Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) last week vetoed two pieces of legislation that provided updates to the state’s medical cannabis law. Together the bills would have allowed ‘right-to-try’ provisions for patients and loosened rules for doctor visits. The reforms would have also eliminated THC caps on some medical cannabis products.
In his veto of the bill to loosen rules and end some of the THC caps, Reeves said the legislation “seeks to erode three important safeguards” in the state’s law “meant to minimize the potential diversion” of medical cannabis “for recreational purposes.”
“The requirement of a mandatory six-month follow-up visit to ensure the patient is receiving a therapeutic benefit from utilizing medical marijuana; requiring caregivers to pass an annual criminal background check; and capping the THC potency at 60% for oils and concentrates are reasonable and necessary checks and balances on the medical marijuana program and do not create unnecessary barriers.” — Reeves in his veto message
The vetoed bill was referred back to the House Business and Commerce Committee
In his veto of the ‘right-to-try’ bill, Reeves said the bill would “extend the ‘right to try medical cannabis’ to every person on the planet,” which he opposes.
In the veto message, Reeves cited the concern from Dr. Daniel Edney, state health officer, who said the proposal “shifts the intent of the bill away from giving Mississippians the ability to work with their treating physicians in dire situation when all other options have failed.”
“This policy position of [Mississippi State Department of Health] was clearly communicated to leadership and in committee that we could only support this narrowly drafted and strict language,” the veto message states, quoting Edney, “and would not support anything to make the program more recreational in nature. Unfortunately, the amended language distorts the purpose of the bill’s original intent.”
The vetoed bill was returned to the House Public Health and Human Services Committee.
