Reeves to call them into special session on...more
10/1/2021
/ Cannabis Act ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Governor Reeves ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
Mississippi is on the precipice of implementing a medical marijuana regime, as Mississippians voted overwhelmingly to approve Initiative 65 last November. Those awaiting the green light should take advantage of the additional...more
3/24/2021
/ Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Documentation ,
IRC Section 280E ,
IRS ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Local v State Laws ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
State Taxes ,
Treasury Regulations
On November 3, 2020, Mississippi voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana for Mississippians with certain medical conditions. As we wrote back in February, the amendment will...more
Now that Mississippi has enacted legislation legalizing the cultivation of hemp, you want to start a hemp company. You have your big idea and a business plan ready, but you begin to wonder whether you should be thinking about...more
8/23/2020
/ Accountants ,
Applications ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Corporate Entities ,
Financial Adviser ,
Funding ,
Hemp Related Businesses ,
Insurance Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
License Applications ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
State and Local Government ,
Supply Chain ,
USDA