Legislators say epilepsy and cancer are among about 28 debilitating conditions listed for use in the new medical marijuana bill. Those who seek to use the product must have their condition certified by a doctor, the level of THC is limited, along with how much can be dispensed. The program would be regulated by the state Department of Health with assistance from the state agriculture and commerce department. Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann discusses the issue at a legislative budget hearing.
“The controls in that process are very strict. How it’s going to be grown. How it will be checked all the way through, the distributions. We allowed for cities and counties that don’t want to be participants in this, they don’t have to be,” Hosemann said.
There’s a sense of urgency among legislators to pass a new medical marijuana bill according to House Republican Lee Yancey of Brandon who chairs the Drug Policy Committee. Voters overwhelmingly supported a referendum last year that was overturned by the state supreme court in May.
“Also if we were to wait until January, there’s the possibility of this bill being leveraged to get something else. ‘Ok we’ll pass this is you’ll pass that,’” Yancey said.
Democratic Senator John Horhn of Jackson supports the bill. But he thinks this could have been avoided. He says during the last session, the Senate tried to propose a back-up bill but it failed to gain support.
“I told you so. Had we come up with the alternative and passed it, in the legislation it only would have been triggered if the supreme court turned it down,” Horhn said.
Also legislative leaders want to use monies from the federal American Rescue Plan to retain hospital healthcare workers due to COVID-19. Other states are offering bonuses and salaries that have far outpaced what hospitals in Mississippi can afford. Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn says they plan to give the money to hospital CEO's who know best how to distribute the funds to their staff through contracts.
There are two additional items lawmakers are asking be placed on the special session agenda, providing COVID-19 benefits to families of frontline workers who die from the virus and increasing funding for child abuse and domestic violence centers.
Legislative leaders are meeting with the governor this week about scheduling a one day special session.
