Mississippi allows for Cannabis opposition to sue

The Mississippi Supreme Court heard arguments this week challenging the state's overwhelming vote in support of medical cannabis last November, but proponents still have their high hopes. The Mississippi Cannabis Trade Association issued a statement following Thursday's oral arguments that would determine the fate of the industry. If successful, the challenge would essentially undo the election night win for Compassion in Mississippi. The idea behind the challenge is an old law that says 20% of the signatures must come from each of the state's congressional districts. The problem with that? Mississippi lost a congressional district in 2003 and the authorities never updated the law. Now the opposition is trying to use it as a de facto ban on electoral initiatives. "The Mississippi Cannabis Trade Association (MSCTA) looks forward to the upcoming decision by the Mississippi Supreme Court on the recent legal challenge to Initiative 65. At its core, it is about the will of Mississippi citizens and their constitutional right to amend through the process the electoral initiative to propose and adopt, to maintain, "the statement said. "The state's constitution expressly provides the people of Mississippi with certain enumerated rights, and therefore its provisions should be interpreted in a way that preserves, and does not destroy, those rights." The staggering 75% of Mississippians voted for medical cannabis for a list of 22 qualifying debilitating diseases last fall. To put it in perspective, that's a 20 point bigger margin of victory than when Proposition 215 was passed in California in 1996. Despite the hassle in court, the MSCTA is pleased that regulators are getting the ball rolling for the deadlines set by the vote. "The MSCTA is encouraged by the recent moves by the Mississippi Board of Health to enact regulations that will result in the creation of a vibrant and responsible cannabis marketplace in Mississippi," they said. "The MSCTA would also like to stress that legal cannabis, whether medicinal or adult, is a thriving industry that is growing at breakneck speed." The MSCTA also argued that the new industry would create thousands of jobs in the state, stating, "As more states formally recognize the medical and economic realities behind legalized cannabis, Mississippi shouldn't be left behind - and its people have chosen not to be."