State officials in Mississippi anticipate that medical cannabis will be available to patients by the beginning of 2023.
In the two years since voters approved the reforms, Mississippi regulators have issued licenses to medical practitioners, patients, dispensaries, cultivators, processors, laboratories, disposal companies, and workers, but patients still don’t have access to products, as reported by the Clarion Ledger.
However, according to Medical Cannabis Program director Kris Jones Adcock, patients should be able to get their hands on products by the start of 2023.
The authorities have authorized 138 dispensaries, 47 cultivators, eight processors, three disposal organizations, two testing labs, 117 practitioners, 406 patients, and 491 businesses with work permits.
The Mississippi State Department of Health can monitor the businesses with the provisional licenses, which have a 120-day expiration date, before issuing a permanent license, according to a reported in Ganjapreneur.
In addition to witnessing daily increases in the number of patients interested in the program, Edney told the Ledger that “we’re seeing daily increases in the number of practitioners who are interested in the program.”
The state’s medical cannabis statute permits officials to take all reasonable measures to reduce delays and “to minimize diversion as low as possible,” according to Edney, but they “will not get that to zero.”
The legalization of medical marijuana in Mississippi became effective on July 1. Patients will be able to buy up to 3.5 grams of cannabis per day, or nearly three ounces per month, under the program.
The law protects people with terminal illnesses, cancer, HIV/AIDS, sickle cell disease, and debilitating medical disorders that cause seizures, severe or uncontrollable nausea, severe and persistent muscle spasms, cachexia, and/or chronic pain.
