The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 in favor of overturning a November 2020 vote legalizing the production and dispensing of medical cannabis to qualified patients.
On Election Day, 73 percent of Mississippi voters decided in favor of Initiative 65, which establishes a system of state-licensed dispensaries to engage in the retail dispensing of cannabis and cannabis products to patients who possess a doctor’s authorization. Just prior to the vote, officials representing the city of Madison – including the town’s Mayor – filed suit arguing that the legislature’s failure to update guidelines for petitioners should invalidate the initiative vote.
The Supreme Court decision states, “Whether with intent, by oversight, or for some other reason, the drafters of section 273(3) wrote a ballot-initiative process that cannot work in a world where Mississippi has fewer than five representatives in Congress. To work in today’s reality, it will need amending—something that lies beyond the power of the Supreme Court.”
Specifically, state statutes call for petitioners to gather an equal percentage of signatures from five congressional districts. However, following redistricting in 2000, there are only four congressional districts in the state. Lawmakers since that time have failed to update the statute.
NORML State Policies Manager Carly Wolf criticized the decision. “Legalization opponents have shown time and time again that they cannot succeed in either the court of public opinion or at the ballot box. Whether or not one supports marijuana reform, Americans should be outraged at these overtly undemocratic tactics, and as a result, the most vulnerable Mississippians will continue to be denied safe access to a therapy that could offer them significant relief from severely debilitating conditions.”
The case is Mary Hawkins Butler v. Michael Watson, Miss., 2020-IA-01199-SCT.
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